WO2020160665A1

WO2020160665A1 - Breakfree safety lanyard

Info

Publication number: WO2020160665A1
Application number: PCT/CA2020/050148
Authority: WO
Inventors: Luke SHAHEEN; Andrew Higginson; Armand KONECSNI-LUZNY
Original assignee: Gravity Gear & Equipment Inc.
Priority date: 2019-02-05
Filing date: 2020-02-05
Publication date: 2020-08-13
Also published as: CA3032677A1

Abstract

: An in-line safety lanyard which will automatically release at a predetermined threshold of axial force. The lanyard comprises upper and lower body portions joined together by facing hook and loop fastener sections. When the predetermined breakaway force is encountered along the axis of the lanyard the hook and loop fasteners will release, and in certain embodiments a manual release activator can also be included which might in many embodiments simply comprise a handle portion which can be engaged by an operator and pulled to disengage the hook and loop fasteners.

Description

This invention is in the field of safety lanyard used for in-line personal attachment systems and safety applications.

Background:

In-line personal attachment systems are used in many applications, including recreational life safety systems, industrial fall protection applications, and any marine or water-based rescue system where participants are connected to a rope or tether. Typically these in-line personal attachment systems consist of a rope/tether/lanyard used for safety or individual retention purposes.

One of the limitations to the use of an in-line personal attachment system is the risk of injury or death which is posed to the individual using the tether or retention system if the related tether or lanyard becomes entangled and traps the person in a compromising or dangerous position. This is particularly common or problematic, posing high risk of personal injury, where individuals are using safety retention systems such as those disclosed and discussed in contact or in proximity with a marine or water environment, since an individual with a fouled safety tether or lanyard could be dragged beneath the water due to the permanent attachment to their rope or lanyard, or could be dragged above the water. If it were possible to create a safety lanyard for use in in-line personal attachment systems such as those outlined which would negate or minimize the risk of injury to the user from fouling of the lanyard or the safety line, it is felt that this would be

commercially beneficial and could help to save the lives of operators or users. Many of the most common similar products are energy absorbing lanyards which are used in fall protection applications. These energy absorbing lanyards automatically release at a predetermined threshold of force but do not separate the top and from the bottom end of the lanyard - that is to say that following release, the top end of the lanyard is still connected to the bottom end of the lanyard and the release event and the energy absorbing action from a release event because the lanyard to extend and become elongated. Following that release event however, the user still remains attached, and thus the lanyard can still become fouled and dragging or tangling risk can still be encountered, and in some ways may be magnified by the stretching or elongation of the lanyard following the energy absorbing action and the release event.

If it were possible to create a safety lanyard that following a release event would result in the breakaway of the lanyard, such that the dragging or fouling risk of the lanyard and potential attendant injury to the user could be mitigated, it is believed that this would have substantial commercial interest.

In addition to the inseparability of many prior art safety lanyards, which it is believed would be enhanced by creating a breakaway mechanism that would allow for separation of the top and bottom portions of the lanyard upon occurrence of a particular force event, another shortcoming of current products is the lack of a manual release mechanism. A safety lanyard which allowed for a automatic release at a predetermined force threshold, while also providing for a manual release mechanism allowing the user to manually separate themselves from the lanyard as required would further limit the possibility of entanglement causing bodily injury, in circumstances where the force being applied to the lanyard did not exceed the automatic release limit, or where user wanted to trigger their express her immediate removal from the situation by disconnecting themselves from such a safety rope or lanyard. A manual release would also allow, in marine or water environments, for user to avoid dragging beneath or on top of a water surface.

Summary of the Invention: The invention accomplishes the above outlined objectives comprising a breakaway safety lanyard for use in an in-line safety application for an individual. The breakaway safety lanyard of the invention will allow for the releasable attachment of the individual to a structure, whereby the lanyard will allow for the breakaway or release of the individual from their fixed attachment to the structure upon the application of predetermined axial force defining a release event to the body of the lanyard.

