Patent ID: 6263999
Filing Date: 2001-07-24
Classification: A62B,E06C

Abstract:
A vertical fall arrest device adapted for attachment to and detachment from an elongate safety line, said device comprising:a body member;a rotary member having at least one recess formed in its periphery;safety line retaining means extending between the body member and the rotary member and being adapted to retain a safety line in a space defined between the body member and the rotary member;locking means for locking the device to said elongate safety line in a fall arrest situation;biasing means to urge said locking means into locking engagement with a safety line accommodated in the safety line retaining means in response to a sudden change in load experienced by the device; andmeans for attaching a personnel safety cable to the device;wherein said rotary member, said body member and said retaining means are arranged in a working disposition in which the rotary member is rotatably mounted in relation to the retaining means and the body member and wherein the or each recess is adapted to traverse support means used to support an elongate safety line without the need for user manipulation by rotation of the rotary member relative to the retaining means and the body member such that elements of said support means are successively received, guided and passed by a recess automatically;characterized in that said vertical fall arrest device further comprises a manually-operable opening mechanism means for releasing at least one of the rotary member, the body member and the retaining means from its working disposition in relation to the others of such parts so that said at least one of said rotary member, body member and retaining means can be moved relative to the others of such parts, means for limiting the movement of the at least one of said rotary member, body member and retaining means from its working disposition to a predetermined limited amount just sufficient to enable a safety line to be introduced into or removed from said space but will not allow said at least one of said rotary member, body member and retaining means to be detached from the device, thereby enabling the device to be attached to or detached from the safety line.