Safety Interface Plate for Fall Protection Harnesses
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fall-protection systems often experience interference and entanglement issues among safety devices, which can lead to binding and increased risk of injury during falls, and require costly replacement of webbing for enhanced safety features.
Innovation Solution
A safety interface plate element with non-intersecting apertures that securely attaches to webbing, allowing multiple safety devices to be connected independently, reducing entanglement risks and providing improved accessibility for rescue hooks, and can be retrofitted to existing safety harnesses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple safety devices are connected to a single webbing system, then the fall-protection function is provided, but interference and entanglement issues occur among the safety devices
Solution Approach 1:
The webbing system is segmented into multiple separate attachment points (first webbing aperture, second webbing aperture, third webbing aperture) distributed across the D-ring structure. Each aperture independently connects to different safety devices (lanyard, rescue hook, fall-arrest device), preventing interference and entanglement while maintaining fall-protection functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a rescue hook is connected to the same webbing system as lanyards, then rescue capability is provided, but binding and entanglement risk increases during fall conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The rescue hook is connected through a dedicated third webbing aperture that is spatially separated from the apertures used by lanyards. This segmentation ensures that during fall conditions, the rescue hook cannot become bound or entangled with lanyards, eliminating the binding risk while preserving rescue capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The D-ring structure provides three-dimensional spatial separation among multiple webbing apertures. By distributing attachment points across different locations and orientations on the D-ring, the system creates dimensional separation that prevents entanglement between devices connected to different apertures.
3Reliability
If webbing is replaced to provide enhanced safety features with multiple connection points, then safety is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The D-ring structure serves multiple functions: it provides attachment points for lanyards, rescue hooks, and fall-arrest devices through its multiple webbing apertures. This multi-functionality allows existing D-rings to be used with enhanced safety configurations without requiring replacement, thereby improving safety while avoiding additional cost.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of replacing the entire webbing system, the invention uses the existing D-ring structure and adds multiple webbing apertures to it. This approach copies or replicates the attachment functionality across multiple points on the same structural element, providing enhanced safety features without the cost of complete webbing replacement.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and associated methods relate to a safety interface plate element that securely attaches to a length of webbing, and further provides a plurality of non-intersecting apertures to couple to a corresponding plurality of safety devices. In an illustrative example, the safety interface plate element may include a slotted opening through which the webbing is threaded. In some examples, the webbing may be removably installed in the slotted opening via a gating mechanism. In some embodiments, the safety interface plate element configured with an embodiment of the gating mechanism may be retrofit to a closed webbing on a pre-fabricated safety harness, for example. In various examples, multiple safety devices may be securely coupled to a safety harness via embodiments of the safety interface plate element.