A fall-arrest device (1,26) for use during
rope-climbing activities, the device comprising or including a housing (5) for rotatably receiving therewithin a
brake wheel (11,30) supported on an axle (20), the housing including anchor means (3,4) permitting connection of the device to a user thereof, the
brake wheel having
peripheral teeth (17,29) adapted to, in use, engage with a mid-portion of an anchored safety
rope (2), the housing being openable by a gate (5a) through which to receive part of the anchored safety
rope and thereafter being closable to trap the safety rope between the teeth of the
brake wheel and a rope bearing thrust surface (18,28) on or in the housing, the brake wheel having associated automatic locking means (23,24), preventing rotation of the brake wheel about the axle above a nominal rate of rotation, the brake wheel locking means being spring-biased (14) to a stored position when the brake wheel is stationary or rotates below the nominal rate during use, the brake wheel locking means (24) being movable from the stored position to an operable position in which it engages with one or more locking formations (23) preventing further rotation of the brake wheel about the axle, the brake wheel axle being drivingly secured at at least one end thereof to a respective
pinion (13a, 13b) having teeth extending radially therefrom, the teeth of the or each
pinion being engageable with a respective toothed rack (12a, 12b,27) fixed to the inside of the housing whereby to permit the brake wheel to assume a path of movement further towards the
thrust bearing surface such that when rotation of the brake wheel exceeds the nominal rate and has been arrested, such that when the rate of rotation of the brake wheel relative to the anchored rope exceeds the nominal rate, the axle and brake wheel are progressively driven further towards the
thrust bearing surface to thereby cause the teeth of the brake wheel to progressively bite into the rope and arrest downward movement of the device along the rope.