In some embodiments the breakaway safety lanyard of the present invention comprises a breakaway safety lanyard for use in an in-line safety application for an individual, where normal operation of the lanyard connected between a structure and the individual the lanyard permits the maintenance of a safety tether between the structure and the individual. In many embodiments the breakaway safety lanyard will comprise an upper lanyard body portion and a lower lanyard body portion. The upper lanyard body portion has a top end and a distal end defining an axis therebetween. The top end of the upper lanyard body portion comprises a structure attachment point for connection to a structure. The structure to which the breakaway safety lanyard of the present invention would be attached could either be a longer non-breakable safety tether or line which was in turn attached to a building, a natural obstacle, a moving vehicle or some other object to which safety tethering of an individual is desired, or rather than using the breakaway safety lanyard of the present invention in conjunction with another tether or harness, the breakaway safety lanyard could also be attached directly to the object from which tethering is desired as the structure. Both such approaches are contemplated within the scope of the present invention. In embodiments of the present invention in which the breakaway safety lanyard comprises an upper lanyard body portion and a lower lanyard body portion, the upper lanyard body portion would have a top end, and a distal end between which an axis is defined. The top end of the upper lanyard body portion comprises a structure attachment point for connection to the structure in respect of which it is desired to tether the individual. The lower lanyard body portion has a bottom end and a distal end with an axis therebetween. The bottom end of the lower lanyard body portion comprises an individual attachment point for connection to an individual. By connecting the structure attachment point to a structure and the individual attachment point to a harness or other connection point of an individual, the breakaway safety lanyard of the present invention is imposed between the structure and the individual as a breakaway safety tether.

The upper lanyard body portion and the lower lanyard body portion are releasably attached to each other with the top end and the bottom end defining opposing ends of a lanyard body. The lanyard body has an axis extending between its ends, corresponding to the axis of both the upper and lower lanyard body portions.

The releasable attachment between the upper lanyard body portion and the lower lanyard body portion will permit the release of those two lanyard body portions from each other what a predetermined axial breakaway forces applied along the axis of the lanyard body which extends between the attached structure and the attached individual. The occurrence of the application of the predetermined axial breakaway force to the body of the lanyard indicates the occurrence of a release event, in which case it is desired to release the individual from their fixed attachment to the structure. Many different types of lanyard bodies can be contemplated which would have the ability to achieve the objective of a breakaway of the attachment to the individual to the lanyard when the predetermined axial breakaway force was applied. Any such construction or lanyard body will be understood to be within the scope of the present invention. In normal operation of the lanyard connected between the structure and the individual, the lanyard permits the regular maintenance of a safety tether between the structure and the individual, until a release event should occur and wherein upon occurrence of a release event, the lanyard body would allow the force based breakaway and the release of the attached individual from attachment to the structure.

It is specifically contemplated that in addition to the calibration or manufacture of the lanyard body in a way that the application of a predetermined break force to the body would result in the release of the individual from their attachment to the structure, that a manual release function would also be desirable. Certain embodiments of the breakaway safety lanyard of the present invention further comprise a manual release mechanism which could be actuated by the individual, resulting in the manually actuated release of the breakaway of the lanyard. The manual release mechanism could be configured to permit the release of the upper and lower lanyard body portions, subject to the design and construction thereof, and any type of a lanyard body and lanyard body portions which would achieve the effective result of a manual actuated release will be understood to be contemplated within the scope of the present invention. It is specifically contemplated that in many embodiments of the breakaway safety lanyard of the present invention the lanyard body would consist of an upper lanyard body portion and a lower lanyard body portion each of which comprised a pliable elongate strap with a planar surface extending from the top end and bottom end to the distal ends thereof respectively. The upper lanyard body portion and the lower lanyard body portion are releasably attached to each other defining a lanyard body with the axis extending between the top end and the bottom end of those body portions.

In these embodiments, the releasable attachment between the upper lanyard body portion and the lower lanyard body portion would release those body portions from each other when a predetermined axial breakaway force was applied along the axis of the body. It is specifically contemplated that the releasable attachment of these body portions would be achieved using a releasable attachment mechanism applied to the respective planar surfaces thereof. The releasable attachment mechanism comprises coordinating hook and loop fastener portions applied to the two planar surfaces of the upper lanyard body portion and the lower lanyard body portion, for coordinated and releasable attachment to each other wherein upon the attachment of the planar surfaces of the two body portions to each other the complete lanyard body is formed. The appropriate hook and loop fastener portions could be selected based upon the desired adhesion level, to calibrate the adhesion or release point of the hook and loop portions and the lanyard body based upon the predetermined desired axial breakaway force.

