Patent attributes
A descender system, typically for use in a fall arrest system, for enabling a suspended body to be lowered includes a rotatable descent line drum, and a release element arranged in a restraint configuration to inhibit the descent line from being deployed and in a release configuration to permit the descent line to be deployed. A rotating brake applies a braking force to the rotatable descent line drum; a gear train connects the brake to the drum. The gear train is provided in a substantially watertight sealed space. Typically, a substantially watertight seal is provided between a backplate of the rotating drum and a chassis of the device. Typically, the substantially watertight seal is of a material that is deformable/compressible, preferably at temperatures at or below −20 Celsius.