Fall-protection lanyard assembly

Abstract

A fall-protection lanyard assembly including: at least one fall-protection lanyard having an elongate flexible strap; an inverted-V energy absorber; and, a breakapart assembly. The breakapart assembly includes an outward connector to which the elongate flexible strap is connected.

Description

[0001] PA103250W002

[0002] FALL-PROTECTION LANYARD ASSEMBLY

[0003] Background

[0004] Fall-protection safety harnesses are often used in environments in which persons are working at elevated heights or are otherwise at risk of falling. Such safety harnesses may include one or more trauma straps.

[0005] Summary

[0006] Herein is disclosed a fall-protection lanyard assembly comprising: at least one fall-protection lanyard having an elongate flexible strap; an inverted-V energy absorber; and, a breakapart assembly. The breakapart assembly includes an outward connector to which the elongate flexible strap is connected. These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description below. In no event, however, should this broad summary be construed to limit the claimable subject matter, whether such subject matter is presented in claims in the application as initially filed or in claims that are amended or otherwise presented in prosecution.

[0007] Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary fall-protection lanyard assembly.

[0009] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an upper portion of an exemplary fall-protection lanyard assembly.

[0010] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the exemplary fall-protection lanyard assembly of Fig. 2.

[0011] Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary breakapart assembly of an exemplary fallprotection lanyard assembly.

[0012] Fig. 5 is an isolated view of an exemplary outward connector of an exemplary breakapart assembly.

[0013] Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the exemplary fall-protection lanyard assembly of Fig. 1.

[0014] Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the exemplary breakapart assembly of Fig. 6, further showing portions of an exemplary inverted-V energy absorber.

[0015] Fig. 8 is a plan view of an exemplary inward connector of an exemplary breakapart assembly, further showing portions of straps of a fall-protection safety harness to which the inward connector is connected.

[0016] Fig. 9 is a perspective view of an exemplary fall-protection lanyard comprising a soft, endless connector at an end of the lanyard.

[0017] Fig. 10 is a perspective view of an exemplary fall -protection lanyard that is connected to an exemplary outward connector of a breakapart assembly by way of a soft, endless connector.

[0018] Fig. 11 is a plan view of an exemplary fall-protection lanyard comprising an elongate wire-rope, an end of the wire-rope fall-protection lanyard being directly connected to an exemplary outward connector of a breakapart assembly.

[0019] Fig. 12 is an isolated view of another exemplary outward connector of an exemplary breakapart assembly. Like reference symbols in the various figures indicate like elements. Although terms such as and “first” and “second” may be used in this disclosure, it should be understood that those terms are used in their relative sense only unless otherwise noted. The term “affixed” and like terminology denotes two (or more) items that are permanently, non-separably joined to each other, but does not require that the items must necessarily be in direct contact with each other. The term “attached” and like terminology denotes two items that are permanently attached to each other and are in direct contact with each other at the location of their attachment.

[0020] Terms such as inward and outward are used with reference to a fall-protection safety harness as worn by a standing human user and to which a herein-disclosed fall-protection lanyard assembly is connected. Inward signifies a direction generally toward the user’s body; outward signifies a generally opposite direction, away from the user’s body. Inward and outward directions are indicated (as “i” and “o”) in various Figures herein. Terms such as a vertical axis, upward and downward directions along this axis, and so on, have their customary meaning with regard to such a harness as worn by a standing user. As disclosed herein, a transverse direction is a direction that is generally perpendicular to the inward-outward direction and to the vertical direction. Vertical and transverse axes / directions are indicated (as “V” and “T”), and upward and downward directions along the vertical axis are indicated (as “u” and “d”) in various Figures herein.

[0021] As used herein as a modifier to a property, attribute or relationship, the term “generally”, unless otherwise specifically defined, means that the property, attribute or relationship would be readily recognizable by a person of ordinary skill but without requiring absolute precision or a perfect match (e.g., within + / - 20 % for quantifiable properties; within + / - 20 degrees for angular orientations); the term “substantially” means to a high degree of approximation (e.g., within + / - 10% for quantifiable properties; within + / - 10 degrees for angular orientations) but again without requiring absolute precision or a perfect match. The term “essentially” means to a very high degree of approximation (e.g., within plus or minus 2 % for quantifiable properties; within + / - 5 degrees for angular orientations;) it will be understood that the phrase “at least essentially” subsumes the specific case of an “exact” match. However, even an “exact” match, or any other characterization using terms such as e.g. same, equal, identical, uniform, constant, and the like, will be understood to be within the usual tolerances or measuring error applicable to the particular circumstance rather than requiring absolute precision or a perfect match.

[0022] Detailed Description

[0023] Disclosed herein is a fall-protection lanyard assembly 1 as shown in exemplary embodiment in Fig. 1. Such a fall -protection lanyard assembly 1 will be used with a harness, e.g. a fall-protection safety harness 90 as shown in partial exemplary representation in Fig. 8. Such fall-protection safety harnesses, often referred to as full-body safety harnesses, are used in various circumstances in which persons are at elevated height or are otherwise at risk of falling. Fall-protection full-body safety harnesses are required to meet various standards (as promulgated e.g. by ANSI), are required by OSHA for certain types of work activities, and will be distinguished from other types of harnesses such as SCBA harnesses, climbing harnesses, and general-use harnesses such as for backpacks, hiking, and the like. Such a fall-protection safety harness typically comprises an interlinked combination of various harness straps comprised of flat, elongate webbing made e.g. of woven synthetic fabric such as e.g. polyamide, polyaramid (such as e.g. Kevlar), ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (such as e.g. Dyneema) and the like. Such harness straps are typically flexible so that they can generally conform to a wearer’s body, can be passed through one or more of buckles, guides, loops and the like, and so on, but typically are not significantly extensible. Such harness straps typically include at least chest straps, shoulder straps, and leg straps (hence their characterization as “full-body” harnesses). In particular, a fall-protection full-body safety harness will often include first and second dorsal straps that meet and cross in the dorsal region of the user of the harness. In some embodiments the harness may comprise a dorsal plate at the dorsal region, e.g. to guide the dorsal straps as they cross each other, to assist in positioning a dorsal D-ring, and / or to perform one or more other functions.

