Rope snaps in Z133.1

P

pjc01

I just contacted Bourden Forge about ordering some of their steel rope snaps, and the salesman told me that their double locking rope snaps (that I have used for years) no longer meet the new ANSI standards for a 3,500 lb. side load. I hadn't heard of such a thing, and checked my copy of Z133.1. I then looked all over the web and still can't find this.

Has Z133.1 been revised to include this restriction? I would think that anyone with a 3,500 lb. side load on a rope snap has far bigger problems than the failure of the snap...
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Welcome pjc01,

Maybe he's referring to another industry's standard. As long as they have a min. tensile strength of #5000 they're OK for treework. Never heard of a side load rating.
 
your right there. but you have to remember shock load.if you had 1000lbs even at 4 times the weight for shock its at 4000. im not sure of the exact number but i use 5x so that would be 5000lb i realize that u can help the shock load by various ways. but they are probally figureing worse case.
have fun and keep it safe
 
That's what I suspect...perhaps another industries' ANSI standards have changed. The other poster was right, you have to consider shock load. But I suspect that to put that kind of side-to-side stress on a snap, something in your climbing has gone drastically wrong. I also suspect that should a normal-sized climber shock load a snap (or carabiner) enough to approach its tensile strength, They would probably be killed (or horribly maimed) by the impact regardless of snap failure.

That is something I hope to never see.

I was just afraid that the Z133.1 standard had changed and I didn't know...

Thank you all for your help!
 
The standard for life support snaps isn't the Z133. There is another standard that applies across all industries. I don't know which it is though, sorry. You could write to ISA to find out.
 
This one I bet:
________________________________________________________
ANSI/ASSE Z359.2-2007

Minimum Requirements for a Comprehensive Managed Fall Protection Program

This standard establishes guidelines and requirements for an employer's managed fall protection program, including policies, duties and training; fall protection procedures; eliminating and controlling fall hazards; rescue procedures; incident investigations; and evaluating program effectiveness.

Price: $125.00
_________________________________________________________

There are lots of weird vague standards like this for sale from ANSI, how do these actually apply to treeworkers? or since we have our own Z133.1 does that supersede all others? assuming we are following it.
 
From Z133:

ANNEX D
(Informative)
Available Resources

D.1 APPLICABLE AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARDS
Revised standard for high-visibility safety apparel and headwear (ANSI/ISEA 107-2004)
Safety requirements for gasoline-powered chain saws (B175.1-2000)
Safety requirements for personal fall arrest systems, subsystems, and components (Z359.1-1992 [R1999])
Safety requirements for portable metal ladders (A14.2-2002)
Safety requirements for portable reinforced plastic ladders (A14.5-1992)
Safety requirements for portable wood ladders (A14.1-2000)
Safety requirements for workplace floor and wall openings, stairs and railing systems (A1264.1-1995 [R2002])
Standard for occupational and educational eye and face protection (Z87.1-2003)
Standard for personal protection—Protective headgear for industrial workers (Z89.1-2003)
Standard for respiratory protection (Z88.2-1991)
Standard practices for tree care operations—tree, shrub, and other woody plant maintenance (A300)
Vehicle-mounted elevating and rotating aerial devices (A92.2-2002)

D.2 CORDAGE INSTITUTE ROPE STANDARDS
The Cordage Institute, www.ropecord.com

D.3 APPLICABLE FEDERAL REGULATIONS (U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION)
Electric power generation, transmission, and distribution (29 CFR 1910.269)
General industry (29 CFR 1910.000)
Hazard communication (29 CFR 1915.1200)
Medical services and first aid (29 CFR 1910.151)
Occupational noise exposure (29 CFR 1910.95)
Personal protective equipment (29 CFR 1910.132-136)
Safety—Electric-related work practices (29 CFR 1910.331-335)
Telecommunication (29 CFR 1910.268)
Transportation (49 CFR)

D.4 OTHER RESOURCES
International Society of Arboriculture; P.O. Box 3129, Champaign, IL 61826-3129 (www.isa-arbor.com)
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program (www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration Safety and Health Topics for Landscape and Horticultural Services (www.osha.gov/SLTC/landscaping/)
Tree Care Industry Association; 3 Perimeter Road, Unit 1, Manchester, NH 03103 (www.treecareindustry.org)
 
[ QUOTE ]
The standard for life support snaps isn't the Z133. There is another standard that applies across all industries. I don't know which it is though, sorry. You could write to ISA to find out.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is the Z359 standard. I don't think it's in effect yet, but will be soon. The "side load" rating went way up.
 
[ QUOTE ]
your right there. but you have to remember shock load.

[/ QUOTE ]

True. We must remember shock load in all sorts of areas of our work. However, shock loading something is relative to the distance it is loaded. And when someone is using a lanyard for short distances, I don't think we have to worry much about shock loading a snap while using it as a lanyard.

We need Kenny in here for this but I'm pretty sure the rules for shocking something is like this:

Potential energy: Say 100lb person sitting pretty in a tree.

Kinetic Energy: This is where the mass doubles for every 1ft. of fall. For example the 100lb person falls 1 ft = 200lbs. The person falls 2ft = 400lbs. 3ft = 800lbs. 4ft =1600lbs. 5ft = 3200lbs

However, we don't just load our snap with all of that kinetic energy in that type of event, right? Some would be absorbed in the harness, lanyard cord, snap, and hopefully, the second T.I.P.
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So, if they are saying that the snaps are under rated, then I think that is nuts.
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I saw the changes for biners. Will this effect us? I just pulled out my specs on a petzl Am'D and its minor gates is at 7kN, when the new specs are at 16kN. Thats quite a bit of difference.

Is the Z359 only for fall protection and its subsystems or does the subsystems reach to us too?
 
I got that part, but then why would the snaps count for work positioning and not biners? If thats the case then the snaps would be complaint with our work positioning saddles?
 
Well, if the Z359.1 standard applies to arborist work positioning systems now in use, I doubt that any of the carabiners or snaps that we use (or are sold by any of the distributors) comply with that ridiculous side load requirement.

If there is, I suspect that the standard is a "political" one written around a particular manufacturer who lobbied the committee hard, such as the Z133.1 climbing line standard being written around Arborplex years ago.

The Bourden Forge rep did comment that a manufacturer in China was the only one complying that he knew of. I guess once the distributor is known, we know where to look.

ANSI is not the law, and I suspect that arborists will not be OSHA bait so long as the provisions of Z133.1 are followed.
 
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