ICS 13.340.99                         CHD 08

New Standard from Last Update.

NATIONAL FOREWORD

This Indian Standard (Part 8) which is identical with ISO 16024 : 2005 ‘Personal protective equipment for protection against falls from a height — Flexible horizontal lifeline systems’ issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) was adopted by the Bureau of Indian Standards on recommendation of the Occupational Safety and Health Sectional Committee and approval of the Chemical Division Council.

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.

IS 3521 was originally published in 1964 and it covered industrial safety belts and harnesses only. IS 3521 is now being revised to harmonize with latest ISO standards and it has been split into several parts to cover all components of a fall arrest system. IS 3521 is being revised as IS 3521 (Part 1) covering full body harness (FBH) while this standard is IS 3521 (Part 8) which covers flexible horizontal lifelines.

Flexible horizontal lifeline systems conforming to this standard satisfy ergonomic requirements and are only to be used if the work allows means of connection to suitable anchor devices of demonstrated strength and can be implemented without compromising the safety of the user. Personnel are to be trained and instructed in the safe use of the equipment and be observant of such training and instructions. The end-user organization is to have a rescue plan and the means at hand to implement it.

This part of IS 3521 has been developed in response to user and industry requirements for a standard to cover flexible horizontal lifeline systems. It is based on current knowledge and practice concerning the use of personal fall protection systems and equipment specified in the IS 3521 series of standards and other personal fall protection standards. While this part of IS 3521 covers flexible horizontal lifeline systems from anchor connector to anchor connector, it does not cover the anchor or anchors themselves.

Under the general title ‘Personal Fall Arrest Systems ‘ the standard is in nine parts. Other parts of this series are:

Part 1 Full body harness fourth revision

Part 2 Lanyards and energy absorbers

Part 3 Self-retracting lifelines

Part 4 Vertical rails and vertical lifelines incorporating a sliding-type fall arrester

Part 5 Connectors with self-closing and self-locking gates

Part 6 System performance tests

Part 7 Single point anchor devices

Part 9 Descending devices