Some workers use Pusik slings as rope grabs, as part of their personal fall-protection system. A Prusik sling, however, does not protect workers who might instinctively grasp their system’s rope grabs during falls.
Some commercially available rope grabs are manufactured with “anti-panic” features that lock onto the lifeline even when they are grasped. A Prusik sling, however, does not have this feature, potentially allowing a worker to fall.
WorkSafeBC has developed the attached safety bulletin to detail the hazards of using Prusik slings as rope grabs, and explain why it’s safer in most cases for workers to use rope grabs that meet CSA or ANSI standards and include an anti-panic feature.
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