Effectively, hook and loop fasteners of a sufficient adhesion to permit for maintenance of the connection of the individual, via the lanyard, to the structure until the predetermined desired breakaway force was axially applied along the body of the lanyard, at which point in time the hook and loop portions would breakaway allowing for the release of the individual, are contemplated.

In the case of hook and loop fastener portions or similar attachment means being used between the lanyard body portions to result in the releasable nature of the breakaway safety lanyard, a manual release mechanism which effectively comprised a manual handle could be used, to allow for the individual to effectively tear open the hook and loop fastener and manually release themselves. In such a case, the manual release mechanism comprises a release handle at the distal end of the bottom lanyard body portion, opposed to the bottom end thereof, which extends upward in length past the length of the upper lanyard body portion between the top and and the distal end thereof such that when the two lanyard body portions are attached to each other the release handle of the bottom lanyard body portion extends upwards from the top of the lanyard body and effectively forms a handle which can be grabbed by the individual using the lanyard and pulled to manually release the hook in the fasteners between the two lanyard body portions, thus releasing the individual from the tether. The release handle may or may not have hook or loop fasteners extending thereon.

The structure attachment point at the top end of the upper lanyard body portion would in most cases, particularly those where the upper lanyard body portion was a pliable strap, form an integral loop to which the structure can be attached. As an integral loop being a part of the upper lanyard body portion and particularly being integrally manufactured of fabric or the material of manufacture of the pliable strap in such embodiments, the avoidance of use of metal or separate components avoids the possibility for corrosion of the product, further maximizing safety. Similarly, the individual attachment point at the bottom end of the lower lanyard body portion would also in most cases especially those where the lower lanyard body portion with a pliable strap, form an integral loop within the strap to which the individual could attach their harness or otherwise join themselves for tethering or retention purposes. Again, as an integral loop being a part of the lower lanyard body portion and particularly being integrally manufactured of fabric or the material of manufacture of the pliable strap in such embodiments, the avoidance of the use of metal or separate components avoids the possibility for corrosion of the product further maximizing the safety of the individual in the use of the breakaway safety lanyard of the present invention. It will be understood that many of the components and concepts of the present invention as outlined above and throughout this document could be varied without departing of the understanding and scope of the claims and any such modifications are contemplated to be within the scope hereof.

Description of the Drawings; To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced. The drawings enclosed are: Figure 1 is a perspective drawing of one embodiment of a breakaway safety lanyard in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a cutaway side profile of the embodiment of Figure 1 ; Figure 3A is a view of the planar surface of the upper lanyard body portion of the breakaway safety lanyard in accordance with Figure 1 ;

Figure 3B is a view of the opposing surface of the upper lanyard body portion to that shown in Figure 3 A;

Figure 4A is a view of the planar surface of the lower lanyard body portion of the breakaway safety lanyard in accordance with Figure 1 ;

Figure 4B is a view of the opposing surface of the lower lanyard body portion to that shown in Figure 4A; Figure 5 demonstrates the application of the predetermined breakaway force to both ends of the breakaway safety lanyard of Figure 1, and the attendant release of the lanyard body portions from each other; and

Figure 6 demonstrates the manual actuation of the breakaway of the lanyard body portions of the breakaway safety lanyard of Figure 1 from each other.

Detailed Description of Illustrated Embodiments:

As outlined herein, the present invention comprises a breakaway safety lanyard for use in an in-line safety application for an individual, to allow in normal circumstances for the maintenance of a safety tether between the structure and the individual and when a breakaway event occurs, the safety lanyard will effectively breakaway permitting the detachment of the individual from the structure.

Lanyard components: Referring to Figure 1 there is shown a perspective drawing one embodiment of a breakaway safety lanyard 1 in accordance with the present invention. Figure 2 is a cutaway side profile of the lanyard 1 shown in Figure 1 , to show the releasable attachment and the alignment of the components of the lanyard 1 in regular operation. The lanyard 1 comprises an upper lanyard body portion 2 and a lower lanyard body portion 3. The upper lanyard body portion 2 and the lower lanyard body portion 3 are releasably attached to each other by coordinating hook and loop fastener portions applied to facing planar surfaces of the portions 2, 3 which when attached to each other yield a single lanyard body 4.

