The single tail version, and the everyday lanyard of the Fire Free range. Where the Y-forked model lets a user transfer between anchor points while staying attached, this one connects to a single anchor and is simpler, lighter and considerably cheaper. For work at a fixed position, or where a fall arrest block or rope grab handles movement, a single tail is all that is needed. Aramid webbing rated to 371 °C, with the shock absorber pack protected inside a tubular sleeve.
Key Features
- Aramid webbing to 371 °C: Withstands flame to that temperature without damage, and resists molten metal splash.
- Protected shock absorber: The non-fire polyamide absorber pack sits inside a special tubular sleeve, shielding the component that must deploy correctly.
- Three lengths: 1 m, 1.5 m and 2 m, so clearance can be matched to the working position.
- 45 mm webbing and absorber: Full width construction.
- Supplied with connectors: Karabiner at the harness end and scaffold hook at the anchor end.
- Maximum user weight 100 kg: Including tools.
Technical Specifications
| Product Code |
Length |
Webbing |
Max Temperature |
Max User |
| FA 30 305 10 |
1 m |
45 mm aramid |
371 °C |
100 kg |
| FA 30 305 15 |
1.5 m |
45 mm aramid |
371 °C |
100 kg |
| FA 30 305 20 |
2 m |
45 mm aramid |
371 °C |
100 kg |
All fitted with karabiner and scaffold hook. Shock absorber width 45 mm.
BS EN 355 | ISO 9150 | ISO 15025 | Category III PPE
Conforms to BS EN 355 for energy absorbing lanyards, ISO 9150 for behaviour on contact with small splashes of molten metal, and ISO 15025 for limited flame spread. Category III personal protective equipment under Regulation (EU) 2016/425. Requires inspection by a competent person at intervals not exceeding 12 months and immediate withdrawal after arresting a fall.
Suitable Applications
Used with a Fire Free harness for welding and hot work at height where the operative works from a single anchor point: fixed position welding on structural steel, tank and vessel fabrication, shipbuilding, and hot work from a platform or MEWP. Where the job involves moving between anchor points, the Y-forked FA 30 402 XX keeps the user attached throughout and is worth the extra. Where movement is handled by a fall arrest block or rope grab, this single tail is the correct and cheaper choice.
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 the Fire Free Lanyard
- Calculate fall clearance: Lanyard length, shock absorber deployment, user height and a margin. Choose the shortest length that gives you the working range you need.
- Attach the karabiner to the harness dorsal D-ring.
- Anchor above where possible: Minimises both fall distance and swing.
- Check the absorber sleeve is intact: A damaged sleeve leaves the pack exposed to spatter.
- Inspect after every hot work session: Burn marks, glazing and embedded spatter.
- Do not treat or coat the webbing: Aramid is inherently flame resistant and applying anything may compromise it.
Warning: Flame resistant does not mean fireproof. Withdraw immediately after arresting a fall or any sign of shock absorber deployment. Maximum user weight 100 kg including tools.
Safety Information
- For use only by trained and competent persons within a safe system of work.
- Maximum user weight 100 kg including tools and equipment.
- Calculate fall clearance including shock absorber deployment before use.
- All textile components should be flame resistant where hot work is involved.
- The shock absorber protective sleeve must be intact.
- Inspect for burn damage, glazing and embedded spatter after every hot work session.
- Withdraw immediately after arresting a fall or any sign of absorber deployment.
- Inspection by a competent person required at intervals not exceeding 12 months.
- Store away from direct sunlight, heat sources and chemicals.
Inspection and Maintenance
Check the full webbing length on both faces for cuts, abrasion, fraying, burn marks, charring and glazing where heat has hardened the fibre, and look for embedded metal spatter which can cut the webbing from within. Examine the stitching at both terminations. Confirm the shock absorber sleeve is intact and the pack shows no sign of deployment, tearing or an opened cover. On dark aramid webbing burn damage is easy to miss, so inspect in good light and after each hot work session rather than only at the annual examination.
Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Single tail or Y-forked?
Single tail if you work from one anchor point and move by other means. Y-forked if you transfer between anchor points during the job, since it keeps you attached to one while you clip the other. The Y-fork costs around £19 more and removes the moment when you are unprotected.
Q: Which length should I choose?
The shortest that gives you the working range you need. A shorter lanyard means less fall distance and less clearance required below, so where headroom is limited the 1 m may be the only workable option. Calculate your clearance first.
Q: Is the shock absorber flame resistant too?
The absorber pack is non-fire polyamide, protected inside a special tubular sleeve. The sleeve is what shields it, so check the sleeve is intact at every inspection.
