NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association yesterday officially released the 2023 Safety Equipment Manufacturer’s Committee (SEMC) Fall Arrest Lanyard Testing Report. The Fall Arrest Lanyard Testing was conducted at the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) over two days, with five different scenarios and over 100 drop tests completed.
The testing utilized new and used equipment attached to an antenna supporting structure designed to the ANSI/TIA-222 Standard. The SEMC consulted various stakeholders to determine the 19 most utilized lanyards in the industry. These lanyards consisted of different force tolerances, construction type/style, and connectors. As most climbers in the industry are only given one set of lanyards for all their work at height activities, the SEMC elected to test all 19 different lanyards in each scenario equally.
Additionally, the fall arrest lanyards utilized for this testing met the requirements of ANSI/ASSP Z359. The SEMC elected to utilize a 310 pound test torso to better replicate real world scenarios, including the climber’s movement, motion, placement on the system, and center of gravity. Previous results have shown the importance of this type of testing. To download the 2023 NATE SEMC Fall Arrest Lanyard Testing Report, click here.
“On behalf of the SEMC, we are excited to release this 16-page white paper detailing the performance results and key takeaways from the testing of common fall arrest lanyards used by the industry’s technicians when working at heights,” said Jeremy Buckles, Chairman of the NATE SEMC Committee. “This testing event was structured in a manner to provide feedback to NATE members, industry stakeholders, and manufacturers. The results of the testing will raise the bar on safety by increasing awareness and improving testing methods related to fall arrest lanyards,” added Buckles.
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