[0024] An exemplary fall -protection lanyard assembly 1 is depicted in perspective view in Fig. 1. Lanyard assembly 1 comprises at least one fall-protection lanyard 2 comprising an elongate flexible strap 3. The exemplary lanyard assembly 1 shown in Fig. 1 comprises two such lanyards, 2 and 2’, which are generally similar or identical in many aspects and which are connected to a common breakapart assembly 30 as described in detail later herein. (Lanyards of this general type are commonly referred to twin-leg lanyards or 100 % tie- off lanyards.) Lanyard 2 (and 2’) comprises a first end 5 that is connected to a breakapart assembly 30 and a second, opposing end 11 that comprises a connector (e.g. a gated hook) 4. In the depicted embodiment, lanyard 2 comprises an elongate length of flexible, fabric webbing 3; such webbing may be woven and / or may be comprised of fibers of e.g. polyester, polyamide, Dyneema, Nomex, Kevlar, and similar materials. In many embodiments such webbing (and the lanyard as a whole) will exhibit a minimum breaking strength of 16 kN. In some embodiments, such webbing may be substantially inelastic (i.e., exhibiting a length that will expand less than 5 % during ordinary use) so that lanyard 2 comprises a fixed length of e.g. 4.5 feet or 6.0 feet. In other embodiments, such webbing may elastic (i.e., exhibiting a length that can expand at least 20 % during ordinary use) such that lanyard 2 exhibits an at-rest length of e.g. 4.5 feet and exhibits a tensioned (stretched) length of e.g. 6.0 feet. In some embodiments, flexible webbing 3 may be “flat” webbing that, when viewed in cross-section, exhibits a generally rectangular cross-section, e.g. with a width-to-thickness aspect ratio of at least 4:1, 6: 1, or 8:1.

[0025] Fall-protection lanyard assembly 1 comprises a breakapart assembly 30 as most easily seen e.g. in Fig. 3 and as shown in exploded view in Fig. 4 (noting that energy absorber 20 has been omitted from Fig. 3 so that other items may be more easily seen). Breakapart assembly 30 comprises an outward connector 40 and an inward connector 50, that are held together by a breakable fastener 31 (e.g., in the general form of a rivet, and made of any suitably breakable material) that holds outward connector 40 and inward connector 50 together (in a geometric arrangement as shown in Fig. 3) until a force is encountered that is sufficient to break fastener 31 thus allowing connectors 40 and 50 to separate as discussed in detail later herein.

[0026] As evident e.g. in Figs. 1-3, first end 5 of lanyard 2 is connected to outward connector 40 of breakapart assembly 30. As evident in the isolated view of outward connector in Fig. 5, outward connector 40 comprises an upper portion 41 and a lower portion 44; in the depicted embodiment, outward connector is in the form of a single, integral body, with upper portion 41 and lower portion 44 meeting at an integral junction 48. When a human user of a safety harness to which lanyard assembly 1 is connected (as discussed in detail later herein) is standing upright, upper portion 41 will exhibit a major plane that is at least generally transversely (and horizontally) oriented, and lower portion 44 will exhibit a major plane that is at least generally vertically oriented, such that upper portion 41 and lower portion 44 are at least generally at right angles to each other, as evident in Figs. 4 and 5.

[0027] In the depicted embodiment, upper portion 41 of outward connector 40 comprises an arcuate upper capture-beam 42 that extends generally outwardly from a location near the integral junction 48 of upper portion 41 with lower portion 44. Upper capture-beam 42 defines an opening 43. Capture-beam 42 and opening 43 are configured to allow first end 5 of lanyard 2 to be directly, non-disconnectably connected to capture-beam 42, so as to directly, non-disconnectably connect first end 5 of lanyard 2 to outward connector 40. (In this and in all other instances herein, terms such as “non-disconnectable” and “non-separable” denote that items are connected, joined, etc., in such a manner that they cannot be separated or disconnected from each other without damaging or destroying either or both items.) In the depicted embodiment of Figs. 1-3, this connection is achieved by providing a terminal loop 6 at first end 5 of lanyard 2, loop 6 being configured to capture capturebeam 42 therein as visible in Figs. 1-3. In the depicted embodiment, loop 6 is formed by passing an end portion 7 of lanyard 2 through opening 43, passing end portion 7 over capture-beam 42, and turning end portion 7 of lanyard 2 onto penultimate portion 8 of lanyard 2, and the non-separably affixing end portion 7 to penultimate portion 8 as most easily seen in Fig. 3. A capture-beam is thus defined herein as a rigid entity that is configured to allow a flexible strap to pass at least partially around the capture-beam along an arcuate path, so as to capture the capture-beam in the resulting bend of the flexible strap, thus connecting the flexible strap to the capture beam. In the present case, the bend is a portion of a loop (loop 6 of lanyard 2); however, a bend in a flexible strap does not necessarily have to take the form of a loop, as will be evident later.

[0028] The non-separable affixing of end portion 7 to penultimate portion 8 can be performed by any suitable method, e.g. by stitching. (An exemplary area that is suitable for such stitching is indicated as affixing area 9 in Fig. 2). Such a loop, formed in this manner, will be characterized as an integral loop of lanyard 2, with the term “integral” meaning that the loop is formed from lanyard 2 itself and is comprised only of components of lanyard 2 (disregarding the presence of any stitches, staples, or the like, that may be used to affix end portion 7 to penultimate portion 8). An arrangement of the general type disclosed above will establish a “direct” connection 10 of lanyard 2 to outward connector 40. By “direct” is meant that the connection is provided by way of components of lanyard 2 itself (e.g., by end and penultimate portions of lanyard 2, suitably formed into a loop 6) without the aid of any couplers, fasteners, brackets, clips, that might connect lanyard 2 to connector 40. Such an arrangement will also be characterized herein as being a “soft” connection, meaning that the connecting of lanyard 2 to outward connector 40 is achieved purely by way of one or more fabric components (e.g., webbing 3) of lanyard 2 and does not involve any couplers, fasteners, brackets, clips, or the like, that are made of e.g. metal, rigid molded plastic, or the like. Thus, in some embodiments, outward connector 40 will be connected to first end 5 of lanyard 2 solely by way of the arcuate capture-beam 42 of connector 40 being captured within the integral, terminal loop 6 at first end 5 of lanyard 2. In many such embodiments, the only item(s) that are connected to the upper portion 41 of outward connector 40, will be the fall-protection lanyard 2 itself (or, the first and second fall-protection lanyards 2 and 2’).

