Why You Must Never Bypass Energy Absorbers
A fall-arrest system is only as good as the way it’s used and one of the most common mistakes people make is accidentally bypassing the energy absorber. This can turn a protective system into a dangerous one in seconds.
Watch the full video:
▶️ Fall arrest - Bypassing energy absorbers
The purpose of an energy absorber is simple: reduce the force placed on the user during a fall. It does this by tearing out under load, controlling the deceleration and preventing severe injury.
Bypassing the energy absorber happens when someone clips their unused hook onto a hard point on the harness rather than a designated breakaway point.
If a fall occurs, the shock absorber can’t deploy, it’s locked out. This results in the full fall force being transferred directly to the user. The difference is huge and potentially life-threatening.
Practical Steps / Key Takeaways
- Never clip unused lanyard hooks to rigid, fixed points on the harness.
- Use only designated breakaway points for stowing the spare leg of a twin-tail or spare hook.
- Understand that if the energy absorber can’t deploy, the system can’t protect you.
- Regularly check your harness and lanyards so you know where those safe stowage points are.
- Build good habits: how you clip and unclip every day directly affects your fall-arrest safety.
Understanding how and where to stow your hooks properly is a small adjustment that massively improves your safety margin. Our approach combines straight-talking, practical coaching with real scenario-based training to build confident, competent height workers.
Need help with your work-at-height safety?
Our training and consultancy services can help you plan, train, and operate safely.
Looking after your kit
Even the best kit needs regular inspection and servicing. we have a team of fully trained PPE inspectors who can take the worry out of the process. Our servicing team are fully certified to carry out the servicing requirements for many of the leading rescue devices currently on the market.
