Z259.1-05 (R2024)
Body belts and saddles for work positioning and travel restraint
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Product Details
Body belts and saddles are used as part of work positioning and travel restraint system and, when used with an appropriate fall arrest system, help to protect worker injuries from falls.
This is the fourth edition of CSA Z259.1 and specifies requirements for the performance, design, testing, marking, and instructions of body belts and saddles. The standard covers equipment such as lineman’s body belts, miners’ belts and arborists’ saddles.
Preface
This is the fourth edition of CSA Z259.1, Body belts and saddles for work positioning and travel restraint. It supersedes the previous edition, published in 1995 under the title Safety Belts and Lanyards. This Standard, along with the second edition of CSA Z259.11, Energy absorbers and lanyards, also supersedes CSA Z259.3-M1978, Lineman’s Body Belt and Lineman’s Safety Strap. CSA Z259.1 now covers body belts and saddles; CSA Z259.11 now covers lanyards, straps, and energy absorbers.
The purpose of this Standard is to specify requirements for the performance, design, testing, and marking of body belts and saddles for work positioning and travel restraint. The major differences from the previous edition are as follows:
(a) The term “body belt” is used instead of “safety belt” to avoid creating expectations that these belts could be used to arrest falls.
(b) Body belts are classified as Type 1 (lineman’s belt, previously covered in CSA Z259.3) or Type 2 (belts covered in the previous edition of CSA Z259.1).
(c) Arborists’ saddles, not before covered in the CSA Z259 Standards, have been included.
(d) CAN/CSA-Z259.12, Connecting Components for Personal Fall Arrest Systems (PFAS), is referenced to provide requirements for hardware components such as buckles, D-rings, and snap hooks, resulting in some changes to test requirements.
(e) The toluene immersion test of CSA Z259.3 is considered irrelevant to present-day manufacturing methods and has been deleted.
(f) The requirements in CSA Z259.3 for packaging and for inclusion of instructions for storage and drying are considered irrelevant and have been deleted.
This Standard was prepared by the Technical Committee on Fall Protection, under the jurisdiction of the Strategic Steering Committee on Occupational Health and Safety, and has been formally approved by the Technical Committee. It will be submitted to the Standards Council of Canada for approval as a National Standard of Canada.
Scope
1.1
This Standard specifies requirements for the performance, design, testing, marking, and instructions of body belts and saddles. Body belts and saddles are used as part of work positioning and travel restraint systems.
1.2
This Standard covers equipment such as
(a) lineman’s body belts;
(b) body belts;
(c) miners’ belts; and
(d) arborists’ saddles.
1.3
This Standard does not cover the following:
(a) boatswains’ chairs;
(b) recreational equipment;
(c) firefighting equipment; and
(d) other mechanical-type devices.
1.4
Body belts and saddles are not intended for use as body support in the arrest of a worker’s fall, due to the possibility of injury or death resulting from
(a) impact on the body when the fall is arrested;
(b) fallout from a body belt; or
(c) effects of extended static suspension in a body belt.
When using a work positioning system, fall protection is provided by a fall arrest system that includes a full body harness that meets the requirements of CAN/CSA-Z259.10.
1.5
This Standard does not stipulate specific designs for body belts and saddles. However, this Standard does stipulate the design limitations whose consideration is necessary for safe and durable service of body belts and saddles.
1.6
In CSA Standards, “shall” is used to express a requirement, i.e., a provision that the user is obliged to satisfy in order to comply with the standard; “should” is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised but not required; “may” is used to express an option or that which is permissible within the limits of the standard; and “can” is used to express possibility or capability. Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material. Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and may be written as requirements. Annexes are designated normative (mandatory) or informative (non-mandatory) to define their application.
1.7
The values given in SI (metric) units are the standard. The values given in parentheses are approximate and are for information only.
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