BS 7883:2019

In response to industry query, BSI has issued, in collaboration with technical committee PH/5 Personal Fall Protection, a Technical Bulletin providing additional guidance on recommendations outlined in BS 7883:2019, providing all parties with clarification for pre & post-installations following publication. Download here.

What is BS 7883 -  Personal fall protection equipment about?

Personal fall protection equipment is designed to ensure that people working at height are adequately protected, and anchor systems are a critical component of PFPE. 

BS 7883 on personal fall protection equipment gives recommendations for new anchor system design, installation, use, maintenance and inspection.

Who is BS 7883 -  Personal fall protection equipment for?

BS 7883 on personal fall protection equipment can be adopted by:

• System designers
• Installers
• Manufacturers
• Inspectors and users of anchor devices and anchor systems
• Other interested parties, e.g. architects and structural engineers
• Those responsible for the design of safe access and egress on buildings and structures
• Examining bodies covering the installation, testing, commissioning and examining in service of anchor devices according to BS EN 795

Why should you use BS 7883 -  Personal fall protection equipment?

BS 7883 on personal fall protection equipment gives recommendations for the system design, installation, use, maintenance and inspection of new anchor systems, incorporating anchor devices conforming to BS EN 795, PD CEN/TS 16415 and/or anchor systems conforming to BS 8610. It also gives recommendations on the inspection of anchor systems not conforming to this British Standard.

Widely used throughout the world, BS 7883 focuses on a structured process and is split into sections covering general information; system design including selection and positioning; installation; and inspection.

BS 7883 gives clear technical detail and guidance that:

• Establishes commons terms
• Provides examples of inspection criteria and categories of inspection results, e.g. Pass; Conditional pass; Conditional fail; Fail
• Provides guidance on reverse engineering design checks of hidden elements of previously installed anchor systems
• Can be followed in a step by step process

BS 7883 sets a high bar to ensure that installers and inspectors carry out their work in a suitable manner to increase safety for users and the installation quality of the anchor system.

NOTE 1: Anchor systems not conforming to this British Standard, but which have been inspected in accordance with Section 4, can only be certified as meeting the inspection recommendations of Section 4. The inspector can only claim that the anchor system conforms to the British Standard to which it was originally installed, e.g. “the anchor system was installed in accordance with BS 7883:2005 and the inspection has been carried out in accordance with BS 7883:2019, Section 4.”

NOTE 2: BS 7883 only applies to anchor devices and anchor systems for the direct attachment of personal fall protection systems for use in the workplace. It does not include:

a)      The lifting of equipment

b)      Anchor points comprising holes formed in the base material for the direct attachment of personal fall protection equipment, e.g. hole drilled through steel girder

c)       Anchor points formed by the welded attachment of bars or plates to steel structures for the direct attachment of the personal fall protection equipment (PFPE), e.g. loops of steel bar or flat plates incorporating a hole, welded to a steel structure, unless:

1)      Such anchor points form part of a manufactured product that has been successfully tested in accordance with BS 8610; or

2)      The manufacturer, installer or examiner of such anchor points can demonstrate that the anchor point conforms to all relevant requirements of BS 8610 or BS EN 795, in which case the documentation certifying conformity to BS 8610 or BS EN 795 becomes part of the documentation provided to the owner

d)      Anchor devices or anchor systems for attachment of collective fall protection systems, e.g. work positioning platforms and fall arrest nets

e)       Personal fall protection systems and equipment for use in leisure activities or in professional and private sports activities.

NOTE 3: Advice on the selection, use and maintenance of personal fall protection systems and equipment for use in the workplace is given in BS 8437 and recommendations and guidance on the use of rope access methods for industrial purposes are given in BS 7985.

What’s new since the last update?

This is a major revision of the 2005 edition and complements BS 8610, BS EN 795 and PD CEN/TS 16415.

New content includes:

• The introduction of the System Designer role
• Comprehensive details of documentation contents including: System Design Specification; System Technical File; Examination Scheme for Inspection; Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Manual
• Positioning and installation information for rope access, including deviations and edge management
• Examples of design calculations
• Examples of calculations for proof test loads and test methods
• Examples of calculating imposed loadings on the structure
• Reverse engineering checks for hidden elements on previously installed anchor systems

Inspection of anchor devices and anchor systems to earlier versions of BS 7883.