The upper lanyard body portion 2 has a top end 5 and a distal end 6. At the top end 5 the upper lanyard body portion 2 comprises a structure attachment point 7, which is an attachment loop or another point of attachment for attachment of the top end 5 of the upper lanyard body portion 2 to a structure 8, either being another longer and unbreakable safety tether as shown which in turn is attached to an object in respect of which it is desired to retain an individual in safe position in relation thereto, or in other cases the structure 8 might directly comprise the object in respect of which it is desired to retain the individual. The structure attachment point 7 will be capable of attachment to the structure 8 via any number of different types of prior art attachment mechanisms including clips, carabiners and the like.

The lower lanyard body portion 3 has a bottom end 9 and a distal end 10. At the bottom end 9, the lower lanyard body portion 3 comprises an individual attachment point 1 1 which is an attachment loop or another point of attachment for attachment of the bottom and 9 of the lower lanyard body portion 3 to an individual. The individual attachment point 1 1 will be capable of attachment to the individual via any number of different types of prior art attachment mechanisms including clips, carabiners and the like, likely to attach to pre-existing safety harness and the like which would be used by individuals.

The upper lanyard body portion 2 has a planar surface 13, as does the lower lanyard body portion 3 have a coordinating facing planar surface 14, when the two upper and lower lanyard body portions 2, 3 are attached and in proximity to each other. Each of the planar surfaces 13 and 14 would have coordinating portions of hook and loop fasteners attached thereto, resulting in the ability to connect the two lanyard body portions 2, 3 to each other. Hook and loop fasteners, such as those known in the art as products sold under the Velcro™ trademark, will be understood to those skilled in the art as an obvious way to join the upper and lower lanyard body portions 2, 3 to each other by application of the hook portion 15 or the loop portion 16 to the planar surfaces 13 and 14.

The lower lanyard body portion 3 additionally comprises a release handle 12 at the distal end 10 thereof which effectively comprises a manual release mechanism or handle the release by the individual of themselves from the tether of the lanyard if desired or required to do so. The length of the lower lanyard body portion 3 is such that the release handle 12 extends beyond the length of hook or loop fastener applied to the planar surface of the upper lanyard body portion 2, such that the release handle 12 effectively comprises a hanging strap which can be grabbed by the user and when it is pulled will result in the separation of the hook and loop fasteners joining the upper and lower lanyard body portions 2,3 and releasing the tethered individual from the breakaway safety lanyard 1 by allowing for separation of the two lanyard body portions 2, 3. Figure 2 provides a cutaway side view demonstrating the layers of the upper and lower lanyard body portions 2, 3 and the hook and loop connector portions 15, 16 of the embodiment of Figure 1.

Figures 3A and 3B show the facing planar surface 15 and the opposed surface 17 of the upper lanyard body portion 2 of the embodiment of Figure 1. The axis A1 is also shown of the upper lanyard body portion 2. It is explicitly contemplated that the structure attachment point 7 could comprise an integral loop sewn in the end of the strap forming the upper lanyard body portion 2, with or without an added eyelet or other reinforcement. By using only a integral loop or attachment point without the need for metal hardware, the potential for corrosion of the device is minimized.

The specific nature of the loop or other structure attachment point which could be manufactured integrally with the body portion will be understood to be varied, dependent upon the specific type of attachment hardware to the structure which was desired to be used - different types of clips, carabiners or the like exist all of which could be used and depended upon the best way to engage one of those attachment mechanisms the structure attachment point can be modified appropriately. Any type of an integral structure attachment point such as outlined, or structure attachment point which incorporates additional hardware, clips, rings or other devices are all contemplated within the scope of the present invention.

Figures 4A and 4B show the facing planar surface 16 and the opposed surface 18 of the lower lanyard body portion 3 of the embodiment of Figure 1. The axis A2 is also shown of the lower lanyard body portion 3. The release handle 12 is also shown.

The individual attachment point 1 1, on the lower lanyard body portion 3, could comprise an integral loop sewn and at the end of the strap which forms the lower lanyard body portion 3, with or without added eyelet or reinforcement. By only using an integral loop or attachment point without the need for metal hardware or the like, the potential for longer-term corrosion of the device between uses is minimized. The specific nature of the loop or other attachment point which could be manufactured integrally with the body portion will be understood to potentially be varied, dependent upon the specific type of attachment hardware to the individual which was desired to be used. Different types of prior art or pre-existing clips, carabiners and the like could all be used in dependent upon the best way to engage one of those attachment mechanisms, the attachment point could be modified. Any type of a integral individual attachment point such as outlined, or an individual attachment point which includes a clip, ring or other device, are all contemplated within the scope of the present invention.

