Standards and Testing

Publicly Available Specification, PAS 59:2004 titled "Filled Collective Fall Arrest System", has been developed through the British Standard Institution (BSI) and applies to the Soft Landing System. This PAS forms the basis of a product conformity certification scheme to provide assurance that filled collective fall arrest systems have been independently tested and that the manufacturer's production controls are in accordance with stated requirements.

The panel of 12 UK organisations involved in the development of this PAS included representatives of -

• BSI Technical Committees B/514 Access and support equipment, B/208 Stairs and walkways
• Health and Safety Executive
• Institution of Structural Engineers

Testing of SLS in accordance with PAS 59:2004 has been successfully undertaken at the National Engineering Laboratory (NEL) in Glasgow, UK.
Test results are available by this link.

The key requirement of this testing as defined by PAS 59:2004 is that -
"The measured deceleration shall not exceed 14g and there shall be no visible sign of tearing or damage to any seam or stitching used in the construction of the cushioning mat" (Soft Landing System).

As the NEL test results indicate, SLS peak deceleration levels were well below 14g for a drop height of 2.55m.