ISO/TC 94/SC 4 - Personal equipment for protection against falls

This part of ISO 22846 provides recommendations and guidance on the use of rope access methods for work at height and expands on the fundamental principles given in ISO 22846-1, in conjunction with which it is intended to be used. It is intended for use by employers, employees and self-employed persons who use rope access methods, by those commissioning rope access work and by rope access associations. This part of ISO 22846 is applicable to the use of rope access methods in any situation where ropes are used as the primary means of access, egress or support and as the primary means of protection against a fall, on both man-made and natural features. This part of ISO 22846 is not intended to apply to the use of rope access methods for leisure activities, arboriculture, general steeplejack methods, emergency personal evacuation or to the use of rope rescue (line rescue) techniques by emergency services for rescue work or for rescue training. Nevertheless, individuals engaged in these and similar activities can benefit from the advice given in this part of ISO 22846.

ISO 22159:2007 specifies requirements, test methods, marking and information to be supplied by the manufacturer for descending devices. It also specifies some basic requirements for the descent lines to be used with the descending devices. ISO 22159:2007 is applicable to automatic and manually operated descending devices intended for use in the workplace in access, egress, work positioning and rescue systems. Various types and classes of descending devices are defined according to function and performance. These descending devices can be used in situations other than the workplace if adequate training and/or supervision are provided. ISO 22159:2007 is not intended to apply to descending devices used in leisure activities such as recreational climbing and caving, although its requirements can be useful in specifying such equipment.

ISO 16024:2005 specifies design and performance requirements, test methods, user instructions, marking and labelling as appropriate, of flexible horizontal lifeline systems for use at any one time by up to three persons, exclusively for the attachment of personal protective equipment for protection against falls from a height. It does not stipulate designs for flexible horizontal lifelines, except for design limitations that are necessary for safe and durable service. ISO 16024:2005 does not cover rigid rail systems, nor is it intended to cover flexible guardrails, hand lines and work-positioning anchor lines.

ISO 10333-6:2004 specifies tests and requirements for complete personal fall arrest systems (PFAS) made up from specific combinations of components and subsystems selected from those conforming to the other parts of ISO 10333 and to ISO 14567, where it is both important and desirable to ascertain satisfactory system performance and interactive component compatibility. It includes PFAS performance tests using a rigid torso test mass as a surrogate for the faller. Examples of personal fall arrest systems, as well as descriptions of how components or subsystems may be connected together to constitute a system, are also given.

ISO 22846-1:2003 gives the fundamental principles for the use of rope access methods for work at height. It is intended for use by employers, employees and self-employed persons who use rope-access methods, by those commissioning rope-access work and by rope-access associations. ISO 22846-1 is applicable to the use of rope-access methods on buildings, other structures (on- or offshore) or natural features (such as cliff faces), during which ropes are suspended from or connected to a structure or natural feature. It is applicable to situations where ropes are used as the primary means of access, egress or support and as the primary means of protection against a fall. ISO 22846-1 is not intended to apply to the use of rope-access methods for leisure activities, arboriculture, general steeplejack methods or emergency personal-evacuation systems, or to the use of rope-access (line rescue) techniques by the fire brigade and other emergency services for rescue work or for rescue training.

This part of ISO 10333 specifies requirements, test methods, instructions for use and maintenance, marking, labelling and packaging, as appropriate, for vertical rails and vertical lifelines which incorporate a sliding-type fall arrester. When connected to a full-body harness as specified in ISO 10333-1, vertical rails and vertical lifelines which incorporate a sliding-type fall arrester constitute a personal fall-arrest system (PFAS), which will be specified in a future International Standard. Vertical rails and vertical lifelines which incorporate a sliding-type fall arrester in accordance with this part of ISO 10333 are limited to use by a single person of total mass not exceeding 100 kg. NOTE 1 Users of PFAS whose total mass (which includes attached tools and equipment) exceeds 100 kg are advised to seek advice from the equipment manufacturers regarding the suitability of the equipment, which may need additional testing. NOTE 2 PFAS using vertical rails and permanent vertical lifelines inherently limit the user's horizontal movement, whereas PFAS using a temporary vertical lifeline permit significant horizontal movement by the user. Special notice should be given to the requirements which accommodate this difference. The scope of this part of ISO 10333 does not extend to: inclined rails and lifelines, i.e. those which are installed at an angle between the true vertical and the lifeline or rail of more than 15° when viewed from the side elevation; the horizontally installed elements of compound rails or lifelines, i.e. those which have both vertically and horizontally installed elements linked by junctions. This part of ISO 10333 does not specify those additional requirements that would apply when PFAS are subjected to special conditions of use (where, for example, there exist unusual limitations concerning access to the place of work and/or particular environmental factors). Thus treatments to ensure the durability of the materials of construction (such as heat treatment, anti-corrosion treatment, protection against physical and chemical hazards) are not specified in this part of ISO 10333, but should comply with appropriate International Standards or, failing that, with national standards or other specifications dealing with relevant physical characteristics and/or the safety of users.

