Product Profile: Horizontal Lifeline Cable Systems

Window washing, suspended maintenance and fall protection systems all have one thing in common: they are all fall protection systems. Each and every one of them is 100% designed around the worker having a lifeline to either prevent them from falling or arrest the fall in the event that one happens. The difference with a fall protection only system is that there are no considerations given to how the building's exterior will be serviced from roof level. Nine times out of ten, the most practical solution for a fall protection only situation on a roof top, is to utilize a horizontal lifeline cable system.

A horizontal lifeline cable system utilizes a series of roof anchors that are either an end, a corner or an intermediate cable support anchor. Through the u-bar's or the roof anchors the cable is supported.

As opposed to individual anchor points, the cable system provides more coverage for workers, allows workers to be continuously tied off, and typically requires less anchor points than a system that does not utilize a horizontal cable. In narrow walkway's such as the one shown in the picture above, a cable system is really the only way to design the fall protection system.

There are two main types of horizontal lifeline cable systems: hands free and double lanyard. The hands free system utilizes specially designed intermediate anchor points. See below:

These special intermediate anchor points allow a worker's lanyard rope grab to pass through them without unclipping. With a double lanyard system, as the worker approaches an intermediate anchor point, the worker must unclip and reclip passed each intermediate support. It's called double lanyard because while the worker is doing this, his secondary lanyard rope grab is engaged to make sure the worker is tied off at all times. Double lanyard systems are far cheaper than hands free and most of the time they provide as adequate a level of safety as the hands free.

The horizontal lifeline cable is actually aircraft cable and comes in either a galvanized or stainless steel finish. These systems are ideally designed to come from above a workers back to limit the distance of a fall in the instance that one happens. See below.

Another important note on cable systems is that the spacing in between anchor points is usually around thirty feet. Fall protection systems that utilize only anchors and not cable require anchors on more frequent intervals or centres. Therefore, less anchor points for a cable system equals a better system for typically a cheaper price (considering the additional reinforcing required on steel structure with just anchor points).

Any building that has a low parapet with any reason whatsoever for workers to go close to the edge should have a permanent fall protection system. More often than not, a cable system is the way to go. Its cheaper and its a more functional system.



Michael Gray
Ontario and Eastern Canada
Marketing and Sales Support
Pro-Bel Enterprises Ltd
e: mikegray@pro-bel.ca
t: @Pro_Bel
w: http://www.pro-belgroup.com/