[0029] In some embodiments an end portion 7 of lanyard 2 may have a secondary layer of flexible webbing attached thereto, e.g. a secondary layer disposed on a major surface of webbing 3 that is inside loop 6, to serve as a liner or spacer that provides enhanced abrasion resistance. An arrangement in which such a secondary layer of flexible webbing is present, will still be considered to involve an integral, terminal loop of lanyard 2, and will still be considered to provide a direct, and soft, connection of lanyard 2 to outward connector 40. (In some embodiments, it is possible to achieve a soft, indirect connection of lanyard 2 to outward connector 40 by way of a soft (fabric), endless connector, as discussed later herein.)

[0030] In some embodiments, capture-beam 42 and opening 43 will be configured (e.g. sized, shaped, positioned and oriented) to allow a first end 5 of at least one lanyard 2 to be connected thereto. In some embodiments (e.g. as most clearly visible in Fig. 1), two such lanyards 2 and 2’ may be directly and / or softly connected to outward connector 40 in the general manner described above. In some such embodiments, capture-beam 42 and opening 43 will be configured to allow the portions of lanyards 2 and 2’ that extend through opening 43 and that bend around sections of capture-beam 42, to reside on capture-beam 42 in a transversely side-by-side arrangement as most easily visible in Fig. 1. Capture-beam 42 may thus advantageously be configured to have a relatively large transverse extent to facilitate such arrangements.

[0031] Thus in various embodiments, a capture-beam 42 of an upper portion 41 of an outward connector 40, may exhibit an elongate length (measured around the arcuate extent of the capture-beam, from the locations at which each end of the capture-beam 42 meets the upper end of the lower portion 44 of connector 40) of at least 6, 8, 10 or 11 cm. In further embodiments, a capture-beam 42 may exhibit an elongate length of at most 20, 16, or 12 cm. Similarly, in some embodiments, opening 43 will exhibit an area of at least 7, 9, 11, 13, or 15 cm2. In further embodiments, opening 43 will exhibit an area of at most 30, 24, 20, 16 or 12 cm2. In some embodiments, upper portion 41 of outward connector 40 may exhibit a maximum transverse width (which will often be provided by two opposing portions of capture-beam 42) that is greater than a maximum transverse width of lower portion 44 of outward connector 40. Such an arrangement is evident for the exemplary outward connector 40 shown in Fig. 5. Also as evident in the exemplary arrangement of Fig. 5, in some embodiments outward connector 40 may take the form of a single, integral item that does not comprise any moving parts. (In this regard, fastener 31 that is used to fasten outward connector 40 to inward connector 50, is not counted as a part of outward connector 40.) Also, in some embodiments outward connector 40 may be able to rotate slightly as a whole with respect to inward connector 50. Such a configuration will not be considered to be one in which outward connector 40 comprises moving parts; rather, by comprising no moving parts is meant that connector 40 does not have any parts that move relative to each other. Also as evident for the exemplary connector 40 of Fig. 5, in some embodiments outward connector 40 may exhibit bilateral symmetry (i.e., “right” and “left” portions of connector 40 may be mirror-image reflections of each other). Outward connector 40 may be made of any suitably strong material, e.g. a suitable metal such as steel, aluminum, etc.

[0032] Breakapart assembly 30 also comprises an inward connector 50, with outward connector 40 and inward connector 50 being fastened together (e.g. as shown in Fig. 3) by way of breakable fastener 31 that extends through aligned apertures 47 and 57 of outward connector 40 and inward connector 50. In some embodiments (in particular, in some embodiments in which two lanyards 2 and 2’ are connected to outward connector 40 in the general manner described above), breakapart assembly 30 may consist of inward connector 50, outward connector 40, and breakable fastener 31. In other words, in some such embodiments no entity (whether referred to e.g. as a spacer, disk, ring, base, washer, cushion, etc.) or portion of any such entity will be present between the inward side of outward connector 40 and the outward side of inward connector 50. In some such embodiments, at least some inward-facing surfaces of outward connector 40 will be abutted directly against, and thus in direct contact with, at least some outward-facing surfaces of inward connector 50.

[0033] In the depicted embodiment, inward connector 50 comprises an upper portion 51 that includes a transversely-movable shaft 52 and a lower portion 54 that includes a lower capture-beam 55, with an upper space (in the general form of a slot) 53 being present vertically between shaft 52 and lower capture-beam 55. As apparent e.g. from Fig. 7, lower capture-beam 55 is located approximately toward the vertical center of inward connector 50; the characterization of portion 54 as a “lower” portion is thus by comparison to the “upper” portion 51 of connector 50, which, under this terminology, includes the previously-described transversely-movable shaft 52 and associated items (e.g. push-button releases 59). Lower portion 54 of inward connector 50 further includes a lowermost beam 61 (beam 61 does not serve to become captured by a flexible strap in the manner of a capture-beam and thus is not referred to as a capture-beam). A space (in the form of a slot) 56 is present vertically between lower capture-beam 55 and lowermost beam 61. In the depicted embodiment, the previously-described aperture 57 in which a portion of the shank of breakable fastener 31 resides, is located in lowermost beam 61, as evident from Fig. 4.

[0034] Inward connector 50 is configured so that it can be connected, e.g. disconnectably connected, to a fallprotection safety harness with which it is desired to use fall-protection lanyard 2 (or lanyards 2 and 2’). In some embodiments, inward connector 50 may be directly connected to one or more straps of a safety harness, as shown in exemplary embodiment in Fig. 8. In the exemplary arrangement depicted (in part) in Fig. 8, a fallprotection safety harness 90 comprises first and second dorsal straps 91 and 92 that each extend diagonally along a user’s back and that meet each other, and cross over each other, at a dorsal area 93 of the harness and of the user. In the depicted embodiment, upper portion 51 of inward connector 50 comprises a transversely- movable shaft 52. Push-button releases 59 are provided that can be pushed in order to free shaft 52 to be moved in a transverse direction. Shaft 52 can thus be moved to allow harness straps 91 and 92 to be appropriately positioned, after which shaft 52 is returned to its closed / secured configuration. (Arrangements involving connectors of this general type are disclosed in further detail e.g. in U.S. Patent 10016638, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.)

[0035] A first dorsal harness strap 91 will be positioned so that (after shaft 52 is returned to its closed / secured configuration), as strap 91 extends generally downward through dorsal area 93, strap 91 will pass outward of shaft 52 of inward connector 50. As strap 91 continues generally downward, strap 91 will extend inwardly into upper slot 53 and will then pass inward of lower portion 54 of inward connector 50. (Strap 91 will thus be positioned inwardly of lower capture-beam 55 and inwardly of lowermost beam 61.)

