This resource does not replace the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and its regulations and should not be used as or considered legal advice. Health and safety inspectors apply these laws based on the facts they find in the workplace.

Overview

This information only applies to lifelines used in fall protection equipment as cited in sections 26.1 to 26.9 of the Regulation for Construction Projects (O. Reg. 213/91). It does not apply to any other knot or rope references in the regulation (for example, suspended access equipment) or rope access equipment.

You are not allowed to use knots along the length of a horizontal or vertical lifeline, unless allowed by the manufacturer of the lifeline, and only to connect the line to a fixed support.

You must use lifelines according to the manufacturers’ instructions.

Legal requirements

Subsections 26.9 (4) and (5) of the construction regulation state the following:

  • The connecting ends of a lanyard shall be wrapped around a protective thimble and adequately fastened with a swaged fitting or eye splice supplied by the manufacturer of the lanyard.
  • A horizontal or vertical lifeline shall be kept free from knots, except knots used to connect it to a fixed support.

Vertical lifelines must meet the CSA Z259.2.5-12 standard for Fall Arresters and Vertical Lifelines which specifies design, testing and marking requirements for:

  • manufactured fall arresters for single users
  • manufactured vertical lifelines that are used on a vertical or slope plane

The standards referenced in subsection 26.1(3) of the Regulation for Construction Projects (O. Reg. 213/91) represents the minimum legal requirement to be met. All components of a fall arrest system must comply with any standard referenced in subsection (3) that is applicable.

The standard requires lifelines to have at one end, a termination, and an integrated Class I connector — or a Class II connector installed with a Class I connector — that is used to attach the lifeline to the fixed support.

The standard also requires lifelines to have at the other end, a manufactured termination that prevents the fall arrester from passing through that termination.

O. Reg. 213/91 requires that, fall protection equipment shall be inspected by a competent worker before each use and if a component is found to be defective on inspection it must immediately be taken out-of-service.

This applies for a:

Rationale

The use of a knot, other than for connecting to a fixed support when approved by the manufacturer, is a violation of the regulation. Placing a knot on any part of the rope in any fall protection system, for the purposes of preventing a fall arrester from being dislodged and inadvertently moving beyond a certain point, does not meet the minimum legal requirements in the Regulation for Construction Projects (O. Reg. 213/91). Use of a knot in this way is a contravention of subsection 26.9(5). This practice may also expose the fall arrester to certain forces that it might not be able to withstand. Instead, the use of a manual fall arrester, or an automatic fall arrester with a parking feature, could be an acceptable alternative for this issue, provided that it is acceptable by the manufacturer.

Placing a knot on a lifeline can potentially reduce the strength of the lifeline by more than 50%.

When a knot is used to allow long lifelines to shorten the span, the non-load bearing section of a lifeline in one use could become the load bearing section of the lifeline in another use. This practice could alter the integrity of the lifeline by diminishing its breaking strength, especially when the lifeline is used again with the previous knot placement located on the load bearing side.

Considerations

Lifelines manufactured in compliance with CSA Z259.2.5-12 must be free of knots except those made by the manufacturer at the terminations (O. Reg. 213/91, subsection 26.1(3)). Most manufacturers’ instructions for lifelines prohibit the use of knots — except for knots made by the manufacturers at one termination of the lifeline. The manufactured termination must prevent the fall arrester from passing through that termination (for example a factory sealed back splice). It is unknown how the fall arrester will behave in circumstances under which it was not tested in accordance with the CSA standard and not used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

Lifelines must be used in accordance with any operating manuals issued by the manufacturers and equipment shall be maintained in a condition that does not endanger a worker. (O. Reg. 213/91, subsection 93(1)(3))

If conditions require a shorter lifeline to be used, for example when transitioning from fall restricting or fall arrest to travel restraint, it could be acceptable to use a fall arrester, provided it is compatible with the system being used and it is clearly acceptable by the manufacturer to be used in travel restraint applications.