Aramid webbing in a twin tail configuration, for hot work involving movement between anchor points. The Y fork keeps one tail attached while the other moves, and the aramid survives spatter that would hole a polyester lanyard.
One point to confirm before ordering. GT's product data cites BS EN 355, the shock absorbing fall arrest standard, while the supplier price list describes this as a restraint lanyard. Those are different applications: a restraint lanyard has no energy absorber and will not safely arrest a fall. We are confirming the classification with the manufacturer. If your work requires fall arrest, please contact us before ordering.
Key Features
- Aramid webbing: Does not melt and does not sustain a flame, unlike polyester which a single spark can hole
- ISO 9150 and ISO 15025: Tested for molten metal splash and flame spread
- Y forked twin tail: One tail stays attached while the other moves
- Fitted connectors: Karabiner and two scaffold hooks, ready for tube and structural members
- Part of the Fire Free system: A system is only as flame resistant as its weakest component
Technical Specifications
| Property |
Value |
| Product Code |
FA 40 400 15 |
| Length |
1.5 m |
| Configuration |
Y forked twin tail |
| Material |
Aramid webbing |
| Fittings |
Karabiner and two scaffold hooks |
| Conformity |
ISO 9150, ISO 15025 — EN classification being confirmed |
ISO 9150 | ISO 15025 | EN CLASSIFICATION BEING CONFIRMED | Category III PPE
Aramid construction complying with ISO 9150 for molten metal splash and ISO 15025 for flame spread. The EN classification is being confirmed with the manufacturer: GT's data cites BS EN 355 (fall arrest) while the supplier price list describes a restraint lanyard. These are different applications and a restraint lanyard will not safely arrest a fall. Contact us to confirm before ordering for fall arrest.
Suitable Applications
Hot work involving movement between anchor points: welding and cutting on structural steelwork, foundry and steel mill maintenance, and shipyard work. Use with the Fire Free harness and anchorage sling.
More About This Product
The lanyard is where most fall protection systems are specified wrongly, and almost always in the same direction: a restraint lanyard used where fall arrest was needed.
It happens because the two look alike, cost similarly, hang in the same place in the store and are both described as lanyards. The difference is a folded pack of stitched webbing — the shock absorber — and on some designs it is tucked inside a cover where it is not obvious at a glance. A restraint lanyard is engineered on the assumption that it will never take a fall, and if it does, the forces reaching the body are far beyond what the human frame tolerates.
Fall Clearance: The Calculation Nobody Does
Ask most people how much clearance a 2 metre shock absorbing lanyard needs and they will say two metres. The real figure is a great deal more, and the gap between those two numbers is where people get hurt.
The calculation stacks up as follows. Lanyard length — as marked on the lanyard. Shock absorber deployment — the pack tears progressively and extends significantly. The figure for your specific lanyard is on its own label and must be read from there. The user's height below the attachment point — the dorsal D-ring is at shoulder height, so add roughly 1.5 m to reach the feet. A safety margin — because the calculation assumes ideal conditions and reality rarely provides them.
Added together these come to considerably more than the lanyard length, frequently more than double it. On a low working platform a shock absorbing lanyard may not prevent the ground being reached at all.
Where the clearance is not available, the answer is a retractable block, which arrests in a far shorter distance, or a restraint system where a fall is prevented rather than arrested.
How to Use
- Confirm the classification: Contact us before ordering if the work requires fall arrest
- Keep one tail attached at all times: Clip the second before releasing the first
- Never clip the spare tail to the harness: It becomes a direct load path bypassing any absorber
- Use the complete Fire Free system: Mixing in polyester defeats the purpose
- Inspect after every hot work session: Thermal damage is cumulative
- Withdraw on any charring, stiffening or melting
Warning: The EN classification is being confirmed. If your application requires fall arrest, contact us before ordering. Never clip the unused tail onto the harness. Aramid resists flame and molten metal but is not immune to them.
Safety Information
- For use only by trained and competent persons within a safe system of work.
- Confirm the EN classification suits your application before use.
- One tail must remain attached at all times.
- Never clip the unused tail back to the harness.
- Use the complete Fire Free system; do not mix with polyester.
- Inspect after every hot work session and withdraw on any thermal damage.
- Inspection by a competent person required at intervals not exceeding 12 months.
Inspection and Maintenance
Thermal damage to aramid presents differently from mechanical damage and inspectors used to polyester can miss it. Look for charring, discolouration, stiffening and loss of suppleness — aramid heated hard goes brittle before it goes obviously black. Inspect both tails independently on both faces, every termination and all stitching, and all three connectors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is this restraint or fall arrest?
Being confirmed. GT cite BS EN 355 (fall arrest); the supplier price list says restraint. They are not interchangeable — restraint lanyards have no energy absorber. Contact us before ordering for fall arrest.
Q: Why aramid rather than polyester?
Polyester melts, and a single spark can hole it invisibly until the next inspection. Aramid does not melt or sustain a flame. On hot work that is a different category of equipment.
Q: Do I need the whole Fire Free range?
If sparks reach your equipment, yes. The anchorage sling is most often overlooked and usually lies closest to the work.
Q: How much clearance does a 2 metre lanyard need?
Considerably more than the lanyard length, frequently more than double it. You add the lanyard length, the shock absorber deployment figure from the lanyard’s own label, the distance from the dorsal D-ring down to the feet, and a safety margin set by your risk assessment.