[0036] This outward-then-inward routing of harness strap 91 will form a bend in harness strap 91 that will capture shaft 52 of inward connector 50 in the general manner described earlier herein. (Shaft 52 will thus serve as a capture-beam for strap 91.) The bend in strap 91 is not readily visible in the plan view of Fig. 8; however, such an outward-then-inward routing of a harness strap to form a bend that captures a shaft of a connector, can be viewed e.g. in Fig. 3 of U.S. Patent Application Publication 2022 / 0080233, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

[0037] Second dorsal harness strap 92 can be routed in a similar manner as strap 91, so that straps 91 and 92 meet in crisscross fashion at a strap-crossing region 94. In strap-crossing region 94, at least portions 95 of straps 91 and 92 may inwardly-outwardly overlap as shown in Fig. 8 (in Fig. 8, straps 91 and 92 both pass outward of shaft 52 and inward of lower capture-beam 55 and lowermost beam 61, with strap 92 being positioned outward of strap 91). In some embodiments, a fall -protection safety harness 90 may include a dorsal plate that (among various functions) may assist in the capturing of shaft 52 by the harness’s dorsal strap in the above-described manner; such an arrangement is visible in Fig. 3 of the above-cited US ‘233 Patent Application Publication. The crossing of harness straps 91 and 92, and often, the presence of various items such as strap-guiding slots of a dorsal plate, can provide that inward connector 50 does not slide significantly upward or downward on straps 91 and 92.

[0038] The above arrangements are described with regard to connecting a lanyard or lanyards to a dorsal region of a harness; it will be appreciated that similar arrangements can be provided to connect a lanyard or lanyards to some other region (e.g. a sternum region or a hip region) of a harness. In some such arrangements, an inward connector 50 may be secured to two harness straps in the general manner described above; however, in some embodiments, it is also possible to secure inward connector to a single harness strap. Any such arrangement in which an inward connector is secured to one or more harness straps in the general manner discussed above (i.e., in which a capture-beam of the inward connector is captured in a bend of at least one harness strap) will be considered to be a “direct” connection of the inward connector to the harness.

[0039] Fall-protection lanyard assembly 1 includes an inverted-V energy absorber 20. By energy absorber is meant an item that is configured to dissipate the force of a user fall, so that the user is brought to a halt in a relatively gentle manner rather than being brought to an abrupt halt. By an inverted-V energy absorber is meant an energy absorber that is configured so that, when fall-protection lanyard assembly 1 is connected to a fall-protection safety harness of a user that is standing upright, the energy absorber will exhibit the general shape of an inverted V. Such an energy absorber 20 will thus comprise an upper apex with left and right legs extending diagonally downward therefrom, as evident in Figs. 1 and 2. In many embodiments, such an energy absorber 20 will comprise a cover 21, which is likewise in the general shape of an inverted V, and which will protect the energy absorber from rain, debris, and so on, but will not interfere with the functioning of the energy absorber. Further details of covers for inverted-V energy absorbers are provided e.g. in U.S. Patent 9707421, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

[0040] With an energy absorber 20 of this general geometric configuration, the fall-protection lanyard assembly 1 can (by way of inward connector 50 of breakapart assembly 30) be conveniently connected to a user’s harness 90 in the dorsal area 93. This placement can provide that the energy absorber will be generally transversely centered in the user’s dorsal area with the left and right legs of the energy absorber being nestled close to the user’s back and being in close proximity to the lower portions of dorsal harness straps 91 and 92 as they extend diagonally down the user’s lower back. In some embodiments, the left and right legs of the energy absorber can be loosely connected (e.g. by way of connectors provided as a part of cover 21) to the lower portions of harness straps 91 and 92. With such an arrangement, the energy absorber will be advantageously positioned so that it is unlikely to interfere with the user’s movements, performing of work functions, connecting and disconnecting the lanyard(s) from various anchorages, and so on.

[0041] In many embodiments, energy absorber 20 will be comprised of an elongate length of webbing 22, as seen in Fig. 2, in which cover 21 (present in Fig. 1) has been omitted. Webbing 22 may take the form of a fabric e.g. of the general type and / or composition described earlier herein; however, such a fabric may be particularly chosen, processed, and configured to serve as an energy absorber as discussed later herein. As evident from Fig. 2, energy absorber 20 comprises webbing 22 in the form of a multiply-folded stack of layers of webbing 22, with the folded stack being purposefully arranged into the general inverted-V shape noted above, such that webbing 22 comprises first and second (left and right) folded stacks 27 and 28 that form the left and right legs of the inverted V. In many embodiments, elongate length of webbing 22 of energy absorber 20 will be endless, meaning that a path that is followed along the long axis of webbing 22 will continue along webbing 22 rather than reaching a terminal end. Such an elongate length can be formed by, e.g., taking an elongate length of webbing and joining its terminal ends to form an endless loop; or, by taking two elongate lengths of webbing and joining both terminal ends of one length of webbing to corresponding terminal ends of the other length of webbing to form an endless loop. Such arrangements may be achieved e.g. by overlapping terminal end sections and then affixing them together other e.g. by stitching (such overlapped terminal end sections of webbing 22 are visible in Fig. 7).

[0042] With reference to Figs. 6 and 7, endless length of webbing 22 may be configured (in particular, folded) to have a first section 24 that is formed into a first, upper bend 23; and, a second section 26 that is formed into a second, lower bend 25 (noting that in Fig. 7, the upper portion of energy absorber 20 has been exploded vertically downward, and the inward connector 50 and outward connector 40 have been exploded apart from each other generally along an inward-outward direction, so that the position and character of first and second bends 23 and 25 can be appreciated). Fig. 6 depicts all of these items in their assembled condition (with lanyards 2 and 2’ omitted). As evident from Figs. 6 and 7, the first, upper bend 23 as formed from first section 24 of webbing 22, will bend around lower capture-beam 55 of inward connector 50. Specifically, section 24 (followed in a direction originating from the upper section of the right leg 28 of the energy absorber), will extend upward, inwardly of lowermost beam 61 of inward connector 50, will pass outwardly through lower slot 56, will extend upward, outwardly of capture-beam 55, and will then pass over the top of capture-beam 55 and pass inwardly through upper slot 53 (between capture-beam 55 and the previously-described transversely-movable shaft 52). Section 24 is thus bent (partially wrapped) around capture-beam 55 and from there it extends generally downwardly (while remaining inward of capture-beam 55 and lowermost beam 61) to join the upper section of left leg 27 of the energy absorber. Such an arrangement causes inward connector 50 to have webbing 22 of energy absorber 20 connected thereto, by way of capture-beam 55 of inward connector 50 being captured by first, upper bend 23 of webbing 22. (This is difficult to see in the assembled construction as shown in Fig. 6, hence the reason for the exploded view of Fig. 7.)

