The American National Standards Institute, or ANSI, creates thousands of guidelines for nearly every business sector, including wind energy. The organization has worked for years on standards to protect those who must climb uptower. Standards can be lengthy and not easily read, so we asked Craig Firl, technical manager at Capital Safety, to put some of the guidelines into plainer English. Here is how they apply to this ExoFit NEX wind-energy harness:
A: D-rings must withstand a tensile load of 5,000 lbs. without breaking.
B: All buckles, O-rings, and adjusters must withstand a tensile load of 4,000 lbs.
C: Straps must be 1-5/8 inches or wider and be made of synthetic materials with finished edges.
D: Stitching on straps must be contrasting colors to facilitate inspection.
E: Slippage through any adjustable eyelet must not exceed one inch during a fall.
In some cases a fall cannot be prevented through the use of passive systems. In these instances an employer may need to employ more complex systems using harnesses and a variety of different connectors to provide a work positioning or personal fall arrest system. –