Let's be honest with each other here, sometimes fall protection can get expensive. On the other hand, in comparison to the cost of a life or workman's compensation, fall protection is a pittance. However, I suspect cost has a lot to do with why companies are not updating their fall protection equipment as frequently as they should be. (Check out this article) So, here's a simple solution to cut costs and update your equipment regularly.
If you can, buy a tie back lanyard instead of an anchor and shock absorbing lanyard separately.
What exactly is a tie back lanyard? Good question. Let me consult my fall protection cheat sheet. Right. A Tie Back Lanyard is essentially an anchor and lanyard in one.
All you need is to find a 5,000 lb. anchorage point, like normal, and then wrap the lanyard around it and hook it to your safety harness. The key is making sure that you really have an anchorage point (Read the Instructions). This setup works great on most I or H-beams, for example.
The picture should help explain this better than I can.
In other words, here's a nice solution for those of you looking to shed costs in these economic times. However, costs should never keep you from protecting yourself or your employees. Take a look at some Tie Back Lanyards.
Have you used tie back lanyards as anchors before? How did it work? Did you like them?