The Importance of Personal Fall Protection Systems

The three main elements of a fall arrest system can be remembered by the A, B, Cs—anchorage, body harness, and connecting components (such as snap hooks, dorsal or D-rings, connection points, lanyards, deceleration devices, lifelines, etc.).^3,4 Here is more information on the three elements of a fall arrest system.  

1. Anchorages used to attach personal fall arrest systems must be “designed, installed, and used under the supervision of a qualified person, as part of a complete personal fall arrest system which maintains a safety factor of at least two…” (meaning capable of supporting twice the impact load—the force delivered—of a falling employee).³  According to OSHA, anchor points must be “capable of supporting at least 5,000 pounds per employee attached.”⁵

2. Body harnesses connect workers to the anchorage point, preventing them from hitting a lower level or object in the event of a fall. Harnesses include shoulder and leg straps, a sub-pelvic assembly, adjustable buckles or fasteners, and one or more D-rings to connect to a lanyard. A safe and effective harness must be the correct size and adjusted so that all straps are snug. Dangling leg or arm straps indicate that the harness does not fit correctly. The sub-pelvic assembly transfers the force during a fall or suspension to the worker’s sub-pelvic region.³

3. Connecting components attach to a full-body harness and anchorage point, and determine the length of a worker’s potential fall. Two examples of connecting means are the lanyard and self-retracting lifeline.³ 

A lanyard is a flexible line of rope, wire or webbing strap with connectors at each end. It attaches to a full body harness at one end and to a deceleration device, shock absorber, anchorage connector, or anchorage point at the other end. Many lanyards include an internal or external shock absorber to reduce the force exerted on a worker in the event of a fall.⁶  

A self-retracting lifeline is a deceleration device that connects the worker’s safety harness to an anchorage point that retracts automatically into the unit housing and limits the free-fall distance of the worker to two feet or less. Because of the function of a self-retracting lifeline, it only needs to meet a minimum tensile load of 3,000 pounds. Otherwise, they must meet a minimum tensile load of 5,000 pounds.⁷

Each connecting means is used for different situations. Whether a worker is wearing a lanyard or a self-retracting lifeline, the connecting means must always be worn, attached, and anchored by the person performing the work.^8,9 

A fall restraint system is used as a means of fall prevention. When properly used, it tethers a worker in a manner that will not allow a fall of any distance. “To determine the force needed to restrain a worker, consideration is given to the force that would be generated by the worker walking, leaning, or sliding down the working surface. OSHA has no specific standards for restraint systems, however, at a minimum, fall restraint systems should have the capacity to withstand at least 3,000 pounds of force or twice the maximum expected force that is needed to restrain the worker from exposure to the fall hazard.”³

Our policyholders and agents have access to an extensive library of safety training videos. Access training videos on fall protection by entering your username and password. Type Fall Protection Systems in the search bar for the available videos. Policyholders and agents can request login credentials by emailing [email protected]. (Videos provided through JER HR Group LLC, dba Training Network, a Summit vendor.)

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