Slinging an anchor with ABSORBICA lanyards
Warnings
- Carefully read the Instructions for Use used in this technical advice before consulting the advice itself. You must have already read and understood the information in the Instructions for Use to be able to understand this supplementary information.
- Mastering these techniques requires specific training. Work with a professional to confirm your ability to perform these techniques safely and independently before attempting them unsupervised.
- We provide examples of techniques related to your activity. There may be others that we do not describe here.
Some anchors cannot be clipped with a connector, but may be slung with the lanyard.
Only the ABSORBICA-Y TIE-BACK lanyard is specifically designed and certified for slinging an anchor.
Notes:
- The rope or webbing of your ABSORBICA-I or Y lanyard is not protected. Beware of friction against the structure that could damage the lanyard.
- Beware of metal structures that can heat up in the sun; observe the operating temperatures indicated in your lanyard’s Instructions for Use.
- Beware of the positioning of your connector when wrapping around an anchor. The possibilities of poor positioning are numerous (e.g. cantilever loading, loading over an edge, pressure on the gate).
Standards aspect
The ANSI Z359.13 standard has an additional test with a slung anchor.
ANSI Z359.13 test protocol:
- Slung metal beam of about 25 cm x 20 cm
- Slow pull on the lanyard for one minute
- Test passed if the strength is greater than 22.2 kN
Results:
- ABSORBICA TIE-BACK lanyard: breaks at 25.4 kN
In use
Only the ABSORBICA-Y TIE-BACK lanyard passes the ANSI Z359.13 wrap-around test.
The breaking strength values recorded for the other lanyards of the ABSORBICA line are still greater than the maximum impact force that can be sustained by the user in a fall.
These lanyards may thus be used to sling an anchor, provided that the lanyard has been verified to be in good condition and the surface quality of the anchor has been checked.
Risks specific to slinging a structure
WARNING: everyone is responsible for doing their own risk assessment according to the situation. The risks presented below are non-exhaustive.
The anchor
Check the general condition of the structure to be used as an anchor; make sure that it has no burrs or sharp edges. Beware of friction against the structure that could damage the lanyard.
The lanyard
Verify that the lanyard length is suitable for the size of the anchor to be slung. Use a lanyard type that is suitable for the anchor to be slung.
Connectors
Check that your connector is properly positioned when slinging an anchor. The possibilities of poor positioning are numerous (e.g. cantilever loading, loading over an edge, pressure on the gate, pulley effect on the connector frame).
WARNING: if you use an ABSORBICA lanyard to sling a beam, during a fall there can be a pulley effect on the connector’s frame if it is subjected to cantilever loading (load multiplier on the connector).
As a reminder, a non-exhaustive list of incorrect connector positions:
Installation tip for slinging a large diameter anchor
An attachment point may be added to your ABSORBICA, for slinging a large structure and reducing cantilever loading situations for the lanyard-end connectors: install a RING OPEN in the yellow loop on the energy absorber (lanyard-arms side).
WARNING: do not install the RING OPEN at any other location on your energy absorber. Follow the installation directions in the Instructions for Use for your RING OPEN.
Beware of friction against the structure that could damage the lanyard.
Caution regarding the connector used for slinging a large-diameter anchor with a RING OPEN. A connector with a protruding nose relative to the gate can snag in the RING OPEN. So there is a risk of the lanyard disconnecting in the event of a fall.
