{"id":20106,"date":"2019-08-02T12:58:58","date_gmt":"2019-08-02T10:58:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.freeworker.de\/?p=20106"},"modified":"2019-12-09T12:32:37","modified_gmt":"2019-12-09T11:32:37","slug":"caution-accidental-opening-of-3-way-carabiners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp01.freeworker.de\/en\/2019\/08\/02\/caution-accidental-opening-of-3-way-carabiners\/","title":{"rendered":"Caution: Accidental opening of 3-way carabiners"},"content":{"rendered":"

Carabiners that are part of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) must meet certain safety criteria. It is not only when climbing trees that the health of the user depends on them. Nevertheless, it happens again and again that carabiners with locking system unintentionally open during climbing. How does this happens and how can a climber prevent it.<\/p>\n

What exactly is a PPE carabiner?<\/h2>\n
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3-way carabiner<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

In practice, karabiners used in tree climbing as part of PPE have proven to be effective, as they comply with standards such as EN 362<\/a> and EN 12275<\/a>. These essentially include three important conditions: Three independent movements must be necessary for opening. The locking mechanism must close and lock automatically. In addition, the longitudinal breaking strength must be 20 kN.<\/p>\n

There are various technical solutions for the three-action lock<\/a> \u2013 or triple-lock. The most common solution is to first push the locking sleeve and twist it before the locking mechanism can be opened. PSA carabiners are made of either steel or aluminium. Aluminium carabiners are usually used in tree climbing because they are much lighter than steel carabiners.<\/p>\n

The specified breaking strength of 20 kN applies to correctly closed carabiners that are loaded longitudinally. In order to prevent a reduction of the breaking strength or even a failure of the carabiner, the following situations must be avoided: transversal load, bending or twisting load, pressure on the locking sleeve, blocking of the automatic lock. These points can be excluded by a suitable climbing technique and fixation of the carabiner.<\/p>\n

How do three-action carabiners unintentionally open?<\/h2>\n

Even if the carabiner is closed correctly \u2013 and the lock is not blocked by jammed parts of the equipment \u2013 there is still a risk that it will open. Ropes, slings or the safety loop of the harness can tilt or press and turn the lock in such a way that the triple-lock unintentionally opens.<\/p>\n

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