[0043] Similarly, a second, lower bend 25 formed from a second section 26 of webbing 22, will bend around a lower capture-beam 45 of outward connector 40 so as to capture the capture-beam 45 therein. (In the depicted embodiment, lower capture-beam 45 is an arcuate capture-beam, but this does not necessarily have to be the case.) In further detail, section 26 (again followed in a direction originating from the upper section of the right leg 28 of the energy absorber) will extend upward, outwardly of lower capture-beam 45 of outward connector 40, and will then pass over the top of capture-beam 45 and pass inwardly through a slot 46 of outward connector 40. From there, section 26 will extend generally downwardly and will eventually join the upper section of left leg 27 of the energy absorber. As section 26 extends generally downwardly from slot 46 of outward connector 40, section 26 will be positioned inward of capture-beam 45 of outward connector 40. However, section 26 will remain outward of lowermost beam 61 of inward connector 50. (Thus again, lowermost beam 61 of inward connector 50 does not serve as a capture beam for webbing 22 of energy absorber 20, nor for harness straps 91 or 92.) In some embodiments, section 26 may reside at least partially within lowermost, downwardly-open-ended space 58 of inward connector 50, as section 26 extends inwardly through slot 46 and then downward. Space 58 of inward connector 50 and slot 46 of outward connector 40 may (in the assembled breakapart construction) be at least partially aligned with each other (as most easily seen in Fig. 3) to facilitate this.

[0044] The above arrangements (e.g., the routing of first section 23 of webbing 22 through inward connector 50 and the routing of second section 25 of webbing 22 through outward connector 40; and, the fastening of inward and outward connectors 40 and 50 together by way of breakable fastener 31 to form breakapart assembly 30, will be done at the factory. That is, these are not user-performed operations. Similarly, the direct attachment of a first end 5 of a lanyard 2 to an outward connector 40, will be a factory operation. (However, exemplary arrangements are disclosed later herein that allow a lanyard 2 to be connected to an outward connector 40, e.g. by an end-user.) The folding of an endless length of webbing 22 into an inverted-V shape comprising a left leg 27 and a right leg 28, may be facilitated by including a 180 degree twist 29 (indicated in Figs. 2 and 7) at a junction of the left and right legs l ' l and 28 (this junction is a separate entity, at a separate location, from the above-described first, upper bend 23 and second, lower bend 25).

[0045] An energy absorber 20 of the general type described above will thus comprise an endless webbing 22 with a first section 24 that is connected to inward connector 50 and with a second section 26 that is connected to outward connector 40. Inward connector 50 and outward connector 40 are fastened together by breakable fastener 31 to form a breakapart assembly 30. As long as breakapart assembly 30 remains intact, energy absorber 20 is not in-line with lanyard 2 (or with lanyard 2’, if present). However, if a sufficient force is encountered (e.g. upon a user fall) to break fastener 31, outward connector 40 and inward connector 50 will come apart from each other. With outward connector 40 and inward connector 50 having separated from each other, the above-described connections of energy absorber 20 to outward connector 40 and to inward connector 50, will provide the sole pathway by which the lanyard 2 is connected to the fall-protection harness 90, as evident from Fig. 7. Any force that results e.g. from a user fall will thus pass through a force-transmission pathway that necessarily includes webbing 22.

[0046] Webbing 22 can be configured to mitigate this falling force so as to bring the falling user to a relatively gentle halt. Thus in some embodiments, the stacked layers of webbing 22 (as visible e.g. in Figs. 2) in the right and left legs of energy absorber 20 may be attached to each other (e.g. by stitching that is configured to rupture upon being exposed to a sufficient force) so that the layers will come apart (e.g. one or both stacks will “unzip”) if subjected to sufficient force. In some embodiments, webbing 22 may comprise two webbing sublayers that are attached to each other (whether e.g. by stitching, by being at least partially interwoven, and so on) so that the webbing sublayers will come apart if subjected to sufficient force. In some embodiments, a combination of any such approaches may be used. Various energy absorber arrangements that may be suitable are disclosed e.g. in U.S. Patents 9174073 and 10016638 and in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2013 / 0105246 and 2013 / 0292219, all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein. Arranging an energy absorber in the above-described manner can position the energy absorber so that it is not, e.g.,. located within the length of a fall-protection lanyard or otherwise incorporated into the fallprotection lanyard itself. Rather, the energy absorber will remain nestled against the user’s back, out of the way and in a quiescent state, until it is activated by way of the breaking apart of breakapart assembly 30. Such arrangements can, e.g., subject the energy absorber to less wear and tear (since the energy absorber is not constantly moving around with the lanyard), can enhance the ability of the fall-protection lanyard to avoid getting snagged, and so on.

[0047] In many embodiments, the first and second sections 24 and 26 of webbing 22 of energy absorber 20 can be respectively connected to inward and outward connectors 50 and 40 by direct, and soft, connections (as defined earlier herein), in substantially similar manner as lanyard 2 (and lanyard 2’, if present) is directly and softly connected to outward connector 40. In some embodiments, inward connector 50 may similarly be directly and softly connected to a fall-protection safety harness 90, by way of transversely-movable shaft 52 of inward connector 50 being directly and softly connected to one or more harness straps in the manner described earlier herein.

[0048] Numerous variations can be envisioned within the overall arrangements disclosed above. For example, it may be desirable for upper capture-beam 42 and / or lower capture-beam 45 of outward connector 40 to be generally arcuate; however, they do not necessarily have to be smoothly curved in the manner shown e.g. in Fig. 5. Rather, in some embodiments any such capture beam may be segmented, polygonal, and so on. In another possible variation, inward connector 50 may be connected to a fall-protection harness through some type of coupling, connector, quick-connect, or the like, that is made of rigid material(s). This might be in addition to, or in place of, being connected by way of being captured by a bend in a harness strap in the manner described earlier herein.

