20 Aug Fall Arrest & Fall Restraint Systems

Fall Arrest & Fall Restraint Systems

Understanding the difference between fall restraint and fall arrest is essential when working at heights. Although both systems protect employees from falls, they work in very different ways.

Whenever feasible, the preferred approach is to prevent the fall from occurring rather than rely on equipment to stop a fall after it begins.

Fall Restraint

A fall restraint system prevents an employee from reaching a location where a fall could occur, such as an unprotected roof edge or elevated work surface.

Examples include:

• Guardrail systems that prevent access to the fall hazard.
• A properly configured travel-restraint system that limits an employee’s movement so the employee cannot reach an unprotected edge.

A restraint system must be properly selected, installed, and adjusted so the employee cannot reach the fall hazard.

Fall Arrest

A personal fall arrest system (PFAS) does not prevent the employee from falling. Instead, it is designed to safely stop or arrest the employee after a fall begins.

A typical personal fall arrest system consists of:

• An approved anchorage.
• Connectors.
• A full-body harness.
• A shock-absorbing lanyard, self-retracting lifeline (SRL), vertical or horizontal lifeline, or other appropriate connecting device.

Body belts are prohibited as part of a personal fall arrest system.

Key Fall Arrest Requirements

1. Limit Arresting Forces

When a full-body harness is used, the personal fall arrest system must limit the maximum arresting force on the employee to 1,800 pounds.

The harness distributes fall-arrest forces across stronger areas of the body and helps keep the employee properly positioned during and after a fall.

2. Control Free-Fall and Fall Clearance

A personal fall arrest system must be rigged so an employee:

• Cannot free fall more than 6 feet, or the applicable limit established for the specific system and equipment being used.
• Does not contact a lower level or obstruction during the fall.
• Is brought to a complete stop while limiting the maximum deceleration distance to 3.5 feet under the applicable OSHA criteria.

Remember that adequate fall clearance involves more than free-fall distance. The length of the connecting device, deceleration distance, harness movement, employee height, and an appropriate safety margin must all be considered.

Always follow the fall-protection equipment manufacturer’s requirements when determining required clearance.

3. Use Proper Anchorages

Anchorages used for personal fall arrest must generally be capable of supporting at least 5,000 pounds for each employee attached, or be designed, installed, and used as part of a complete personal fall arrest system under the supervision of a qualified person while maintaining the required safety factor.

Never assume that a guardrail, pipe, conduit, equipment component, or other convenient structure is an acceptable anchorage.

4. Connect the Harness Properly

For typical fall-arrest applications, the attachment point on the full-body harness is located at the center of the employee’s back near shoulder level.

Use only attachment points specifically approved for the intended application and follow the harness and connecting-device manufacturer’s instructions.

5. Inspect Equipment Before Use

Employees must inspect fall-protection equipment before each use. Look for:

• Cuts, tears, burns, or frayed webbing.
• Broken or pulled stitching.
• Chemical or heat damage.
• Cracked, bent, distorted, or corroded hardware.
• Damaged snap hooks, carabiners, and D-rings.
• Damaged lifelines or lanyards.
• Missing or illegible labels.
• Evidence that a shock absorber has deployed.
• Damage or improper operation of an SRL.

Do not use defective or questionable equipment.

Equipment subjected to impact loading from a fall must be immediately removed from service and must not be used again unless inspected and determined by a competent person to be undamaged and suitable for reuse in accordance with applicable requirements and manufacturer instructions.

Plan for Rescue

Stopping the fall is only part of the protection system. Before employees use personal fall arrest equipment, there must be a method for prompt rescue following a fall.

An employee suspended in a harness should never be left hanging while workers attempt to develop a rescue plan after the incident occurs.

Remember

Fall restraint prevents the fall. Fall arrest stops the fall.

Know which system you are using, inspect it before every use, verify your anchorage and fall clearance, and never connect to an anchorage unless you know it is suitable for the system.