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RED WING, MINN.—3M Fall Protection has issued an inspection notice for its Lad-Saf X2/X3 sleeves, citing that a limited number of cases have been identified where the locking lever was not working properly. 3M states that there have been no accidents or injuries related to this issue.

In a case where the locking lever is not working, the sleeve might disengage from the cable during use. 3M is describing this as an assembly error that affected only a limited number of units; the company says that the issue has been corrected.

Users are suggested to immediately conduct an inspection (illustrated in the image), which is recommended pre-use inspection for all X2 and X3 sleeves. If you find an affected sleeve, 3M suggests that you remove the sleeve from service and contact its customer service department at 800-328-6146 or email LADSAFNA@mmm.com for a return authorization. A replacement sleeve will be shipped within 24 hours of return of the affected sleeve.

This is the second notice with the Lad-Saf that 3M has issued since August, the previous being a recall of the previous design.

RED WING, MINN.—3M Fall Protection has issued a recall on its Zorbit Energy Absorbers, specifically to models that feature lot codes between 2101506 and 2464624, which were manufactured between March and August 2015. 3M says that there have been no reported accidents or injuries involved with the product, but that it has identified a production issue with the horizontal lifeline system designed to limit fall arrest forces on the worker.

Arrow signifies location of lot code

The recall only applies to Zorbit Energy Absorbers with the aforementioned lot codes; other Zorbit models with lot codes outside of that range are still safe to use according to 3M. Any affected models that are recalled will be replaced free of charge within 24 hours. To return an affected model, contact 3M’s customer service department at 800-328-6146 or email ZORBITSNA@mmm.com.

This is the second 3M product that received a recall in recent months. In August, the company issued a full recall for its Lad-Saf sleeve product.

RED WING, MINN.—Following a recent performance review of its original Lad-Saf sleeve product in the field, tower fall protection product provider 3M has announced that it is issuing an immediate full recall of all original sleeves. The company is replacing the original model with a redesigned next-generation Lad-Saf sleeve.

Lad-Saf sleeve

According to 3M’s press release, the review took place following “a limited number of incidents involving a serious injury or death in the United States while using the sleeve.” The company says that its review did not reveal product hazard from ordinary use, but that there was “potential misuse scenarios that could result in serious injury or death.”

Some possible scenarios cited by the company included interference with the breaking mechanism or user inversion. No safety regulator found that the original Lad-Safe design was defective, per the report.

In light of the reported incidents and potential misuses, 3M says it decided to discontinue all sales of the original Lad-Saf and initiated the recall. The company suggests that all original Lad-Saf sleeves stopped being used immediately. Affected part numbers include: 6100016, 6116500, 6116501, 6116502, 6116503, 6116504, 6116505, 6116506, 6116507, 6116509, 6116512, 6116535, 6116540, 6116541, 6116542, 6116500C, 6116500SM, 6116507/A, 6116540b.

Lad-Saf sleeve users can return their original Lad-Saf sleeves and receive the updated X2 and X3 sleeve units at no cost by contacting 3M customer services at 1-800-328-6146 (ext. 2012) or by emailing LADSAFNA@mmm.com.

The National Association of Tower Erectors encouraged its member companies and industry stakeholders to consult the Official Product Recall Notice.