This part of ISO 10333 specifies requirements, test methods, instructions for use and maintenance, marking, labelling and packaging, as appropriate, for connectors with self-closing and self-locking gates made from metallic materials. Connectors are used in personal fall-arrest systems (PFAS), which will be specified in a future International Standard (see ISO 10333-6 in the Bibliography), such that, if an arrest takes place, the arresting force will not exceed 6kN.. This part of ISO 10333 is applicable only to connectors limited to single person use of a total mass not exceeding 100kg. . NOTE Users of fall protection equipment whose total mass (including tools and equipment) exceeds 100 kg are advised to seek advice from the equipment manufacturer regarding the suitability of this equipment, which may need additional testing. The scope of this part of ISO 10333 does not extend to: a) attachment elements, fastening buckles, adjusting buckles and other metallic fittings used in the manufacture of full-body harnesses, which are specified in ISO 10333-6; b) connectors used for material-lifting purposes; c) connectors used in special techniques or situations, e.g. rescue, or rope access. This part of ISO 10333 does not specify those additional requirements that would apply when connectors are subjected to special conditions of use (where, for example, there exist unusual limitations concerning access to the place of work and/or particular environmental factors). Thus, treatments to ensure the durability of the materials of construction (such as heat treatment, anti-corrosion treatment, protection against physical and chemical hazards) are not specified in this part of ISO 10333, but should comply with appropriate International Standards or, failing that, with national standards and other specifications dealing with relevant physical characteristics and/or the safety of users. In particular, when it is considered necessary to test the corrosion resistance of metallic parts of the equipment, reference should be made to ISO 9227.

This part of ISO 10333 specifies the requirements, test methods, instructions for general use, marking, packaging and maintenance for full-body harnesses (FBH). The main purpose of a FBH is to allow the user to connect into a personal fall-arrest system (PFAS), which will be specified in a future International Standard (see ISO 10333-6 in the Bibliography), such that if an arrest takes place, the arresting force will not exceed 6 kN. For the purposes of this part of ISO 10333, FBH may have attachment elements that allow the user to connect into other types of safety or access system, for example a work-positioning system, a controlled descent/ascent system or a confined-space access system. This part of ISO 10333 includes requirements for such attachment elements. This part of ISO 10333 is applicable only to FBH limited to single-person use of a total mass not exceeding 100 kg. NOTE Users of fall-protection equipment whose total mass (including tools and equipment) exceeds 100 kg are advised to seek advice from the equipment manufacturer regarding the suitability of the equipment, which may need additional testing. The scope of this part of ISO 10333 does not extend to: a) waist belts or chest harnesses: such equipment is not considered as safe to use in personal fall-arrest systems (PFAS); b) all other types of harnesses that are not designed primarily for use in PFAS; c) other special requirements for FBH, peculiar to use in a controlled descent/ascent system or a confined-space access system; d) any assessment of compatibility or suitability in respect of the performance of FBH in a controlled descent/ascent system or a confined-space access system. This part of ISO 10333 does not specify those additional requirements that would apply when harnesses are subjected to special conditions of use (where, for example, there exist unusual limitations concerning access to the place of work and/or particular environmental factors). Thus treatments to ensure the durability of the materials of construction (such as heat treatment, anti-corrosion treatment, protection against physical and chemical hazards) are not specified in this part of ISO 10333, but should comply with appropriate International Standards or, failing that, with national standards and other specifications dealing with relevant physical characteristics and/or the safety of users. In particular, when it is considered necessary to test the corrosion resistance of metallic parts of the equipment, reference should be made to ISO 9227.

