Fall arrest ladder system

A fall arrest ladder system including a housing assembly having a retractable lanyard, braking system, safety line, and webbing belt is disclosed. The fall arrest system allows for the safe deceleration of the user from an elevated position on a ladder to prevent the user from making harmful contact with the ground. The safety line and retractable lanyard are each attached to a ladder and then attached to the webbing belt worn by the user, permitting the user to freely move along the length of the ladder while remaining tethered securely in the event of a slip or fall from the ladder. The safety line prevents the user from falling away from the ladder while the retractable lanyard and incorporated braking system decelerate the user during a downward fall.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The embodiments generally relate to fall arrest systems and more specifically relates to fall arrest systems for use in fall hazard environments.

BACKGROUND

Any time a person is suspended at some point above ground, they face the risk of injury due to fall should their position be compromised in some manner. Construction workers and other manual laborers are routinely in situations where they must be positioned off the ground in order to perform their job. This often requires that they climb a ladder to reach or access areas located higher up than can be reached when standing on the ground. Likewise, most homes have some form of a ladder for its occupants to climb when needing to reach high up places, such as when changing a lightbulb or accessing the roof. In either case, the person using the ladder may climb a significant distance off the ground in order to reach their desired position, during which they face the risk of injury due to fall which, even when only a few feet off the ground, can be catastrophic or fatal.

Fall arresters are frequently used to prevent the freefall of a person off of an elevated surface or climbing apparatus such as a ladder. One of the most common examples of a fall arrest system would be the carabiner and rope system used by rock climbers to prevent fall should a hand or foothold slip or give way. Because up to ten percent of workplace injuries and fatalities occur from the worker being on elevated surfaces, The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) now requires the use of fall protection systems such as a fall arrester for any labor in which the worker is susceptible to a fall of six or more feet. Consequently, the use of fall arresters has become the norm for safety measures taken by construction workers, roofers or other blue-collar workers using a ladder.

Various types of fall arrest systems for ladders currently exist but are not typically a one-size-fits-all model. Rather they are typically designed for a specific type of ladder, user, or calibrated for use at specific heights. This requires construction workers and companies of all sorts to purchase multiple forms of fall arresters, and results in household consumers being unable to adequately secure fall protection for everyday use. The capability for a fall arrester to have universal compatibility with all ladders for a variety of users at varying heights would serve an immense financial benefit to construction companies, workers, and household consumers. A universal fit ladder fall protection system would also, likely, increase the overall safety on a worksite as it only requires the knowledge of one system's use and installation rather than that of multiple different types of systems for each ladder or scenario, thus minimizing room for error and maximizing safety.

Relevant fall arresters typically are comprised of a rope, cable, or steel bar connected with an anchor, in addition to various clips and carabiners that attach elements of the system such as a harness or belt to the anchor. Presently, a majority of the OSHA compliant safety fall arrest systems are designed for use by a model construction worker; however, the average consumer is not a model, and further safety precautions should be considered. For example, ropes or steel bars do not prove to be as strong or stable for heavier users. A steel cable would provide stronger enforcement capable of withstanding the deadweight of heavier falls, as well as providing more flexibility and stability than just a stiff, steel bar or weak, erodible rope. Further, steel cables are also more durable than ropes in instances of inclement weather as a rope is extremely vulnerable to the elements, degrading over short periods of time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This summary is provided to introduce a variety of concepts in a simplified form that is further disclosed in the detailed description of the embodiments. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

The system includes a housing having at least a mounted eye bolt, a D-Ring bolt assembly configured to secure a safety line to the eye bolt assembly, a screw lock configured to secure the retractable lanyard housing to the mounted eye bolt, an adjustable webbing belt including an anchor ring and an industrial grade snap lock carabiner, and a safety configured to be releasably secured a first end to the housing assembly and the adjustable webbing belt at a second end.

The system is provided to allow a variety of users working in an elevated position to safely decelerate using a retractable lanyard and braking system in the event of a fall from an elevated position while minimizing stress to the user's body.

In one aspect, the system may be constructed of aluminum, steel, stainless steel, or a combination of light-weight alloys which are easily mountable to a variety of ladder systems.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The specific details of the single embodiment or variety of embodiments described herein are to the described system. Any specific details of the embodiments are used for demonstration purposes only, and no unnecessary limitations or inferences are to be understood therefrom.

In general, the embodiments provided herein relate to a fall arrest ladders system, which is containerized, allowing for a user's who has slipped from a ladder rung to be suspended by the system and avoid a catastrophic fall onto the ground surface.

Illustrated inFIG. 1is a perspective view of the fall arrest ladder system100which creates slight tension when attached to the user and acts to decelerate the user in the event of a fall from an elevated position by locking the retractable lanyard210and arresting the user before impacting the ground surface or lower obstruction. The system100is configured to allow a user to be tethered to a ladder110using a retractable lanyard210encompassed with a housing assembly130to arrest the user in the event of a slip or fall from a ladder rung and be suspended in the air without falling directly on the ground.

The system100includes a housing assembly130including a retractable lanyard210configured to be attached to a ladder rung or clipped within the eye bolt assembly140at the first end of the safety line180. During use, a safety line180is affixed at a top end and bottom end of the ladder110and further secured with at least one wall bracket170and braces237in a substantially tightened position when the ladder110is placed into an extended position. It is contemplated that the safety line180is comprised of a braided steel or stainless-steel material and further includes the eye bolt assembly140at the first end of the safety line180and at the second end of the safety line180and prevents the user from swinging into and striking any adjacent structures or ladder110when the retractable lanyard210is activated by increasing both horizontal and vertical mobility.

The user then firmly attaches a webbing belt185around their waistline and clips an industrial-strength screw lock carabiner190to the safety line180and into the anchor ring200located at the center of the webbing belt205. Optionally, a second screw lock carabiner190can be clipped as in intermediate between the first screw lock carabiner190and the safety line180, as shown inFIG. 1. The user may then attach a second end of the retractable lanyard210to the webbing belt at the anchor ring200and proceed to a desired height on the extended ladder110. The housing assembly130is attached to the eye bolt assembly140using a screw lock215. The retractable lanyard210allows for a pre-determined freefall distance prior to activating and arresting the user while minimizing impact and stress to the user's body. Tension is maintained in the retractable lanyard210with a restoring spring and when a pre-selected activation speed is exceeded, the brake system is simultaneous activated and the retractable lanyard210is locked into place as a result of the centrifugal force.

FIG. 2illustrates a view of the ladder110placed in an extended position with the safety line180. It is further contemplated that the ladder110includes swivel shoes220to increase friction along the bottom of the ladder225while placed on smooth surfaces. Further illustrated inFIG. 2is a set of braces237, which enhance stability to the base of the ladder110when extended.

FIG. 3illustrates a view of the housing assembly130with the retractable lanyard210in the retracted position around the internal spool230, which allows the user to work in a variety of elevated workspaces involving fall hazards including high building, chimney, bridges, and roofs while allowing the user the freedom of movement. Further illustrated is the industrial-strength screw lock carabiner190or alternative snap lock235which may be attached around the safety line180.

FIG. 4illustrates a view of the webbing belt185including the anchor ring200. It is contemplated that the webbing belt185may be comprised of leather or a synthetic fiber such as nylon, polypropylene or polyester and adjusted around the waistline of the user at the buckle240.

FIG. 5illustrates a view of the safety line180wrapped around the eye bolt assembly140and secured using at least one screw lock and two or more nuts215.