Lanyards can be found almost everywhere you look. They’re often around people’s necks at conferences, attached to ID badges in offices, and used to display tickets at events. Lanyards are a great way to keep important items visible and accessible. But are they really safe? Standard lanyards are dangerous, and can be a risk to a user's safety. If a lanyard is caught on a piece of machinery, a door handle, or even in someone’s hand, it can be very dangerous and can lead to injury. This is why choosing lanyards that incorporate safety breakaway clips is not a choice for responsible organizations, event planners, and institutions. It elevates a simple accessory to a smart safety-first necessity.
Every lanyard has a function—it should hold onto something securely and display it. But if something can hold onto your lanyard so securely that it can’t be removed in case of an emergency, it becomes a personal safety hazard. Breakaway clips are a great solution to this problem. They offer all of the daily functionality of a standard lanyard, but with a built in safety feature that allows it to release under pressure. Switching to a lanyard that has a breakaway feature is an upgrade that can be made to increase the safety of your employees, students, attendees, and guests.
A breakaway clip is a connector, usually made of plastic, that joins the two ends of a lanyard. The “magic” of the clip lies in its weakness. It can hold the weight of an ID, access card, or a small device, but is also designed to break away under a certain threshold of force.
Consider these to be like mechanical fuses. In a hazardous scenario, like if the lanyard gets caught in moving parts, or if someone yanks on the lanyard, the clip breaks. This protects against choking, strangulation, or being violently yanked off balance. The release mechanism has to be set just right. It has to be sensitive enough to be protective to the wearer, but not so sensitive that it gets disengaged by normal activities like bending or sudden torso swivels. After a clip releases, more often than not, it can simply be clicked back into place to make the lanyard functional again. This unique, easily resettable safety feature modern lanyards responsible enough to break the mold and leave the tradition behind.
There are several environments that are high risk or high activity, where the use of breakaway lanyards is essential.
In the sectors of industry and manufacturing, the risk of loose clothing or accessories near moving parts of machinery is significant. If a lanyard is not designed to release, the potential injuries that could be sustained if caught in gears, conveyor belts, or other moving machinery can be catastrophic. The indefeasible part of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) policies is the postulation of breakaway lanyards, and it is in harmony with occupational health and safety regulations. It ensures the safety of staff and the company in reducing its risk.
Schools and universities are also important. Students get lanyards to hold IDs, keys, and dorm access cards. There are lots of places where lanyards could get stuck, like on playground equipment, bus doors, and s. With the breakaway lanyard, playtime or any other activity is less likely to cause choking. For little kids, this safety feature is an important source of concern for teachers and parents.
Large events, concerts, and festivals prioritize safety and crowd control. Lanyard-attached credentials let attendees pass through large crowds. With a breakaway lanyard, the dangling strap can’t be used to tightly bind or be a danger to someone in a crowd. It gives a little protection against grab-and-run theft of expensive VIP credentials, too.
Choosing a lanyard with safety features means you don’t have to compromise on brand presence or quality. Safety lanyards provide the same, if not more, branding and professional opportunities than any other lanyard.
Primary manufacturers recognize and understand lanyards as a mobile billboard. They allow you to 100% customize your lanyards from the lanyard strap and the attachment clip of your choice (bulldog clip, keyring, or card holder) to the exact printing of your company logo, event, or safety slogan. They allow you to design lanyards that can fit your corporate colors. The breakaway clip is a necessary safety feature that is professionally integrated into the design.
When you are purchasing lanyards, prioritize the durability of the strap. A safety clip is only as good as the strap it is attached to. Choosing a manufacturer that has complete control over their factory and supply chain can guarantee high-quality materials, including long-lasting polyester webbing, secure stitching, and dependable breakaway clips. This control is what ensures that your product will perform safely and live up to its promise.
As a breaker of the norm, the adopting of breakaway safety lanyards is a simple yet great policy change. Here’s how to adapt it.
To start, complete a risk assessment for your environment. Determine the roles and areas that have the highest risk for snagging. This will assist in prioritizing rollout and help communicate the “why” for the change to your team or stakeholders.
Select partners rather than suppliers in your sourcing. A professional manufacturer with a dedicated service team will walk you through your options for materials, clips, and design. A manufacturer will also provide you the opportunity to sample test the breakaway function and overall feel. Inquire about their experience with similar organizations and their ability to supply your order size with an acceptable level of reliability and expedited logistics.
Combine rollout with effective communication. Explain to employees or attendees the purpose of the new lanyards. Clarify that the breakaway mechanism is an intentional safety feature, and also a positive brand attribute. This positions the new lanyards as a positive representation of your organization’s commitment to safety and the well-being of its people.
When designing for safety, every little detail counts; even the small, unassuming lanyard has the potential to reduce risk significantly with a small design change. Choosing lanyards with breakaway clips is a reasonable, and responsible, design choice.
It goes beyond providing basic functionality, and offers the protection that a safety lanyard is meant to foster. Choosing safety lanyards from a custom, quality manufacturer shows that you value the safety and identity of the individuals within your organization as much as the access that a lanyard provides. Ultimately, choosing to invest in the quality safety lanyard of your choice is choosing to invest in a tool that speaks for and saves the badge holder.
