ISO 10333-2:2000

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 10333-2
First edition
2000-03-15
Personal fall-arrest systems —
Part 2:
Lanyards and energy absorbers
Systèmes individuels d'arrêt de chute —
Partie 2: Longes et absorbeurs d'énergie
Reference number
©
ISO 2000
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ii © ISO 2000 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword.iv
Introduction.v
1 Scope .1
2 Normative references .2
3 Terms and definitions .2
3.1 Lanyards and energy absorbers .2
3.2 General definitions .4
4 Requirements.4
4.1 General.4
4.2 Lanyard .4
4.3 Energy absorber .6
5 Test methods.8
5.1 Apparatus .8
5.2 Lanyard tests.10
5.3 Energy absorber tests.11
6 Instructions for general use, marking, packaging and maintenance.14
6.1 Instructions for general use .14
6.2 Marking .15
6.3 Packaging.16
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO
member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO technical
committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has
the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in
liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 3.
Draft International Standards adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting.
Publication as an International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this part of ISO 10333 may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard ISO 10333-2 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 94, Personal safety —
Protective clothing and equipment, Subcommittee SC 4, Personal equipment for protection against falls.
ISO 10333 consists of the following parts, under the general title Personal fall-arrest systems:
� Part 1: Full-body harnesses
� Part 2: Lanyards and energy absorbers
� Part 3: Self-retracting lifelines
� Part 4: Vertical rails and vertical lifelines which incorporate a sliding-type fall arrester
� Part 5: Connectors
The systems performance tests will be the subject of a future part 6 to ISO 10333.
iv © ISO 2000 – All rights reserved

