It is common practice for a worker to wrap a lanyard around a structural steel section for protection against falling. It was discovered during laboratory testing that 5/8-inch-wide (16 mm) 3-strand nylon lanyards lost up to 90% of their original strength when arresting a fall. The test was performed according to CSA Standard Z259.1-M1976. Similar tests on 7/8-inch-wide nylon web lanyards ended with no arrest at all. In both cases the lanyards’ loss of strength was caused by cutting action of the edges of the I-beam.
See “Introduction to Fall Protection, 4th Edition” page 92.
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