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SATRA has opened a new fall protection testing area at its purpose-built Century House technical facility. The new area will be able to test anchor devices in conjunction with different roof constructions and is in response to a new standard in development, prEN 17235, to which all permanent anchor devices will need to be tested. The construction industry is moving towards testing anchor devices together with applicable roof type(s) when working at height to ensure that the whole construction is safe to use.
SATRA’s new fall protection testing area allows the building of mock roof structures up to a maximum size of 6m x 6m to simulate real world use. Using three towers positioned around the mock roof, SATRA is able to carry out dynamic and static strength tests in all potential directions of loading (parallel, 45° & perpendicular). The anchor and the roof construction, and the fixings used to connect them both, can be assessed to determine the compatibility of the components and safety in use. Customers are able to watch and inspect all aspects of the testing from the safety and comfort of a viewing container positioned several meters above the ground.
“SATRA’s new fall protection testing area allows the building of mock roof structures”
Permanent anchor devices were previously covered under the European PPE Directive, however, in 2010 this was changed and these anchor devices were left for a number of years under no directive or regulation due to issues regarding the exact definition of what was covered under Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). Anchor devices have more recently been added under the Construction Products Regulation and will now be in prEN 17235 when published. Another standard, BS 8610: 2018, has been published which require anchors to be tested on a simulated substrate.
SATRA has been at the forefront of fall protection testing for many years and has comprehensive facilities at its main technical facility at SATRA House where there are internal and external towers. The external tower will be converted later this year to allow edge testing of self-retracting lifelines (SRLs) and other fall protection PPE for both the European and American markets.
SATRA offers comprehensive fall protection testing to EN, ISO, ANSI and AS/NZS standards. SATRA is a European Notified Body under the PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425 and the Construction Products Regulation (EU) 305/2011.
For further information please email [email protected] or 01536 410000 or www.satra.com.
