A two metre lanyard spends most of its life not being two metres long. The rest of the time it trails behind the user, catching on things, getting stood on and abrading against steelwork. The expandable version contracts to 1.4 metres and stretches to 2 metres as needed, so it follows the user rather than dragging.
This is the single tail version. At £41.16 against £93.72 for the Y forked expandable, it is the sensible choice for anyone working from one anchor point at a time who simply wants the lanyard out of the way.
Key Features
- Expandable 1.4 m to 2 m: Contracts when not extended, so the lanyard follows rather than trails. Less snagging, less abrasion, less to trip over.
- 11 mm polyamide kernmantle: Rope rather than webbing, rounder in the hand.
- 35 mm shock absorber: Standard single tail absorber.
- Max user 140 kg including tools.
- Karabiner and scaffold hook fitted: Ready to use.
- Around half the price of the Y forked expandable for the same expandable benefit on a single tail.
Technical Specifications
| Property |
Value |
| Product Code |
FA 30 514 20 |
| Length |
1.4 m – 2 m expandable |
| Configuration |
Single tail |
| Rope |
11 mm polyamide kernmantle |
| Shock Absorber Width |
35 mm |
| Fittings |
Karabiner and scaffold hook |
| Maximum User Weight |
140 kg including equipment |
| Conformity |
BS EN 355 |
BS EN 355 | Expandable | Category III PPE
Conforms to BS EN 355 for energy absorbing lanyards. Fall clearance must be calculated on the fully extended 2 m length, not the contracted length. Category III PPE under Regulation (EU) 2016/425. 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
Suits work where a trailing lanyard is a nuisance but a single anchor point is sufficient: platform and MEWP work, roof work with a fixed anchor, plant and machinery maintenance, and general access work. It gives the practical benefit of the expandable range without the cost of the twin tail. Where the job involves moving between anchor points, a Y forked version is needed regardless of whether it expands.
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 Expandable Lanyard
- Calculate clearance on 2 m: The contracted 1.4 m is irrelevant to the fall calculation; the lanyard extends fully under load.
- Attach the karabiner to the harness dorsal D-ring.
- Anchor as high as practicable: Reduces fall distance and swing.
- Check the rope recovers: If it no longer contracts to 1.4 m, the elasticity has gone or it has been loaded.
- Inspect the absorber pack for deployment.
- Protect against sharp edges: This is not the anti-cut rope; the Gravity-S range is.
Warning: Calculate fall clearance on the fully extended 2 m length. This lanyard does not use anti-cut rope; where sharp edges are present, use the Gravity-S anti-cut range or fit edge protection.
Safety Information
- For use only by trained and competent persons within a safe system of work.
- Maximum user weight 140 kg including tools and equipment.
- Calculate fall clearance using the extended 2 m length.
- Fit edge protection where a sharp edge is present.
- Check the lanyard still contracts to 1.4 m.
- 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
Measure the contracted length against the original 1.4 m, since a lanyard that no longer returns has either lost elasticity or been loaded, and the two need distinguishing. Run the full extended length through your hands feeling for soft spots and diameter changes, and inspect the sheath for cuts, abrasion, glazing and staining. Check the shock absorber pack for deployment, tearing or an opened cover, and both connectors for gate operation and wear.
Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why does the title say "adjustable" if it is expandable?
It expands and contracts elastically between 1.4 m and 2 m rather than being set to a length by an adjuster. There is no adjustment mechanism; the rope itself does the work. The distinction matters if you are expecting a grip adjuster.
Q: How much clearance do I need?
Calculate on 2 m. The lanyard extends fully in a fall, so the contracted length plays no part in the clearance calculation. Using 1.4 m would underestimate what you need.
Q: Is this the anti-cut rope?
No. The Gravity-S range is the anti-cut one, identifiable by its green fittings. This is standard kernmantle. If sharp edges are a feature of your work, choose the Gravity-S or fit edge protection.
