rescue and evacuation locations on turbines. Personnel standing on the roof of a nacelle when travelling from the nacelle to the nose cone or anchored to the ladder below the dorsal D-ring are common examples (see Figure 1). Whenever the anchorage is positioned below the dorsal D-ring (i.e. when using a six-foot lanyard), the user may experience a free fall greater than six feet and higher arrest forces.
In a letter of interpretation dating back to 1996, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) stated that it would permit employers to exceed the six-foot free fall distance when an anchorage point that would limit a free fall to six feet is not feasible. For these applications, lower anchorages at waist, knee or foot level may be used, provided that maximum arrest forces do not exceed 1,800 pounds and sufficient clearance is available.
Compatibility of Connecting Components Lanyards with personal energy absorbers designed to accommodate 12-foot free falls are available to consumers, but they require more clearance and have higher maximum arrest forces. Windfarm personnel use twin-leg lanyards to navigate turbines. These Y-shaped lanyards (also known as 100 % tie-off lanyards) are necessary tools for working on the tower ladder, traversing the nacelle roof, travelling from the nose cone into the hub and performing work in other areas on the turbine.
Y-lanyards feature large snap hooks on each leg that are preferred by workers because they can be used to anchor to a wider range
Courtesy of Gravitec Systems, Inc., Winger Studios.
of structures. Although more user-friendly, the larger gate openings of connectors provide more opportunities for an incompatible connection.
Commonly, system designers focus on anchorage strength and fail to consider equipment that will be connected to these anchorages. While these anchors can withstand 5,000 pounds of force, they may be incompatible with the large snap hooks. Lifting eyes on electrical motors, gearboxes or framework are often certified as acceptable anchors for large snap hooks even though they may be incompatible in terms of shape, size or location.
Fall Protection and Rescue Training for Windfarms Figure 1: Personnel Standing on the Roof of a Nacelle
Guiding you to a safer future
Safety training for Wind Energy
Falck Nutec provides training for the wind industry. Our safety training courses are created in close cooperation with the wind turbine industry.
The courses consist of a selection of train ing disciplines which can be put together according to your needs. For more information on our course offerings please visit our websites or call our training centers directly.
Denmark -
www.falcknutec.dk falcknutec@falcknutec.dk Tel. + 45 76 12 13 14
Netherlands -
www.falcknutec.nl booking@falcknutec.nl Tel. + 31 181 376666
United Kingdom -
www.falcknutec.co.uk enquiries@falcknutec.co.uk Tel. +44 8444 142 142
VISION MARKETING · 10505
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