Introduction
In cases where the hazard of falling from a height exists and where, for technical reasons or for work of very short
duration, safe access cannot be otherwise provided, it is necessary to consider the use of personal fall-arrest
systems (PFAS). Such use should never be improvised and its adoption should be specifically provided for in the
appropriate formal provisions for safety in the work place.
PFAS complying with this part of ISO 10333 should satisfy ergonomic requirements and should only be used if the
work allows means of connection to a suitable anchor device of demonstrated strength and if it can be implemented
without compromising the safety of the user. Personnel should be trained and instructed in the safe use of the
equipment and be observant of such training and instruction.
This part of ISO 10333 is based on current knowledge and practice concerning the use of PFAS that incorporate a
full body harness as specified in ISO 10333-1.
This part of ISO 10333 presumes that the manufacturer of the PFAS, subsystems or components will, for the sake
of consistency and traceability, operate a quality management system which will comply with national and regional
regulations in force at the time. Guidance on the form this quality management system may take can be found in
ISO 9000 (all parts), Quality management and quality assurance standards.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 10333-2:2000(E)
Personal fall-arrest systems
Part 2:
Lanyards and energy absorbers
1 Scope
This part of ISO 10333 specifies requirements, test methods, instructions for use and maintenance, marking,
labelling and packaging, as appropriate, for lanyards and energy absorbers.
Lanyards and energy absorbers are used together as a connecting subsystem in personal fall-arrest systems
(PFAS) which will be specified in a future International Standard (see ISO 10333-6 in the Bibliography).
Two classes of energy absorbers are specified for the purposes of this part of ISO 10333:
a) Type 1: used in PFAS where, due to installation, the potential free-fall distance can be limited to a maximum
of 1,8 m and, if a fall takes place, the arresting force is limited to a maximum of 4,0 kN;
b) Type 2: used in PFAS where, due to installation, the potential free-fall distance can be limited to a maximum
of 4,0 m and, if a fall takes place, the arresting force is limited to a maximum of 6,0 kN.
This part of ISO 10333 is applicable only to lanyards and energy absorbers limited to single-person use of a total
mass not exceeding 100 kg.
NOTE Users of fall-protection equipment whose total mass (including tools and equipment) exceeds 100 kg are advised to
seek advice from the equipment manufacturer regarding the suitability of this equipment, which may need additional testing.
For the purposes of this part of ISO 10333, energy absorbers may be supplied integral to a lanyard, integral to a full
body harness (FBH), or may be supplied separately.
The scope of this part of ISO 10333 does not extend to:
a) PFAS that incorporate lanyards without energy absorbers or without a means of energy dissipation;
b) special lanyards and energy absorbers which are integral (i.e. can only be separated by mutilation or by
special tool) to the PFAS components as specified in ISO 10333-4.
This part of ISO 10333 does not specify those additional requirements that would apply when lanyards and energy
absorbers are subjected to special conditions of use (where, for example, there exist unusual limitations concerning
access to the place of work and/or particular environmental factors). Thus treatments to ensure the durability of the
materials of construction (such as heat treatment, anti-corrosion treatment, protection against physical and
chemical hazards) are not specified in this part of ISO 10333, but should comply with appropriate International
Standards or, failing that, with national standards and other specifications dealing with relevant physical
characteristics and/or the safety of users. In particular, when it is considered necessary to test the corrosion
resistance of metallic parts of the equipment, reference should be made to ISO 9227.
2 Normative references
The following normative documents contain provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute provisions of
this part of ISO 10333. For dated references, subsequent amendments to, or revisions of, any of these publications
do not apply. However, parties to agreements based on this part of ISO 10333 are encouraged to investigate the
possibility of applying the most recent editions of the normative documents indicated below. For undated
references, the latest edition of the normative document referred to applies. Members of ISO and IEC maintain
registers of currently valid International Standards.
ISO 1140:1990, Ropes — Polyamide — Specification.
ISO 1141:1990, Ropes — Polyester — Specification.
ISO 1834:1999, Short link chain for lifting purposes — General conditions of acceptance.
ISO 1835:1980, Short link chain for lifting purposes — Grade M (4), non-calibrated,for chain slings etc.
ISO 2307:1990, Ropes — Determination of certain physical and mechanical properties.
ISO 3108:1974, Steel wire ropes for general purposes — Determination of actual breaking load.
ISO 4878:1981, Textiles — Flat woven webbing slings made of man-made fibre.
ISO 9227:1990, Corrosion tests in artificial atmospheres — Salt spray tests.
1)
ISO 10333-1:— , Personal fall-arrest systems — Part 1: Full body harnesses.
ISO 10333-4, Personal fall-arrest systems — Part 4: Vertical rails and vertical lifelines which incorporate a sliding-
type fall arrester.
ISO 10333-5, Personal fall-arrest systems — Part 5: Connectors.
ISO 14567, Personal protective equipment for protection against falls from a height — Single-point anchor devices.
EN 892:1996, Mountaineering equipment — Dynamic mountaineering ropes — Safety requirements and test
methods.
EN 1891:1998, Personal protective equipment for prevention of falls from a height — Low stretch kernmantel
ropes.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this part of ISO 10333, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1 Lanyards and energy absorbers
3.1.1
lanyard
finished length of flexible material, which in conjunction with an energy absorber is used as a connecting
subsystem in PFAS
3.1.2
adjustable lanyard
lanyard which incorporates a mechanism which allows its length to be shortened or lengthened
1) To be published.
2 © ISO 2000 – All rights reserved

3.1.3
energy absorber
component designed to dissipate the kinetic energy generated during a fall, and which limits the arresting forces
applied to the PFAS, anchor device and user
3.1.4
energy-absorbing lanyard
lanyard with an integral energy absorber
3.1.5
FBH with energy absorber
FBH with an integral energy absorber
3.1.6
permanent extension
difference in the pin centre lengths of an energy absorber before and after deployment
3.1.7
pin centre length (PCL)
straight line distance measured between the bearing point of one energy absorber termination to the other, with the
absorber under tension
SeeFigure1.
Figure 1 — Example of an energy absorber (upper view) and an energy-absorbing lanyard (lower view)
3.1.8
deployment
when the energy absorber begins and continues to permanently extend in order to dissipate the energy applied to
it,itis saidtohavedeployed
NOTE In the case of the tear-web/tear-stitch types, tearing produces a permanent extension; in the case of the friction
types, dragging of the rope or webbing through the friction device produces a permanent extension.
3.1.9
free-fall distance
total vertical distance through which a worker falls under the forces of gravity and air resistance only, from the start
of the fall to the onset of the arresting force
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