Understanding and optimizing clearance with ABSORBICA-I and Y
Clearance is the amount of clear space required below the user to avoid hitting an obstacle in a fall.
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.
A: Lanyard length
B: Tearing of the energy absorber
C: Average distance between harness attachment point and the worker’s feet = 1.5 m
D: Safety margin required by the standard = 1 m
1. Optimizing clearance
To reduce the clearance, it is necessary to limit the tearing of the energy absorber. The tearing depends on the amount of energy to be absorbed, thus the length of the fall. Two ways to reduce the fall distance: favor work positions that are below the anchor, or shorten the lanyard.
Favor work positions that are below the anchor
Shortening the lanyard
If the situation requires the use of an anchor located below the user, choosing a lanyard that is as short as possible helps limit the potential fall distance. The ABSORBICA VARIO lanyard helps address this type of situation.
2. Clearance progression depending on the user’s weight
For the same fall distance, arresting the fall of a heavier user (with their equipment) means more energy that needs to be absorbed, so the absorber tear length is greater, which affects the clearance value.
For greater precision and to find the clearance values for various products in our range, see our clearance simulator.