This part of 10333 specifies requirements, test methods, instructions for use and maintenance, marking, labelling and packaging, as appropriate, for self-retracting lifelines, including self-retracting lifelines that have an integral-rescue facility. Self-retracting lifelines are used as a connecting sub-system in personal fall-arrest systems (PFAS), which will be specified in a future International Standard (see ISO 10333-6 in the Bibliography), and are attached to anchor devices that are above the work place. This part of 10333 is applicable only to self-retracting lifelines limited to single-person use of a total mass not exceeding 100 kg. NOTE Users of PFAS whose total mass (which includes attached tools and equipment) exceeds 100 kg are advised to seek advice from the equipment manufacturers regarding the suitability of the equipment, which may need additional testing to take into account the larger mass. This part of 10333 does not specify those additional requirements that would apply when self-retracting lifelines are subjected to special conditions of use (where, for example, there exist unusual limitations concerning access to the place of work and/or particular environmental factors). Thus treatments to ensure the durability of the materials of construction (such as heat treatment, anti-corrosion treatment, protection against physical and chemical hazards) are not specified in this part of 10333, but should comply with appropriate International Standards or, failing that, with national standards and other specifications dealing with relevant physical characteristics and/or the safety of users.

This part of ISO 10333 specifies requirements, test methods, instructions for use and maintenance, marking, labelling and packaging, as appropriate, for lanyards and energy absorbers. Lanyards and energy absorbers are used together as a connecting subsystem in personal fall-arrest systems (PFAS) which will be specified in a future International Standard (see ISO 10333-6 in the Bibliography). Two classes of energy absorbers are specified for the purposes of this part of ISO 10333: a) Type 1: used in PFAS where, due to installation, the potential free-fall distance can be limited to a maximum of 1,8 m and, if a fall takes place, the arresting force is limited to a maximum of 4,0 kN; b) Type 2: used in PFAS where, due to installation, the potential free-fall distance can be limited to a maximum of 4,0 m and, if a fall takes place, the arresting force is limited to a maximum of 6,0 kN. This part of ISO 10333 is applicable only to lanyards and energy absorbers limited to single-person use of a total mass not exceeding 100 kg. NOTE Users of fall-protection equipment whose total mass (including tools and equipment) exceeds 100 kg are advised to seek advice from the equipment manufacturer regarding the suitability of this equipment, which may need additional testing. For the purposes of this part of ISO 10333, energy absorbers may be supplied integral to a lanyard, integral to a full body harness (FBH), or may be supplied separately. The scope of this part of ISO 10333 does not extend to: a) PFAS that incorporate lanyards without energy absorbers or without a means of energy dissipation; b) special lanyards and energy absorbers which are integral (i.e. can only be separated by mutilation or by special tool) to the PFAS components as specified in ISO 10333-4. This part of ISO 10333 does not specify those additional requirements that would apply when lanyards and energy absorbers are subjected to special conditions of use (where, for example, there exist unusual limitations concerning access to the place of work and/or particular environmental factors). Thus treatments to ensure the durability of the materials of construction (such as heat treatment, anti-corrosion treatment, protection against physical and chemical hazards) are not specified in this part of ISO 10333, but should comply with appropriate International Standards or, failing that, with national standards and other specifications dealing with relevant physical characteristics and/or the safety of users. In particular, when it is considered necessary to test the corrosion resistance of metallic parts of the equipment, reference should be made to ISO 9227.

This International Standard specifies requirements, test methods, and marking, labelling and packaging, as appropriate, of both permanent and temporary single-point anchor devices exclusively for the attachment of personal protective equipment (PPE) for protection against falls from a height for fall arrest, work positioning and travel restriction (work restraint). It is applicable only to anchor devices for PPEs that conform to ISO 10333-1, ISO 10333-2, ISO 10333-3 and ISO 10333-5. NOTE 1 Further standards are in preparation for other types of PPE: ISO 10333-6 and ISO 14566 (see bibliography). Anchor devices are rated to sustain a maximum (dynamic) arresting force of 6,0 kN, and a maximum (static) loading of 1,0 kN (assuming a person of 100 kg mass) in post-fall arrest suspension, work-positioning mode, or restraint mode. Anchor devices are intended for single person use only. A rescuer should not attach to the same anchor device as a person being rescued, unless the anchor device has been specifically designed for such purposes, and the instructions for use specifically permit this application. NOTE 2 Vertical rigid or flexible line systems and horizontal lifelines are not within the scope of this International Standard, but are covered in ISO 10333-4 and ISO 16024.