It will be understood that when the upper lanyard body portion 2 and the lower lanyard body portion 3 as shown are joined by their facing hook and loop fastener surfaces, the axis of the finished breakaway safety lanyard 1 will be axis A1/A2, which will be aligned approximately with each other.

Breakaway release of the lanyard:

As outlined throughout this document, the breakaway release of the lanyard 1 of the present invention would take place automatically upon the exertion of a predetermined or pre-factored breakaway force along the axis of the lanyard 1. The predetermined breakaway force required will be the amount of force required to separate the hook and loop fastener portions of the lanyard 1 as described, in these embodiments, or the necessary force which would be required to otherwise release the upper and lower lanyard body portions 2, 3 from each other. The predetermined breakaway force requirement can be varied between individual embodiments of the breakaway safety lanyard 1 of the present invention. The force that is required to allow for release of the individual might be varied depending upon the size of the individual or the application of use for the lanyard 1. When the desired breakaway force requirement is known, the hook and loop fastener sections used to join the body portions of the lanyard, or the other components of alternate approaches to the breakaway aspect of the device could be adjusted accordingly. For example, where it was desired that the lanyard would break away more quickly, hook and loop fasteners or other releasable attachment devices could be used that had a lesser breakaway force requirement to separate them, whereas if it was desired to manufacture a breakaway safety lanyard 1 in accordance with the remainder of the present invention that had a higher breakaway force point meaning the amount of force applied axially along the body of the lanyard 1 would be higher to trigger the breakaway of the body portions from each other, stronger hook and loop sections or other releasable engagement devices could be used. The custom nature of this approach and the specific amount of axial force that will be required to release certain embodiments of the lanyard 1 will be understood to be varied and customizable and are all contemplated within the scope of the present invention.

Figure 5 demonstrates the breakaway quality of the safety lanyard of the present invention. The breakaway safety lanyard 1 shown in this Figure is the same as the embodiment of Figure 1 outlined in further detail above.

The structure attachment point 7 of the upper lanyard body portion 2 is shown attached to a structure 8 which in this case is a longer nonbreakable safety tether. The individual attachment point 1 1 of the lower lanyard body portion 3 is attached to the harness of an individual. Forces exerted from a pull in either direction on the safety lanyard 1 of the present invention are shown by arrows FI and F2. When the force exerted on the safety lanyard 1 by an axial force applied in either direction FI or F2 meets or exceeds the predetermined breakaway force threshold, the releasable nature of the attachment of the upper lanyard body portion 2 in the lower lanyard body portion 3 which in this case is a hook and loop fastener arrangement will release, resulting in the release of the individual from attachment to the lanyard 1. The upper lanyard body portion 2 and the lower lanyard body portion 3 are shown in this Figure releasing from each other, indicating that the predetermined breakaway threshold force has been met.

The Figure shows the breakaway safety lanyard 1 in a normal operating tether position, and then also shows the breakaway or release position as the forces FI or F2 are increased on either end of the lanyard 1 to the point that the lanyard 1 begins to first deform and then the two halves begin to release from each other.

Manual release of the lanyard:

As has also been outlined herein, certain embodiments of the breakaway safety lanyard 1 of the present invention will include a manual release mechanism. In the case of the embodiment of the lanyard 1 which is shown, a handle section 12 exists at the distal end of the lower lanyard body portion 3. The handle section 12 effectively comprises in the embodiment shown a portion of their lower lanyard body portion 3 which does not include a hook or loop fastener section and effectively results in a hanging strap at the end of the portion of the lower lanyard body portion 3 furthest from the individual attachment point 1 1. Where the individual tethered to the lanyard 1 wished to manually release the lanyard 1 for safety or other reasons, they could simply pull the handle portion 12 to separate the upper lanyard body portion 2 and the lower lanyard body portion 3 from each other, releasing the individual from the tether. Figure 6 shows an individual actuating the manual release of the breakaway safety lanyard 1 otherwise shown and in accordance with the present invention.

Depend upon the method of construction of the lanyard body and the remainder of the lanyard 1 , different types of manual release mechanisms could be developed and used and all are contemplated within the scope of the present invention.