[0049] In another possible variation, a lanyard 2 may be equipped with a soft, endless connector 100 e.g. in the form of a loop 105, as shown in exemplary embodiment in Fig. 9. Such a soft, endless connector 100 can be formed from a relatively short length of flexible webbing or cordage 104 that is e.g. passed through a terminal loop 6 provided at a first end 5 of lanyard 2. (Such a terminal loop 6 can be provided in a similar manner as previously described, e.g. by turning an and portion of the webbing of lanyard 2 back on a penultimate portion of the webbing of lanyard 2 and then affixing the end portion to the penultimate portion, e.g. via stitching in a stitching area 9 as indicated in Fig. 9.) The short length of webbing 104 can be passed through terminal loop 6 of lanyard 2 and portions of webbing 104 can be overlapped and affixed to each other (e.g. by stitching) in an affixing area 102, to form a soft, endless connector 100 that is in the form of a loop 105. Loop 105 will define an opening 101 therein, and will be non-disconnectably connected to the first end 5 of lanyard 2, as illustrated in exemplary manner in Fig. 9.

[0050] With reference to Fig. 10 (in which inward connector 50 of breakapart assembly 30 is omitted so that other items may be seen more easily), such an arrangement can be used to disconnectably connect the first end 5 of lanyard 2 to an outward connector 40 of a breakapart assembly 30. This can be done by passing a leading portion 103 of the loop 105 of connector 100, through opening 43 of outward connector 40. This leading portion 103 can be passed through opening 43 until a sufficient amount of loop 105 protrudes out of opening 43, that a trailing portion of connector 100, and, the entirety of lanyard 2 attached thereto, can be passed through the protruding portion of loop 105. This procedure will form a direct connection 110 of endless connector 100 to outward connector 40, by way of capture-beam 42 of outward connector 40 being captured within a hitch formed in connector 100, as shown in Fig. 10. (Hitches of this general type are referred to by many colloquial names, including cow hitch, girth hitch, lark’s head, baggage tag loop, and deadeye hitch.) Connection arrangements that make use of a soft, endless connector in the general manner described above (and which are sometimes referred to as using a “choker” configuration), are presented in detail in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021 / 0346739, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

[0051] The above arrangements, as depicted in Fig. 10, will not serve to directly connect first end 5 of lanyard 2 to outward connector 40 in the manner previously described (and depicted in Figs. 1-3). Rather, the connection of lanyard 2 to connector 40 is indirect, by way of connector 100. However, these arrangements do provide a “soft” connection in the general manner previously described. That is, when a soft, endless connector 100 is used, the first end 5 of lanyard 2 can be connected to outward connector 40 purely by way of the flexible webbing / fabric components of connector 100, rather than using e.g. any kind of rigid coupler, fastener, etc.

[0052] In some embodiments, a lanyard 2 that is equipped (typically, factory-equipped) with a soft, endless connector 100 of the general type described above, can be retrofitted onto an outward connector 40 of a breakapart assembly 30, e.g. by an end-user or designated person. In contrast, in many embodiments, a direct connection of a lanyard 2 to an outward connector 40 (e.g. as depicted in Figs. 1-3) will likely be a factory- performed operation. Thus in various embodiments, any of the items and assemblies disclosed herein may be provided in any arrangement. For example, in some embodiments a lanyard assembly of the general type shown in Fig. 1, comprising at least one lanyard that is non-disconnectably connected to an outward connector of a breakapart assembly, might be sold or otherwise provided to an end-user. The inward connector of the breakapart assembly can then be connected to a harness for use. In some embodiments, a lanyard might be provided that has a soft, endless connector to allow the lanyard to be disconnectably connected to an outward connector of a separately-provided breakapart assembly. In some embodiments, a breakapart assembly might be provided as a stand-alone item; or, it might be pre-installed in a fall-protection harness that is provided to an end-user.

[0053] Another permissible variation is illustrated in exemplary embodiment in Fig. 11. In such embodiments, lanyard 2 may be comprised of a metal wire-rope 113 rather than a fabric webbing. Such a wirerope will still qualify as flexible, meaning that it can easily (manually, without any tools) be formed into a circle with a radius of less than 1 foot, and it will still qualify as a “strap”. A wire-rope-based lanyard 2 can be used in generally similar manner as described previously for a fabric / webbing lanyard, e.g. it may have a connector (e.g. a gated hook, not shown in Fig. 11)) at its second end 111. One difference is that such a wirerope may have a generally circular shape when viewed in cross-section (along the long axis of the wire rope), the wire-rope being comprised e.g. of several metal (e.g. steel) plies or strands that are twisted together into a helical configuration. The cross-sectional shape of the resulting wire-rope may thus deviate slightly from a pure circular shape, owing to the discrete individual strands, but will nevertheless qualify as being generally circular, in comparison to e.g. a fabric webbing with a generally rectangular cross-sectional shape.)

[0054] With reference to Fig. 11, a first end 115 of a wire-rope lanyard can be non-disconnectably connected to an outward connector 40 in a way that is somewhat similar to that described (and illustrated in Figs. 1-3) for fabric / webbing lanyards. For example, an end section 117 of wire-rope 113 can be passed through an opening 43 of connector 40, and can then be turned back on a penultimate section 118 of wire-rope 113 and affixed thereto in an affixing location 119. This will form a permanent loop 116 at first end 115 of the wirerope lanyard, that captures the capture-beam 42 of outward connector 40. In some embodiments, this may be done by using at least one ferrule (e.g., a swage or sleeve) that affixes the end section 117 to the penultimate section 118. (In the exemplary arrangement of Fig. 10, two such ferrules, 121 and 122, are used.) In the depicted embodiment, end section 117 is abutted against penultimate section 118 and affixed thereto in that condition. However, in some embodiments, the strands of end section 117 can be unwound and then plaited into the strands of penultimate section 118, to form a loop of the general type known as an eye splice. (Such an eye splice will typically still have at least one ferrule to hold the plaited construction in place.) In some embodiments, the loop 116 of a wire-rope lanyard may be equipped with a so-called thimble 123 as illustrated in Fig. 11. Such an entity can provide enhanced abrasion resistance, can maintain the shape of the loop, and so on. Any such arrangement will provide a direct connection of the wire-rope lanyard to the outward connector 40; however, such an arrangement will not be considered to provide a “soft” connection, “soft” connections being limited to those provided solely by the use of fabric / webbing that are made of organic polymeric materials.

