Lifelines: Definition and Characteristics

What Is a Lifeline?

A lifeline is an anchorage system designed to prevent or stop the fall of people working at height. It is a device composed of a series of elements:

• steel cables;
• anchorages;
• connection and tensioning devices.

Its main function is to secure, through a harness, the worker to a safe path, thus limiting the risk of falling. The person can attach their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the taut cable and safely perform their task.

The PPE used to work with lifelines includes:

• helmet;
• harness;
• a set consisting of a lanyard and carabiners that connect the harness to the metal rope;
• safety shoes;
  
  
• gloves and appropriate clothing.

The quality of the materials is a very important element to ensure the effectiveness of these systems.

When Is a Lifeline Needed

Lifelines are used in numerous contexts, mainly in those places where work at height is frequent and presents significant risks of falling. This includes, for example:

• roof maintenance;
• solar panel installation;
• work on scaffolding;
• operations in industrial environments like factories or warehouses.

Their presence is crucial to ensure worker safety in compliance with current workplace safety regulations. Since they are applied at the tops of buildings and because they are fall arrest systems, these devices are often called “roof lifelines” or "roof lifelines".

Types of Lifelines

There are different types of lifelines, classified based on their installation and functionality: there are rigid and flexible, or temporary and permanent.

According to the UNI EN 795 standard, we can identify 5 main categories:

• Type A lifeline: includes all permanent systems, for example, under-tile hooks or wall-fixing eyebolts;
• Type B lifeline: indicates temporary devices, used during the execution of a construction site or other types of work;
• Type C lifeline: a safety line found on roofs to which the operator attaches using their PPE; allows the worker to move greater distances without ever detaching from the device;
• Type D lifeline: indicates the rigid guide along which a trolley runs, serving as a mobile anchorage point;
• Type E lifeline: are weighted anchorage devices.

The materials used for the construction of these safety systems are:

• stainless steel;
• electrophoresis steel;
• hot-dip galvanized steel;
• webbing or ropes (in the case of temporary or flexible anchorages).

These installations, as can be imagined, are fixed to buildings through bolting elements. The most commonly used screws include:

• screws for wood and concrete;
• Eye bolt;
• threaded rods.

Their presence is essential to ensure the resistance and reliability of the lifeline system.

Lifeline Installation Obligations

The regulations related to lifelines vary from state to state. Generally, legislation requires the installation of these elements in all workplaces where there is a risk of falling from height. It is important that lifelines are designed following strict standards and that they undergo regular checks and maintenance. Regulations are fundamental to ensure the effectiveness and safety over time of the lifeline mechanisms.

In Italy, based on the Unified Text on workplace safety (D.L. 81/2008), installing a lifeline is mandatory if the roof of a house or an industrial shed becomes a workplace: if interventions of various kinds are carried out on the roofs (remediation, installation or maintenance of photovoltaic systems, interventions on antennas and dishes) the regulations impose the use of lifelines.

Each territory has different checks, but generally, the regulations on lifelines require the following documentation:

• layout of the fall protection system;
• report on design choices and indication of the type of anchorage points chosen;
• certifications of fall protection devices and manufacturer's certificate on materials;
• statement on the correct installation of safety components;
• verification of the structure's capacity to bear the loads transmitted by the fall protection components.

Finally, it is necessary to consider that there are specific regional regulations that provide additional obligations and to which reference must be made.

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