You are visiting the Canada Kee Safety website from United States. Would you like to go to the United States site?
Daredevils have walked across Niagara Falls on a tightrope, a tensioned horizontal rope or cable, since at least 1859 when Jean Francois Gravelet—The Great Blondin—traversed the Great Cataract.
Most recently, in 2012, Nik Wallenda crossed from the American to the Canadian side of the falls. Since guy wires could not be installed to stabilize the tightrope, he had to wear a harness with a lifeline that tethered him to the cable stretched over Horseshoe Falls.
The Wallenda stunt was unusual because the thrill of watching tightrope walkers often stems from the lack of fall protection systems.
Not having fall protection does not fly for workers who inspect, maintain, and repair building services equipment housed on the rooftop. Fortunately, they can rely on horizontal lifeline systems with secure anchor points to perform their tasks safely and productively.
Since falls from height are a leading cause of workplace injuries and fatalities, federal, provincial, and territorial agencies require rooftop fall protection solutions. Wherever guardrails are impractical, lifeline safety systems for roofs should be used to provide compliant fall protection. A horizontal lifeline with a roof anchor system will provide continuous, secure attachment points, reducing the risk of falls and injuries while allowing workers to move freely.
Engineered horizontal lifelines span a distance between two or more points, creating a flexible yet sturdy connection for the worker wearing a personal fall arrest system (PFAS), which includes a harness, lanyard, and cable or rope lifeline. The system features a tensioned stainless steel cable that runs between roof anchors. All components are made of strong, durable, and corrosion-resistant stainless or galvanized steel.
Rooftop horizontal lifelines provide both travel restraint and fall arrest. Travel restraint prevents workers secured to the system from reaching fall hazards, such as the roof edge and unprotected skylights. In case of a fall, the horizontal lifeline absorbs the forces generated and reduces the impact on the body, preventing severe injury.
Roof anchors provide a secure connection point to horizontal lifelines, enabling workers to move about with confidence. Built from high-strength, corrosion-resistant galvanized steel, they must be designed to withstand a heavy load force applied in any direction. Federal, provincial, and territorial regulations often cite 22 kN (5,000 lbs.)
Watching an artist walk a tightrope at the circus or a fair is dramatic and entertaining, but your maintenance workers on the rooftop are not performing for a crowd. They are conducting essential tasks and need a secure and reliable horizontal lifeline and roof anchorage system.
When combined with proper training and regular inspections, lifeline fall protection equipment enables workers to perform their tasks safely and productively.