A hot discussion point for some considerable time has been the use of fall arrest lanyards with regard to their effectiveness relative to the size of the wearer.
If rated at 100 Kg in a dynamic fall will the device operate for people over 100kg? will in fact someone who weighs less than 100kg be at greater risk?
There has been talk that these devices will become personnel issue, rated for each individual. But there is scant indication from manufacturers that this very close to becoming reality. So where does this leave the user?
Under the En 355 the maximum impact force allowable is 6kN, therefore the only options for the user to control this ar as follows:
a)Reduce the mass, this can be done by selecting personnel to carry certain tasks on the basis of physical size. Not carrying as much equipment.
b) Reduce the distance by good practise and or by reducing the lanyard leg length at time of purchase.

An example of this can seen in the table below:

As can be seen if good practise is followed it is possible to safely use a lanyard from En 355 with people over 100 kg, a far more worrying prospect is those people significantly less than 100kg! where although the lanyard will deploy in a fall, the force "absorption" will occur in a much shorter space of time and thus the user will come to a far more abrupt stop.