Breakaway Lanyards vs Non-Breakaway Lanyards

When choosing which lanyards are best for your application, youll want to consider whether using non breakaway or breakaway lanyards (also referred to as Safety Breakaway) will be the best choice. As soon as you are aware of the difference, deciding which one to use should be pretty easy. Breakaway lanyards have a feature that enables the lanyard to snap apart if it comes under pressure, keeping the person wearing the lanyard from being pulled or choked if the lanyard is grabbed or snagged. After the lanyard snaps apart, it can usually be snapped right back together, both the lanyard and the person wearing it remain in one piece. The non-breakaway lanyard is not designed with any breakaway safety feature, but can be used in many applications without any safety concerns.

Safety Breakaway Lanyards Breakaway lanyards may be required by your organization, making the decision very easy for you. If that is the case, be sure to only order a lanyard that specifically states being a breakaway lanyard. Many schools require this for a number of reasons including the active nature of children, fights, etc. People working around machinery may want to consider not wearing a lanyard at all and opting for an armband ID badge holder instead, as even a breakaway lanyard could potentially get caught in moving parts and be a safety concern. If you work with the public in the areas of security, law enforcement, etc, if a lanyard is required, we highly recommend that it be breakaway.

Non breakaway lanyards have a few advantages as well. If cost is the number one concern, there are many low cost non-breakaway lanyards available. Also, many people like the clean look of a non-breakaway lanyard and are not concerned that the lanyard will be grabbed or caught up where the breakaway feature would come into play. Some people also might not want their lanyard to come apart under pressure. This could potentially make it easy to pull someones Photo ID or Event Ticket right off their neck and make a run for it.

Both types of lanyards can be custom printed with company logos and text and are available with a wide variety of colors, attachments and styles. If you have any questions about our large selections of lanyards, please contact us or give us a call at 1-800-380-6726.
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