Directive 89/686/EEC – “essential requirements” for PPE at the time of manufacture and before placed on the market.
PPE against falls from a height are covered by this Directive and considered as category-III equipment. This means, that all these products need:
- a type examination certificate and
- a supervision of the production,
both carried out by a Notified Body. The products have to be marked clearly with CE 0000, containing the identification number of the Notified Body, who carries out the supervision of the production.
Scope of the Directive for equipment
against fall from a height
The scope of the Directive is extensive and covers PPE for use at the workplace as well as for use at sports and leisure activities, i.e. in this case in particular mountaineering equipment. Because it is not always clear for parties (users, purchasers, manufacturers), which kind of PPE is covered by the conformity assessment procedure for Category-III in detail, the Coordination Group VG 11 of Notified bodies published the “Recommendations for Use”, listing the PPE’s against falls from a height covered by the PPE Directive and belonging to Category-III.
Directive 89/656/EEC – use of personal protective equipment
Minimum health and safety requirements for the use by workers of personal protective equipment at the workplace.
Directive 2001/45/EC
Minimum safety and health requirements for the use of work equipment by workers at work. Amending Council Directive 89/655/EEC concerning the minimum safety and health requirements for the use of work equipment by workers at work (second individual Directive within the meaning of Article 16(1) of Directive 89/391/EEC).
Machine Directive 2006/42/EC
Contains the fundamental safety – and healthcare – requirements concerning the design and construction of machinery.
ISO 12100 – Safety of machinery
General principles for design – Risk assessment and risk
reduction.
EN 1808 – Safety requirements on suspended access equipment
Design calculations, stability criteria, construction. Tests
Personal protective equipment against falls from a height:
EN 341:
Descender devices
class A: descent energy W up to 7,5 × 106 J;
class B: descent energy W up to 1,5 × 106 J;
class C: descent energy W up to 0,5 × 106 J;
class D: For only one descent. Descent energy depends on the maximum descent height and the maximum rated load. ‘FOR SINGLE USE ONLY’!
EN 353-1:
Guided type fall arresters including
a rigid anchor
EN 353-2:
Type fall arresters including a flexible anchor line
EN 354:
Lanyards
EN 355:
Energy absorbers
EN 358:
Belts for work positioning and restraint and work positioning lanyards
EN 360:
Retractable type fall arresters
EN 361:
Full body harnesses
EN 362:
Connectors
EN 363:
Fall arrest systems
EN 364:
Test methods
EN 365:
Minimum general requirements for instructions for use, maintenance, periodic examination,
repair, marking and packaging of PPE
EN 795:
Anchorage devices, class B + E
EN 813:
Sit harnesses
EN 1496:
Rescue lifting devices
Class A: to lift a person from a lower
to a higher place
Class B: for lowering a person
over a distance limited to 2 m
EN 1497:
Rescue harnesses
EN 1891:
Low stretch kernmantel ropes