Sylprotec offers a wide range of fall protection lanyards with shock absorbers. Lanyards are the type of fall arrest equipment that connects a safety harness to an anchor point. It is of the utmost importance to select the proper lanyard. To do this, first identify your fall arrest needs according to these basic criteria:

     1. Length and shape of the lanyard
     2. Position of the anchor point
     3. Falling distance
     4. Type of snap hooks or carabiners on the lanyard

1. Length of the lanyard: Fall arrest lanyards are offered in 4 ft or 6 ft lengths. If you need a longer lanyard, you should consider purchasing a self-retracting lanyard. If you must transfer from one anchor to another during the course of your work, a dual-leg Y-shaped lanyard will allow you to always remain connected to at least one anchor.

2. Position of the anchor point: It is extremely important to establish a good anchor point. In the field, finding a good anchor point is often a challenge. A good solution may be difficult to implement: sometimes an anchor structure will have to be built, or it may become necessary to drill through existing structures. In general, workers find it more practical to have an anchor above their heads. This way, the fall protection equipment will be less intrusive while working. Moreover, above-head anchors decrease the free fall distance before the deployment of the shock absorber.

3. Falling distance: When falling, workers will free-fall on a certain distance. The shock that will be felt when the fall is arrested is proportionate to the fall distance. In general, fall arrest lanyards must be equipped with a decelerating component called a personal shock absorber. As its name implies, this component acts like a break: by deploying, it absorbs the energy of the fall arrest shock. In this way, the worker will be protected from the shock and will avoid injuries that may otherwise be severe. All our lanyards are equipped with personal shock absorbers.

4. Snap hooks or carabiners: Snap hooks and carabiners are connecting devices. All fall arrest lanyards have two connecting devices, one at each end. Standard carabiners have a gate opening of ¾" and are perfect for connecting to safety harness D-rings. Larger carabiners, also called snap hooks, are used to be connected to some types of anchor systems. There are 3 types of carabiners/snap hooks:

• Standard carabiners of a ¾" gate opening
• Rebar carabiners of 1 ¾“ gate opening
• Scaffolding carabiners of 2 ½“ gate opening

It is relevant to sort out the length of the lanyard by taking into account all the factors listed above, considering that the lanyard directly determines the fall distance. However, other factors affecting the fall safety window must also be considered, such as:

• The height of the anchor
• The height of the worker
• The length of non-deployed lanyard
• The length of the deployed shock absorber (about 3.5 feet)
• The slide of the D-ring towards the shoulders during a fall (about 1 foot)
• The existence of a D-ring extension strap on the harness

 Sylprotec offers many lanyards including:

• North (Honeywell) Durabilt polyester webbing lanyards
• Dual-leg Y-shaped lanyards
• 3-strand nylon rope lanyards
• Nylon webbing lanyards
• Polyester webbing recovery straps