British Standards

Establishing benchmarks for ‘best practice’ is an essential activity for every successful business. British Standards and Euro Norms are produced as ‘best practice’ guides for a vast array of products and procedures.

Although adhering to the specification contained within Standards / Norms is not mandatory, in the event of a ‘failure’ any departure from the Standards / Norms could be used against a business within a criminal prosecution or civil action.

HCL Safety Ltd treats the specifications within British Standards and Euro Norms as the minimum benchmark and strives to heighten its performance with complimentary information, instruction and training.

Where applicable, all products and services provided by HCL Safety Ltd meet current Standards and Norms. Listed below are the more common Standards and Norms.

 

BS EN 795:1997 Protection against falls from a height – Anchor Devices – requirements and testing

Anchorage devices are grouped into clauses within BS EN 795:

• Class A1       Single point anchors e.g. SafeRing & PushLock
• Class B         Temporary anchors e.g. tripods and cross beams
• Class C         Horizontal flexible cable systems e.g. ManSafe
• Class D         Horizontal rails e.g. abseil track
• Class E          Dead weight anchorages e.g. Free-Standing Constant Force Post

 

BS 7883: 2005 Code of practice for the design, selection, installation, use and maintenance of anchor devices conforming to BS EN 795

The standard gives recommendations for the installation of anchor devices in existing buildings as well as new construction and advice on methods for assessing the suitability of installed anchor devices and anchor systems.

 

Personal Protective Equipment – Fall Protection

The following table displays the numerous Standards and Norms for fall arrest PPE.

BS EN 341:1993	PPE - Descender devices	Escape or rescue device, for controlled descent at a limited velocity
BS EN 353-1:2002	PPE - Guided type fall arresters (on a rail)	Vertical travelling device locking onto a rail as result of a fall
BS EN 353-2:2002	PPE - Guided type fall arresters (on a rope/cable)	Vertical travelling device working on a wire cable or a rope, locking in a fall e.g. ClimbLatch
BS EN 354:2002	PPE - Lanyards	Fall arrest lanyards
BS EN 355:2002	PPE - energy absorbers	Lanyard shock absorbers and tear web sections
BS EN 358:2000	PPE - Work positioning systems	A combination of components to make up a system e.g. pole strap, NOT to be used for fall arrest
BS EN 360:2002	PPE - Retractable type	Inertia reel blocks (NOT retractable 2.4m car seat belt style lanyards), previously called “fall arrest blocks”
BS EN 361:2002	PPE - Full body harnesses	Full body support harness (NOT a belt)
BS EN 362:2004	PPE - Connectors	Karabiners / Carabiners, hooks and other connectors
BS EN 363: 2002	PPE - Fall arrest systems	A system combination e.g. a harness together with a lanyard and an energy absorber
BS EN 364:1993	PPE - Test methods	Detail of test methods to be carried out in the laboratories of an accredited test house, to confirm the products compliance with the requirements of the standard
BS EN 365:2004	PPE - General requirements	Instructions for marking products with user instructions inspection periods and retesting