EN
THE ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES FOR USERS OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AGAINST FALLS FROM A HEIGHT
• personal protective equipment shall only be used by a person trained and competent in its safe use.
• personal protective equipment must not be used by a person with medical condition that could affect the safety of the
equipment user in normal and emergency use.
• a rescue plan shall be in place to deal with any emergencies that could arise during the work.
• being suspended in PPE (e.g. arresting a fall), beware of suspension trauma symptoms.
• to avoid symptoms of suspension trauma, be sure that the proper rescue plan is ready for use. It is recommended
to use foot straps.
• it is forbidden to make any alterations or additions to the equipment without the manufacturer’s prior written consent.
• any repair shall only be carried out by equipment manufacturer or his certified representative.
• personal protective equipment shall not be used outside its limitations, or for any purpose other than that for which
it is intended.
• personal protective equipment should be a personal issue item.
• before use ensure about the compatibility of items of equipment assembled into a fall arrest system. Periodically check
connecting and adjusting of the equipment components to avoid accidental loosening or disconnecting of the components.
• it is forbidden to use combinations of items of equipment in which the safe function of any one item is affected by or
interferes with the safe function of another.
• before each use of personal protective equipment, it is obligatory to carry out a pre-use check of the equipment, to
ensure that it is in a serviceable condition and operates correctly before it is used.
• during pre-use check it is necessary to inspect all elements of the equipment in respect of any damages, excessive
wear, corrosion, abrasion, cutting or incorrect acting, especially take into consideration:
1. in full body harnesses and belts - buckles, adjusting elements, attaching points, webbings, seams, loops;
2. in energy absorbers - attaching loops, webbing, seams, casing, connectors;
3. in textile lanyards or lifelines or guidelines - rope, loops, thimbles, connectors, adjusting element, splices;
4. in steel lanyards or lifelines or guidelines - cable, wires, clips, ferrules, loops, thimbles, connectors, adjusting elements;
5. in retractable fall arresters - cable or webbing, retractor and brake proper acting, casing, energy absorber, connector;
6. in guided type fall arresters - body of the fall arrester, sliding function, locking gear acting, rivets and screws, connector,
energy absorber;
7. in connectors - main body, rivets, gate, locking gear acting.
• after every12 months of utilization, personal protective equipment must be withdrawn from use to carry out periodical
detailed inspection. The periodic inspection must be carried out by a competent person for periodic inspection. The
periodic inspection can be carried out also by the manufacturer or his authorized representative.
• In case of some types of the complex equipment e.g. some types of retractable fall arresters the annual inspection can
be carried out only by the manufacturer or his authorized representative.
• it is essential for the safety of the user that if the product is re-sold outside the original country of destination the reseller
shall provide instructions for use, for maintenance, for periodic examination and for repair in language of the country in
which the product is to be used.
• personal protective equipment must be withdrawn from use immediately when any doubt arises about its condition
for safe use and not used again until confirmed in writing by equipment manufacturer or his representative after carried
out the detailed inspection.
• personal protective equipment must be withdrawn from use immediately and destroyed (or other procedures shall be
introduced according detailed instruction from equipment manual) when it have been used to arrest a fall.
• a full body harness (conforming to EN 361) is the only acceptable body holding device that can be used, in a fall
arrest system.
• in full body harness use only attaching points marked with big letter “A” to attach a fall arrest system.
• the anchor device or anchor point for the fall arrest system should always be positioned, and the work carried out
in such a way, as to minimise both the potential for falls and potential fall distance. The anchor device/point should be
placed above the position of the user. The shape and construction of the anchor device/point shall not allow to self- acting
disconnection of the equipment. Minimal static strength of the anchor device/point is 12 kN. It is recommended to use
certified and marked structural anchor point complied with EN795 it is obligatory to verify the free space required beneath
the user at the workplace before each occasion of use the fall arrest system, so that, in the case of a fall, there will be
no collision with the ground or other obstacle in the fall path. The required value of the free space should be taken from
instruction manual of used equipment.
• there are many hazards that may affect the performance of the equipment and corresponding safety precautions
that have to be observed during equipment utilization, especially: - trailing or looping of lanyards or lifelines over sharp
edges, - any defects like cutting, abrasion, corrosion, - climatic exposure, - pendulum falls, - extremes of temperature,
- chemical reagents, - electrical conductivity.
• personal protective equipment must be transported in the package (e.g.: bag made of moisture-proof textile or foil bag
or cases made of steel or plastic) to protect it against damage or moisture.
• the equipment can be cleaned without causing adverse effect on the materials in the manufacture of the equipment. For
textile products use mild detergents for delicate fabrics, wash by hand or in a machine and rinse in water. Plastic parts can
be cleaned only with water. When the equipment becomes wet, either from being in use or when due cleaning, it shall be