[0055] Another permissible variation is depicted in Fig. 12, which depicts an outward connector 140 that is generally similar to the outward connector 40 shown in Fig. 5, excepting that in outward connector 140, upper portion 141 and lower portion 144 are pivotably connected to each other rather than being integral portions of a single, fixed body that has no moving parts. (In Fig. 12 connector 140 is viewed generally from an inward side, rather than from an outward side as with connector 40 as viewed in Fig. 5.) In the depicted embodiment of Fig. 12, the pivotable connection 148 between upper portion 141 and lower portion 144 comprises a hinged connection in which hinge-barrel 151 of lower portion 144 is rotatably mounted on shaft 149 of upper portion 141. Such an arrangement comprises an axis of rotation that is at least generally aligned with the transverse axis (“T”, in Fig. 12) of outward connector 140. The direction along which lower portion 144 can pivotably move relative to upper portion 141 is generally indicated by arrow 152. In other aspects, outward connector 140 is generally similar to the previously-described outward connector 40. For example, upper portion 141 of outward connector 140 comprises an upper capture-beam 142 that defines an opening 143, and lower portion 144 of outward connector 140 comprises a lower capture-beam 145 that defines an opening (an arcuate slot) 146; lower portion 144 further comprises an aperture 147 that accepts breakable fastener 31. It will be appreciated that any suitable arrangement for providing a pivotable connection between upper and lower portions of an outward fastener may be used.

[0056] The arrangements disclosed herein can be used with any type or category of fall-protection lanyard. As noted, such a lanyard may be fixed-length or may be elastic / expandable. Such a lanyard might be e.g. a positioning lanyard, a single-leg lanyard, a twin-leg lanyard, an arc-flash lanyard, a foot-level tie-off lanyard, a resist lanyard, a leading-edge lanyard, a wind-energy lanyard, and so on (noting that there are overlaps between many of these categories). Any such lanyard may be equipped with one or more impact indicators, and may be equipped with any desired connector for connecting the lanyard to an anchorage (in this instance, the term “connector” generally embraces gated hooks, carabiners, and like items). Such a connector might be e.g. a steel hook, an aluminum hook, a snap hook, a rebar hook, a tower hook, and so on, noting again that there are overlaps between many of these categories. Numerous fall-protection lanyards and suitable connectors are described in the 3M DBI-SALA Fall Protection Full Line Catalogue (2022).

[0057] The arrangements disclosed herein can be used with any type or category of fall-protection safety harness. Fall-protection safety harnesses are available in a wide variety of categories and styles (e.g. crossoverstyle, vest-style, construction-style, and so on), as presented e.g. in the 3M DBI-SALA Fall Protection Full Line Catalogue (2022). Such harnesses may be fitted with various pads (e.g. shoulder pads, chest pad, and waist / hip pads, etc.) to enhance the comfort of the harness, as well as various buckles, latches, connectors, auto-locking quick-connectors, lanyard keepers, loops, webbing guides, tool holders, weight-distribution members, additional D-rings (e.g. in addition to a dorsal D-ring), and so on. Such components and exemplary arrangements of such components are not discussed in detail herein; some such components and arrangements are described in, for example, U.S. Patents 8959664, 9174073, and 10137322, and in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2022 / 0080233 and 2023 / 0320463, all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein. Numerous fall-protection harnesses, comprising various arrangements, features and components, are described in the 3M DBI-SALA Fall Protection Full Line Catalogue (2022).

[0058] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the specific exemplary elements, structures, features, details, configurations, etc., that are disclosed herein can be modified and / or combined in numerous embodiments. All such variations and combinations are contemplated by the inventor as being within the bounds of the conceived invention, not merely those representative designs that were chosen to serve as exemplary illustrations. Thus, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the specific illustrative structures described herein, but rather extends at least to the structures described by the language of the claims, and the equivalents of those structures. Any of the elements that are positively recited in this specification as alternatives may be explicitly included in the claims or excluded from the claims, in any combination as desired. Any of the elements or combinations of elements that are recited in this specification in open-ended language (e.g., comprise and derivatives thereof), are considered to additionally be recited in closed-ended language (e.g., consist and derivatives thereof) and in partially closed-ended language (e.g., consist essentially, and derivatives thereof). Although various theories and possible mechanisms may have been discussed herein, in no event should such discussions serve to limit the claimable subject matter. To the extent that there is any conflict or discrepancy between this specification as written and the disclosure in any document that is incorporated by reference herein but to which no priority is claimed, this specification as written will control.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A fall-protection lanyard assembly comprising: a fall-protection lanyard comprising an elongate flexible strap with a first end and with a second, opposing end; an inverted-V energy absorber comprising a multiply-folded, endless, elongate length of webbing; and, a breakapart assembly comprising an inward connector and an outward connector, the inward connector and the outward connector being fastened to each other to form the breakapart assembly by a breakable fastener configured to break when subjected to a predetermined force; wherein a lower portion of the inward connector of the breakapart assembly is directly connected to the length of webbing of the inverted-V energy absorber and an upper portion of the inward connector of the breakapart assembly is configured to be directly connected to at least one harness strap of a fall-protection safety harness; and, wherein the first end of the elongate flexible strap of the fall-protection lanyard is directly, non-disconnectably connected to an upper portion of the outward connector of the breakapart assembly by a way of an arcuate capture-beam of the upper portion of the outward connector being captured within an integral, terminal loop at the first end of the elongate flexible strap; wherein the arcuate capture-beam comprises an elongate length of at least 6 cm and defines a through-aperture within the upper portion of the outward connector with an area of at least 8 cm2, so that the arcuate capture-beam and the through-aperture are configured to allow a section of the elongate flexible strap that defines the integral, terminal loop at the first end of the elongate flexible strap, to pass through the through-aperture so that the arcuate capture-beam is captured within the integral, terminal loop at the first end of the elongate flexible strap.

2. The fall-protection lanyard assembly of claim 1 wherein the integral, terminal loop at the first end of the elongate flexible strap of the fall-protection lanyard comprises an end section of the elongate flexible strap that is passed through the through-aperture of the upper portion of the outward connector and turned back on a penultimate section of the elongate flexible strap to form the integral, terminal loop with the arcuate capturebeam captured therein, with the end section of the elongate flexible strap being affixed to the penultimate section of the elongate flexible strap.

3. The fall -protection lanyard assembly of claim 1 with the proviso that the upper portion of the outward connector is connected to the first end of the elongate flexible strap of the fall-protection lanyard solely by way of the arcuate capture-beam of the upper portion of the outward connector being captured within the integral, terminal loop at the first end of the elongate flexible strap.

