Patent ID: 8584797

Claim:
A fall arrester which is part of a climbing protection system for use by a user of a ladder, a platform or the like to prevent the user from falling, wherein the fall arrester is adapted to be used with, and to be movable along, a guide rail having catching stops, the fall arrester comprising: a body; and a pawl having upper and lower ends and comprising: a pawl tooth at the lower end of the pawl, the pawl rotatably mounted to the body for movement relative to the body around a first axis and configured so that the pawl tooth engages the catching stops in the guide rail in the event of a fall as an incident of which the pawl rotates in a first direction relative to the body around the first axis; and a connecting element which is hinged to the pawl for pivoting movement relative to the pawl around a second axis and, with the fall arrester used by a user, to which the user can be secured using a lanyard, the second axis having a fixed location relative to the first axis, wherein the connecting element and the pawl are separate parts which are connected to each other such that with the connecting element in a first state, the connecting element and pawl co-rotate around the first axis, whereby in response to the application of a predetermined downward force upon the connecting element, as through a lanyard in the event of a fall by a user, the connecting element causes the pawl to pivot in the first direction around the first axis relative to the body so that the pawl tooth engages a first catching stop and the connecting element assumes a second state wherein the connecting element is allowed to pivot around the second axis relative to the pawl with the second axis maintained in a fixed location relative to the first axis and without causing the pawl tooth to disengage from the first catching stop.