Subpart I
They must be attached to an anchorage and connected to the body-belt or harness the same way they would be in actual use, except lanyards are tested only when connected directly to the anchorage and not when connected to a lifeline. This is required by 1915SubpartIAppB(a)(1).
The anchorage used for testing must be rigid and must not deflect more than 0.04 inches (1 cm) when a 2,250-pound (10.01 kN) force is applied. See the anchorage deflection limit in 1915SubpartIAppB(a)(2).
Force-measuring instruments should have a frequency response of 100 Hz. The requirement for load measuring instrumentation frequency is in 1915SubpartIAppB(a)(3).
The test weight must be a rigid metal cylindrical or torso-shaped object with a girth of 38 inches ±4 inches (96.5 cm ±10.16 cm). That dimension requirement appears in 1915SubpartIAppB(a)(4).
You should use the lanyard or lifeline that comes with the system; if none is supplied, use the least elastic lanyard or lifeline that an employee could use with the system. This guidance is in 1915SubpartIAppB(a)(5).
The test weight must be hoisted to the required level and released quickly without imparting any appreciable initial motion to it. See the release procedure in 1915SubpartIAppB(a)(6).
You must evaluate the system taking into account the range of environmental conditions it is designed to be used in (for example rain, ice, grease, dirt, or different lifeline types). This is stated in 1915SubpartIAppB(a)(7).
No — after the specified test the system need not be capable of further operation. That allowance is given in 1915SubpartIAppB(a)(8).
The strength test requires a 300-pound test weight ±5 pounds (approximately 136.1 kg ±2.3 kg). This is specified in 1915SubpartIAppB(b)(1).
The strength test consists of a single drop, and a new, unused system must be used for each test. These requirements are in 1915SubpartIAppB(b)(2) and the related provisions in 1915SubpartIAppB(a)(4).
For lanyard systems the lanyard length must be 6 feet ±2 inches (1.83 m ±5.08 cm). For rope-grab-type deceleration systems, the lifeline length above the centerline of the grabbing mechanism up to the anchorage must not exceed 2 feet (0.61 m). See 1915SubpartIAppB(b)(3) and the lifeline limit in 1915SubpartIAppB(b)(4).
For lanyard systems and systems whose deceleration devices do not automatically limit free fall to 2 feet (or have connection distances >1 foot), rig the test weight to free fall 7.5 feet from a point 1.5 feet above the anchorage to a point 6 feet below the anchorage; the weight must fall without hitting anything. That free-fall rigging is described in 1915SubpartIAppB(b)(3) and (4).
Yes — you may add a non-elastic wire lanyard of sufficient length to create the required free-fall distance for test purposes. For deceleration devices with integral lifelines or lanyards that automatically limit free fall to 2 feet or less, the test weight should be rigged to free fall 4 feet (1.22 m). See 1915SubpartIAppB(b)(5) and (6).
If any weight detaches from the belt or harness during the strength test, the system fails the strength test. That failure criterion is stated in 1915SubpartIAppB(b)(7).
Force tests use a 220-pound test weight ±3 pounds (about 99.8 kg ±1.36 kg). For lanyard systems the weight should fall a full 6 feet (1.83 m). For other systems, the free-fall distance is the maximum permitted by the system in normal use up to 6 feet, with special rules for systems that use a connection link or have integral limits. See 1915SubpartIAppB(c)(1) and (2).
A system fails the force test if the recorded maximum arresting force exceeds 1,260 pounds (5.6 kN) when using a body belt or 2,520 pounds (11.21 kN) when using a body harness. These force limits are in 1915SubpartIAppB(c)(3).
You should record the maximum elongation and the deceleration distance during the force test. These measurement requirements are discussed in 1915SubpartIAppB(c)(4) and the general deceleration-device test guidance in 1915SubpartIAppB(d).
Rope-grab devices must be moved along a lifeline 1,000 times over the same length of line (a distance of at least 1 foot) and must lock each of those 1,000 times. This endurance and locking requirement is in 1915SubpartIAppB(d)(1)(i).
Yes — unless a device is permanently marked to indicate the specific lifeline types to be used, you should test the device on several types of lifelines with different diameters and materials. That testing guidance is in 1915SubpartIAppB(d)(1)(ii).
Self-activating deceleration devices designed to make more than one arrest must have locking mechanisms that successfully lock each of 1,000 times as they would in normal service. This requirement is stated in 1915SubpartIAppB(d)(2).
The anchorage must be rigid and meet the same 0.04-inch deflection at 2,250 pounds requirement, and for lineman's body belts the belt should be secured to a 250-pound sand bag that is attached to the rigid anchorage by the pole strap; the sand bag is allowed to free-fall 4 feet. These procedures are described in 1915SubpartIAppB(2)(a)(1–2).
A window cleaner's complete belt must withstand a drop test with a 250-pound rigid weight (girth 38 in ±4 in) falling 6 feet; the test must measure the duration and magnitude of arrest forces, and any breakage or slippage that lets the weight fall free is a failure. Additionally, initial and subsequent peak forces must not exceed 2,000 pounds for more than 2 milliseconds and must not exceed 1,000 pounds for the remainder of the arrest time. These requirements are in 1915SubpartIAppB(2)(a)(3) and 1915SubpartIAppB(2)(a)(4).