Petzl®: Developing Products to Stop Falls ASAP

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Since the 1970s, the family-owned company, Petzl, has been on a mission to create innovative tools and services that allow men and women to progress, position, and protect themselves in vertical environments, as well as to light their way in the dark.

When it comes to the telecommunications industry, Petzl is focused on all aspects of a climber’s safety including fall protection, rescue, and rope access.Through rope access, climbers approach difficult to reach places and develop safe practices to handle these types of environments.

“Petzl has had a solid foundation in the rope access community for over 25 years. We believe in its practicality for the telecommunications world from a cost and safety perspective, which is why we developed the ASAP®,” said Michel Goulet, Professional Division National Sales Manager at Petzl.

Why ASAP? “Because it stops a climber ‘as soon as possible’ to limit the fall distance, especially on a tower,” said Goulet. “Safety is always our main concern and the ASAP protects climbers regardless of whether they’re working on a vertical or inclined structure. In the tower industry, people are discovering this device more and more, and we are proud to be supporting this community.”

The Petzl line of Mobile Fall Arrestors for ropes consists of two devices: the ASAP for fall protection and the ASAP Lock for difficult access. The line also includes energy absorbers, connectors, and a vertical lifeline.

The ASAP and ASAP Lock are designed to provide continuous fall protection and are easy to use. There are a few scenarios where this system is most beneficial:

  1. When a permanent ladder fall protection system was not installed or cannot be used, the ASAP system can be easily installed and serve as a temporary ladder fall protection system.
  2. During a tower construction phase, technicians can mount vertical lifelines onto each corner of the tower section being raised. Once this section is bolted down, the technician can connect the ASAP devices to the ropes and climb the new section of the tower with ease and confidence. When descending a tower on a Rope Descent System(RDS), to affix cable into the wire tray, for instance, the ASAP vertical lifeline acts as a backup to the RDS system, as required by OSHA standards.

How does it function? The key to the system lies in a unique working principle. At moderate speeds, the device moves freely up and down the rope in both directions, but a sudden downward motion accelerates the rotation of the locking wheel. If this occurs, centrifugal force works to lock the ASAP onto the rope and limit fall distance.

“The ASAP was developed with a seat belt in mind. If you move slowly, it will move with you, but if you move fast, it will lock,” said Goulet. “In the event of a fall, even an expert climber will grab for something – it’s a natural human reaction. There are many devices on the market that will not work if you grab the rope above the device or the device itself. The ASAP works with centrifugal forces, so it can’t be defeated.”

The ASAP can be placed anywhere on a rope, never has to be manually adjusted and allows climbers a hands-free experience so they can focus on the job at hand. “This lifeline system can be connected to either the dorsal D-rings of the harness or the pre-sternum area at chest level, as long as your free fall distance is two feet or less. For climbers, the ASAP and ASAP Lock are ‘your constant bodyguard,’” said Goulet.

For more information on the ASAP, ASAP Lock and related products, click here.

September 19, 2018