The simplest shock absorbing lanyard in the range and the least expensive at £13.45. A shock absorbing lanyard differs from a restraint lanyard in one crucial respect: it has an **energy absorber**, a folded pack of stitched webbing that tears progressively under fall arrest load. That tearing is what limits the force reaching your body to a survivable level — without it, arresting a fall generates forces that cause serious internal injury even though the fall itself is stopped.
This version has a textile loop at the attachment end and a thimble eye at the anchorage end, with **no connectors fitted**. That is why it is cheap: you add your own karabiners. If you want it ready to use, the FA 30 502 XX has a scaffold hook fitted for £20.41.
Key Features
- 35 mm shock absorber: Limits arrest forces to the BS EN 355 requirement.
- 11 mm polyamide kernmantle: Core and sheath construction, rounder in the hand than webbing.
- Textile loop and thimble eye: The thimble protects the rope splice where a connector bears.
- Two lengths: 1.5 m and 1.8 m.
- Maximum user 100 kg including tools.
- Lowest cost in the range at £13.45, because connectors are separate.
Technical Specifications
| Code |
Length |
Rope |
Absorber |
Terminations |
Cost |
| FA 30 500 15 |
1.5 m |
11 mm polyamide |
35 mm |
Textile loop + thimble eye |
£13.45 |
| FA 30 500 20 |
1.8 m |
11 mm polyamide |
35 mm |
Textile loop + thimble eye |
£14.55 |
Connectors are not supplied. The FA 30 502 XX is the same lanyard with a scaffold hook fitted.
BS EN 355 Energy Absorbing Lanyard | Max User 100 kg | Category III PPE
Conforms to BS EN 355 for energy absorbing lanyards. The integral shock absorber limits the forces transmitted to the user in a fall. Category III PPE under Regulation (EU) 2016/425. Fall clearance must be calculated including shock absorber deployment. Inspection by a competent person at intervals not exceeding 12 months and immediate withdrawal after arresting a fall or any sign of absorber deployment.
Suitable Applications
General work at height from a single anchor point where a fall is possible: construction, maintenance, roof and platform work, and access tasks. Where you move between anchor points, a Y forked lanyard keeps you attached during the transfer. Where sharp edges are present, the Gravity-S anti-cut range is the correct specification.
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 Lanyard
- Calculate fall clearance first: Lanyard length plus absorber deployment plus user height plus a safety margin. This is the most common serious error in fall arrest and the total is well over the lanyard length.
- Fit certified connectors at both ends: Not supplied with this version.
- Attach to the harness dorsal D-ring.
- Anchor as high as practicable: Reduces both fall distance and swing.
- Check the absorber pack shows no deployment before every use.
- Fit edge protection where the rope may cross an edge.
Warning: Fall clearance must be calculated including shock absorber deployment, and the total is considerably more than the lanyard length. Withdraw immediately after arresting a fall or any sign of absorber deployment.
Safety Information
- For use only by trained and competent persons within a safe system of work.
- Maximum user weight 100 kg including tools.
- Calculate fall clearance including absorber deployment.
- Connectors are not supplied; use certified karabiners.
- Fit edge protection where the rope may cross an edge.
- Withdraw immediately after arresting a fall or any 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
Run the full length through your hands feeling for soft spots, hard spots and diameter changes that indicate core damage the sheath may not show. Inspect the sheath for cuts, abrasion, glazing and staining. Check the shock absorber pack closely for any sign of deployment, tearing or an opened cover — this is the single most important check, because a partially deployed absorber will not perform correctly. Examine the thimble eye and both terminations, and confirm the label is legible.
Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why is this so much cheaper than the others?
No connectors. It has a textile loop and thimble eye, so you fit your own karabiners. The FA 30 502 XX is the same lanyard with a scaffold hook at £20.41 if you want it ready to use.
Q: What does the shock absorber actually do?
It is a folded pack of stitched webbing that tears progressively under fall arrest load, limiting the force reaching your body. Without it, stopping a fall generates forces that cause serious internal injury even though the fall is arrested. It is the entire difference between this and a restraint lanyard.
Q: How much clearance do I need?
More than the lanyard length. Add absorber deployment, the user's height below the attachment point, and a safety margin. The user instruction manual gives the calculation, and getting it wrong is the most common serious error in fall arrest.
