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MSA’s Latchways Constant Force® post for Kalzip standing seam (65/400) roofing has successfully completed all Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik (DIBt) testing and approvals. Having worked closely with Kalzip, MSA can now offer DIBt certification for work-at-height safety across Germany, giving access to the engineered fall protection systems and PPE that have long since set the standard worldwide. Further profiles are currently undergoing testing.
Technical Manager for MSA’s Latchways® product range Mr. Tim Bissett is urging constructors, contractors and architects not to abdicate responsibility when identifying suitable fall protection. He comments: “The DIBt has produced excellent guidelines for fall protection but it remains vital that anyone responsible for specifying fall protection makes it a priority to double check that any system they stipulate has been tested for the specific roof type it will be used on. Different roofing structures perform differently under stress and to provide the life-saving protection fall protection necessary it is wrong to assume that because a fall protection system is suitable for one structure, it is also suitable for all structures.”
The EU Commission has ruled that type A, C and D anchor devices in EN 795:2012 are no longer considered to be Personal Protection Equipment, but are instead Construction Products. Pending a new standard, DIBt has introduced a national requirement for testing and certification (abZ). Following satisfactory DIBt testing, abZ-certified construction products such as the MSA Latchways Constant Force Post can carry the Ü logo. MSA is the first and MSAsafety.com only manufacturer to gain abZ certification for its Latchways Constant Force Post anchor device used on Kalzip aluminium standing seam roofing (65/400).
Mr Nigel Evens leads MSA’s engineered systems range across Europe. He says: “Our company’s reputation is built on innovation, forensic attention to detail and engineering excellence and we are driven by a desire to ensure that all those who need to work at height are given the ultimate in fall protection.
“It is for this reason that we invest so heavily in testing our products and systems above and beyond the very latest standards.”
MSA’s Latchways product range is built on a deep understanding of fall and load physics and a constant quest for innovation. Typically, an MSA Latchways Constant Force Post system can accommodate up to three users for a general application, but through DIBt and abZ testing has in fact been proven to have the capacity for up to six users.
The energy absorption contained within the Latchways Constant Force Post (type 2) system delivers cable-based, load-absorbing fall protection for both fall arrest and restraint. This means that the force exerted on the point of attachment is typically controlled to 6.5 kN – so even after deployment, only the post needs to be replaced, leaving the roof construction completely undamaged.
Developed in consultation with major roof manufacturers, MSA’s Latchways Constant Force Post installation needs no additional structural steel or purlins. It is also designed to be unobtrusive and aesthetically pleasing to preserve the architectural integrity of any building. If required, the Constant Force post can be RAL colour matched to the roofing surface. MSA Latchways systems can be found across the world on iconic buildings such as Grand Central Station in New York and the European Parliament building in Strasbourg.
Tim Bissett concludes: “All of us have a moral obligation to ensure that the fall protection we specify will protect the worker that we instruct to work at height. I am therefore urging specifiers to ensure any systems are tested as suitable for the structure to which they will be attached.”
For further information please contact your local MSA affiliate or visit MSAsafety.com.
