IMPROVED FALL-ARREST SYSTEM FOR PERSONS WORKING AT HEIGHT

摘要

A fall-arrest system for persons working at height on a structure comprises a track (26) secured adjacent to the intended route of a person working on the structure, a sliding device (17) being coupled to the track (26) to be freely displaceable therealong, a safety line (16) extending from the sliding device for attachment to a harness attachment point of a safety harness worn by a person, the sliding device (17) incorporating locking means (31) allowing the sliding device (17) to freely slide along the track (26) during normal movement of a person connected to the safety line (16) but automatically locking the sliding device (17) to the track (26) in the event of a person falling from said structure. A rigid tube (15) encases the safety line, the safety line (16) being wound on a spring loaded reel (34) within the body of the sliding device (17)such that it is automatically extendible and retractable and incorporates a locking means (35) to lock the reel if the speed of the reel exceeds a predetermined limit in the event of a fall. When the portion of the track (26) on which the sliding device (17) is positioned is orientated in a vertical or inclined direction, the sliding device (17) is supported on the harness attachment point via the tube (15), maintaining the sliding device (17) above the harness attachment point minimising the distance through which a person might free fall before the locking mechanism (31) is actuated in the event of a fall.