Is Your Lanyard Legit? Five Must-Haves for Every ANSI-Compliant Tool Lanyard
You should be checking your tool lanyards to ensure they meet the requirements of ANSI/ISEA 121-2018.
- By Nate Bohmbach
- Oct 01, 2021
In 2017, there were 44,000 workers injured by dropped objects. Then, in 2018, 50,000 workers were injured by the same hazard. You do not have to do the math to know we have a problem on our hands.
Due to the escalation in injuries involving dropped objects, the American National Standards Institute and the International Safety Equipment Association introduced ANSI/ISEA 121-2018 which established minimum design, performance, labeling and testing requirements for solutions that prevent falling objects while working at height. However, with incident numbers still trending up, it is clear the mere creation of a standard is not enough.
As an industry, we must continue to not only raise awareness of the risk but also emphasize the importance of widespread adherence to ANSI/ISEA 121 as a way to mitigate it. With tool lanyards among the most integral and common equipment used to tether tools for prevention of dropped objects, ensuring ANSI-121 compliance on as many worksites as possible is a major step.
So, is your lanyard legit? Check your tool lanyards against this checklist to make sure it meets the requirements of ANSI/ISEA 121-2018.
Five Must-Haves for Every ANSI-Compliant Tool Lanyard
Captive Eye. The captive eye secures the tool lanyard to the carabiner and ensures the webbing will not roll onto the gate or become disconnected
Locking
Carabiner Eye. The locking carabiner eye prevents the tool from disconnecting during use.
121 Marked Labeling. If a tool lanyard is legit, the lanyard will clearly state required working lanyard information including: maximum weight rating, manufacturer information, warnings and lanyard length
Product Instructions. Instructions should include installation illustrations, as well as use, care and replacement guidelines.
COC. Certificate of Conformity. The certificate of conformity identifies where and when ANSI/ISEA 121-2018 testing occurred.
This article originally appeared in the October 2021 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.