Previous Reference Standards for Lifelines:

       In the construction industry, there are no clear requirements for the installation of temporary horizontal lifelines, leading to various problems during on-site installation and usage.

In Standard JGJ80-2016 "Technical Code for Safety of Working at Height in Building Construction," Section 5.2.2 (5) states: "For steel structure installation, it is advisable to erect horizontal passageways on the construction level, with guardrails on both sides. When using steel beams as horizontal passageways, a continuous safety rope should be installed on one side of the steel beam; steel wire ropes are recommended for safety ropes."

In Q/SY 1236-2009 "Specification for Safety Management of Working at Height," it is mentioned that suspension ropes can be used as fall control measures. A suspension rope is defined as "a vertical or horizontal rope, fixed to an anchor point or between two anchor points, on which a safety rope or safety belt can be hung." Section 5.4.5 regarding fall control states: "Suspension ropes should be installed and used under the guidance of professionals. Horizontal suspension ropes can serve as mobile anchor points, providing fall protection while allowing horizontal movement." As can be seen, the description of horizontal lifelines in these two standards is not comprehensive; specific practices such as the selection of horizontal lifelines, span settings, and end-point anchoring are not clearly defined, making it difficult to effectively control the installation of temporary horizontal lifelines on-site.

Problems with the Old National Standards:

1. Material Selection       Fiber ropes or steel wire ropes are used as temporary horizontal lifelines at construction sites. When using steel wire ropes, the selected diameters vary, with diameters ranging from ?6mm to ?14mm often chosen based on experience.       

2. End Support Form       End support forms vary; some directly utilize steel structures as supports for temporary horizontal lifelines, while others use specially fabricated columns as end supports.       

3. End Anchoring Form       End anchoring forms are diverse, mainly including: knotting steel wire ropes, binding with iron wire, connecting with turnbuckles, and fixing with wire rope clips. When using wire rope clips, the number of clips used for the same diameter varies, as does the fixing direction. When using turnbuckles, the end forms also vary; O-O type, O-C type, and C-C type are all found in use on-site.

4. Installation Height       The installation height of temporary horizontal lifelines varies from 0.8m to 1.8m. Due to insufficient anchoring height and lack of tensioning during installation, some temporary horizontal lifelines sag below 0.8 meters at the mid-span.   

5. Span and Natural Sag       There are no clear requirements for the span and natural sag of temporary horizontal lifelines. Due to excessive spans (some exceeding 30m) and unstable end fixation, the natural sag of temporary horizontal lifelines is often too great.       

6. Installation Route/Direction       When temporary horizontal lifelines are installed on the original simple steel structures, they can be used continuously within the span. However, due to the construction process and steel structure installation, newly added steel frameworks block the originally continuous temporary horizontal lifelines. This forces high-altitude workers to constantly unhook and re-hook their lanyards when using the lifelines within the span, adding inconvenience.     

7. Skills of Installation Personnel       Regarding the personnel for temporary horizontal lifeline installation, the skill level varies. Some installation personnel have not received technical briefings and are unclear about the specific requirements for installing horizontal lifelines.     

8. Post-Completion Inspection       Some temporary horizontal lifelines lack competent personnel for inspection; they are put into use directly after installation without being inspected.    

Number of Wire Rope Clips: