Hércules is a company specialized in manufacturing work protection equipment and, among its lines of work, is the production of solutions for working at height. Hércules is recognized for the quality of the products it manufactures, for its constant investment in research into new technologies and development of products that promote safety and comfort for users, and for its respect for all legislation concerning the products it manufactures and sells.
Following these premises, we comply with all legislation for production and marketing of our products, and we work for continuous improvement of our processes and communication with our customers.
On July 20, 2015, the Ministry of Labor and Employment issued Technical Note No. 146, which informs that products whose Certificate of Approval (CA) will not be renewed or which have been replaced by another product remain valid as long as they were purchased before the expiration of the Certificate of Approval (CA). For this, the user must respect the validity of the product disclosed by the manufacturer.
Therefore, we inform you that for Hércules fall protection products, the validity period is indefinite, following the recommendations below for determining obsolescence.
For Harnesses and Lanyards:
This equipment’s life is determined by routine inspections, which must be performed by a trained person before each use, following the guidelines below. If any of the items below is noted on the harness or lanyard, the product must be discarded immediately:
Laces (straps): signs of tearing, perforation, abrasion, melting or cutting;
Seams: thread breakage or unseams;
Metal components: deformations, locking, breaking, cracks or corrosion;
Impact indicator: broken;
Shock absorber: broken.
In addition to the factors described above, in case of retention of a fall, the equipment must be immediately discarded, even if in perfect condition.
For fall arrest devices:
Service life is determined by routine inspections that should be performed by a trained person before each use, following the guidelines described below. If any of the following items is noted on the lifeline, the product should be discarded immediately:
Laces (tapes): signs of tearing, puncture, abrasion, melting or cutting;
Seams: thread breakage or unseams;
Metal components: deformations, locking, breaking, cracks or corrosion;
Spring: breakage;
Safety brake: breakage;
Cable: broken wire or distortion;
Impact indicator: broken;
Box: compromised seal.
In addition to the factors described above, in case of retention of a fall, the equipment must be immediately discarded or, for retractable models, sent to technical assistance, even if in perfect condition.
Labels: all equipment must have their manufacturer information labels, batch, CA number and INMETRO seal legible for their identification and tracking.
Storage and Hygienization:
Aiming to increase the useful life of the product, we recommend that fall protection products (harnesses, lanyards, fall arrest devices and accessories) be stored in a dry place and without the incidence of light. In addition, we recommend that exposure to abrasive surfaces be avoided. For proper sanitation, use water at a temperature below 40° C, mild soap, no chlorine-based bleach, and drying in the shade.
Remember that:
In cases of environments with high temperature exposure or welding activities, we recommend the use of para-aramid harnesses and lanyards;
In saline environments, we recommend the use of products with metal components that are resistant to the risk of corrosion and/or buckles with thermoplastic protection;
For retractable fall arrest devices, where exposure to the environment is constant, follow the manufacturer’s recommendaton of sending for revision every 12 months or after a fall arrest.
All the recommendations for use, inspection, storage, and cleaning can be found in the instruction manual, which should be made available to the users responsible for the control of the Protection Equipment.
In addition, contact us and request our equipment inspection manual, as well as an inspection checklist for guidance.
Important: Hércules recommends that all fall protection equipment be replaced after five years. To ensure maximum protection and user integrity.