Various occupations place people in precarious positions at relatively dangerous heights, thereby creating a need for fall-arresting safety apparatus. Such apparatus require a reliable safety line and reliable connections to the support structure and the person working in proximity to the support structure.
Typically, one or more deceleration devices is connected in series with the safety line. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,906 to Feathers discloses a safety anchorage device which controls pay-out of a safety line. This prior art anchorage device is selectively connected to a support structure, and the safety line is selectively connected to a person (via a body harness, for example). In the event of a fall, the safety line and the other parts of the anchorage device cooperate to safely bring the person to rest.
Another exemplary safety device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,110 to Wolner. This prior art safety device similarly controls pay-out of a safety line during normal work activity and/or in the event of a fall. In this patent, however, the device is shown anchored to the body harness, and the safety line is shown connected to the support structure.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved connector for use on and/or together with safety devices like those discussed above.