It will be apparent to those of skill in the art that by routine modification the present invention can be optimized for use in a wide range of conditions and application. It will also be obvious to those of skill in the art that there are various ways and designs with which to produce the apparatus and methods of the present invention. The illustrated embodiments are therefore not intended to limit the scope of the invention, but to provide examples of the apparatus and method to enable those of skill in the art to appreciate the inventive concept.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. The terms "comprises" and "comprising" should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps not expressly referenced.

Claims

Claims:

1. A breakaway safety lanyard for use in an inline safety application for an individual, where in normal operation of the lanyard connected between a structure and the individual the lanyard permits the maintenance of a safety tether between the structure and the individual, said lanyard comprising: a. an upper lanyard body portion having a top end and a distal end defining an axis therebetween, wherein the top end comprises a structure attachment point for connection to a structure; and b. a lower lanyard body portion having a bottom end a distal end defining an axis therebetween, wherein the bottom end comprises an individual attachment point for connection to an individual; wherein the upper lanyard body portion and the lower lanyard body portion are releasably attached to each other defining a lanyard body with the axis extending between the top end and the bottom end of those body portions; and wherein the releasable attachment between the upper lanyard body portion and the lower lanyard body portion will release those body portions from each other when a predetermined axial breakaway force is applied along the axis of the body, between the attached structure and individual, indicating the occurrence of a release event; and wherein upon occurrence of a release event the upper lanyard body portion and the lower lanyard body portion will detach from each other, allowing the force-based breakaway of the attached individual from attachment to the structure.

2. The breakaway safety lanyard of Claim 1 further comprising a manual release

mechanism which can be actuated by the individual resulting in the detachment of the upper lanyard body portion and the lower lanyard body portion from each other.

3. The breakaway safety lanyard of Claim 1 wherein: a. the upper lanyard body portion comprises a pliable elongate strap with a planar surface extending between the top end and the distal end thereof; b. the lower lanyard body portion comprises a pliable elongate strap with a planar surface extending between the bottom end and the distal end thereof; and c. the releasable attachment of the upper lanyard body portion and the lower lanyard body portion is achieved using a releasable attachment mechanism on the respective planar surfaces thereof.

4. The breakaway safety lanyard of Claim 3 wherein the releasable attachment

mechanism comprises coordinating hook and loop fastener portions applied to the two planar surfaces of the upper lanyard body portion and the lower lanyard body portion for releasable attachment to each other wherein upon the attachment of the planar surfaces of the two body portions to each other, the complete lanyard body is formed.

5. The breakaway safety lanyard of Claim 4 wherein the adhesion strength of the hook and loop fastener portions together is selected to provide the desired level of adhesion of the hook and loop fastener portions until the predetermined axial breakaway force is reached at which point the hook and loop fasteners will release, resulting in the release of the upper and lower lanyard body portions from each other and the release of the attached individual from their tethered attachment to the attached structure.

6. The breakaway safety lanyard of Claim 4 further comprising a manual release

mechanism which can be actuated by the individual resulting in the release of the upper and lower lanyard body portions from each other to manually release the individual from tethered attachment to the lanyard.

7. The breakaway safety lanyard of Claim 6 wherein the manual release mechanism comprises a release handle at the distal end of the lower lanyard body portion which is attached freely extending upwards past the top end of the lanyard body when the hook and loop attachment is made, whereby the release handle comprises a handle which can be actuated by the individual by manually pulling the handle to disengage the hook and loop fasteners on the facing planar surfaces from each other.

8. The breakaway safety lanyard of Claim 1 wherein the structure attachment point is adapted for connection to a connector selected from the list of carabiners, quick links or shackles which can be connected to pre-existing attachment points of structures.

9. The breakaway safety lanyard of Claim 8 wherein the structure attachment point is an integral loop on the lanyard body.

10. The breakaway safety lanyard of Claim 1 wherein the individual attachment point is adapted for connection to a connector selected from the list of carabiners, quick links or shackles, which can be connected to standard individual body harness.

1 1. The breakaway safety lanyard of Claim 10 wherein the individual attachment point is an integral loop on the lanyard body.

12. The breakaway safety lanyard of Claim 1 wherein the structure comprises a non- breakable tether line attached to an object from which safety tethering of the individual is desired.

13. The breakaway safety lanyard of Claim 1 wherein the structure comprises an object from which safety tethering of the individual is desired.