4. The fall-protection lanyard assembly of claim 3 with the further proviso that the only item or items that is / are connected to the upper portion of the outward connector is / are one or more flexible fabric components of the fall-protection lanyard.

5. The fall-protection lanyard assembly of claim 1 wherein the outward connector comprises a lower portion to which the upper portion of the outward connector is integrally connected, the lower portion of the outward connector exhibiting a major plane that is at least generally vertically oriented and the upper portion of the outward connector exhibiting a major plane that is at least generally transversely oriented, and with the outward connector exhibiting bilateral symmetry.

6. The fall-protection lanyard assembly of claim 1 wherein the upper portion of the outward connector exhibits a maximum transverse width that is greater than a maximum transverse width of the lower portion of the outward connector.

7. The fall-protection lanyard assembly of claim 1 with the proviso that the outward connector is a single, integral item that does not include any moving parts.

8. The fall-protection lanyard assembly of claim 1 wherein at least some areas of an inward face of the outward connector are in direct contact with at least some areas of an outward face of the inward connector.

9. The fall-protection lanyard assembly of claim 1 wherein the fall-protection lanyard is a first fallprotection lanyard and wherein the fall -protection lanyard assembly comprises a second fall -protection lanyard comprising a second elongate flexible strap with a first end and with a second, opposing end; and, wherein a first end of the second elongate flexible strap of the second fall-protection lanyard is directly connected to the upper portion of the outward connector of the breakapart assembly by a way of the arcuate capture-beam of the upper portion of the outward connector being captured within a second integral, terminal loop at the first end of the second elongate flexible strap of the second fall-protection lanyard.

10. The fall -protection lanyard assembly of claim 9 wherein the first integral, terminal loop at the first end of the first elongate flexible strap of the first fall-protection lanyard, and the second integral, terminal loopat the first end of the second elongate flexible strap of the second fall-protection lanyard, are positioned generally transversely side-by-side on the arcuate capture-beam of the upper portion of the outward connector.

11. The fall -protection lanyard assembly of claim 9 with the proviso that the only items that are connected to the upper portion of the outward connector are one or more flexible fabric components of the first fallprotection lanyard and the second fall-protection lanyard.

12. The fall-protection lanyard assembly of claim 9 wherein the breakapart assembly consists of the inward connector and the outward connector and the breakable fastener.

13. The fall-protection lanyard assembly of claim 12 wherein at least some inward-facing surfaces of the outward connector are abutted directly against, and are in direct contact with, at least some outward-facing surfaces of the inward connector.

14. The fall-protection lanyard assembly of claim 1 wherein the outward connector comprises a lower portion that is pivotably connected to the upper portion of the outward connector, by way of a pivotable connection that comprises an axis of rotation that is at least generally aligned with a transverse axis of the outward connector.

15. A fall-protection apparatus comprising the fall-protection lanyard assembly of claim 1, and further comprising a fall-protection safety harness to which the inward connector of the breakapart assembly is directly connected by way of a transversely-movable shaft of the upper portion of the inward connector being captured by a bend in at least one harness strap of the fall-protection safety harness.

16. The fall-protection apparatus of claim 15 wherein the inward connector of the breakapart assembly is directly connected to the fall-protection safety harness by way of the transversely-movable shaft of the upper portion of the inward connector being captured by a first bend in a first dorsal strap of the fall-protection safety harness and being captured by a second bend in a second dorsal strap of the fall-protection safety harness, the first bend in the first dorsal strap and the second bend in the second dorsal strap being in inward-outward overlapping relation at least at the location where the transversely-movable shaft of the upper portion of the inward connector is captured by the first and second bends of the first and second dorsal straps.

17. The fall-protection lanyard assembly of claim 1 wherein the elongate flexible strap is an elongate flexible fabric strap made of flat webbing with a width-to-thickness aspect ratio of at least 4:1, and wherein the affixing of the end section of the elongate flexible fabric strap to the penultimate section of the elongateflexible fabric strap is performed by stitching the end section of the elongate flexible fabric strap to the penultimate section of the elongate flexible fabric strap.

18. The fall-protection lanyard assembly of claim 1 wherein the elongate flexible strap is made of flexible wire-rope with a generally circular cross-section and wherein the end section of the elongate flexible wirerope is affixed to the penultimate section of the elongate flexible wire-rope by way of at least one swaged ferrule.

19. The fall-protection lanyard assembly of claim 1 wherein the multiply-folded, endless, elongate length of webbing of the inverted-V energy absorber is directly connected to a lower portion of the inward connector of the breakapart assembly by way of a lower capture-beam of the lower portion of the inward connector being captured by a first bend in a first section of the multiply -folded, endless, elongate length of webbing; and, wherein the multiply-folded, endless, elongate length of webbing is directly connected to a lower portion of the outward connector of the breakapart assembly by way of a lower capture beam of the lower portion of the outward connector being captured by a second bend in a second section of the multiply-folded, endless, elongate length of webbing.

20. A fall-protection lanyard assembly comprising: a fall-protection lanyard comprising an elongate flexible strap with a first end and with a second, opposing end; an inverted-V energy absorber comprising a multiply-folded, endless, elongate length of webbing; and, a breakapart assembly comprising an inward connector and an outward connector, the inward connector and the outward connector being fastened to each other to form the breakapart assembly by a breakable fastener configured to break when subjected to a predetermined force; wherein a lower portion of the inward connector of the breakapart assembly is directly connected to the length of webbing of the inverted-V energy absorber and an upper portion of the inward connector of the breakapart assembly is configured to be directly connected to at least one harness strap of a fall-protection safety harness; and, wherein the first end of the elongate fabric strap of the fall-protection lanyard is directly connected to a soft, endless connector by way of the soft, endless connector being captured within an integral, terminal loop at the first end of the elongate fabric strap; andwherein the soft, endless connector is directly connected to an upper portion of the outward connector of the breakapart assembly by a way of an arcuate capture-beam of the upper portion of the outward connector being captured within a choker loop formed in the soft, endless connector; wherein the arcuate capture-beam comprises an elongate length of at least 6 cm and defines a through-aperture within the upper portion of the outward connector with an area of at least 8 cm2, so that the arcuate capture-beam and the through-aperture are configured to allow sections of the soft-endless connector that provide the choker loop to pass through the through-aperture so that the arcuate capture-beam is captured within the choker loop.

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