Fall Protection
Falls
• 4,628 fatal work injuries were recorded in the
United States in 2012
• 89 deaths a week or 12 deaths every day
• 806 construction related fatalities in 2012
• 279 deaths were caused by falls
Fall Protection
This presentation will discuss:
•Working conditions that prompt use of fall
protection
•Options that are available to protect workers
from falls
Fall Protection
At the end of this topic, you will be able to:
•List at least four methods of fall protection
available for protecting workers
•State the main criteria that prompts use of fall
protection for construction workers
Prevention
•Select fall protection systems appropriate for given
situations
• Use proper construction and installation of safety systems
• Supervise employees properly
• Use safe work procedures
• Train workers in the proper selection, use, and
maintenance of fall protection systems
Fall Protection Options
Personal Fall
Arrest System
(PFAS)
Guardrails
Safety Net
Definitions
Body Harness:
Straps which will distribute the fall arrest
forces over at least the thighs, pelvis,
waist, chest and shoulders with means for
attaching it to other components of a
personal fall arrest system.
Definitions
Guardrail System:
A barrier erected to prevent employees from falling to lower
levels
Definitions
Personal Fall Arrest System:
A system used to arrest an employee in a fall from a working
level.
•Consists of an anchorage, connectors, a body belt or body
harness and may include a lanyard, deceleration device,
lifeline or suitable combinations of these.
•As of Jan. 1, 1998, the use of a body belt for fall arrest is
prohibited.
Definitions
Positioning Device System:
A body belt or body harness system rigged to allow an
employee to be supported on an elevated vertical surface,
such as a wall, and work with both hands free while leaning
Definitions
Lanyard:
A flexible line of rope, wire rope, or strap which generally
has a connector at each end for connecting the body belt or
body harness to a deceleration device, lifeline, or
anchorage.
Duty to Have Fall Protection
Unprotected sides and edges:
Each employee on a walking/working surface (horizontal
and vertical surface) with an unprotected side or edge
which is 6 ft (1.8 m) or more above a lower level
shall be protected from falling by the use of guardrail
systems, safety net systems or personal fall arrest systems.
Fall Protection Planning
Fall protection systems and work practices
must be in place before you start work
Personal Fall Arrest Systems
• You must be trained
how to properly use
PFAS.
• PFAS = anchorage,
lifeline and body
harness.
When Fall Protection is Needed
•Walkways & ramps
•Open sides & edges
•Holes
•Concrete forms & rebar
•Excavations
•Any time above 6 feet in
elevation
•Roofs
•Wall openings
•Bricklaying
•Residential
Construction
Personal Fall Arrest Systems (PFAS)
•No body belts for fall arrest!
•Body belts for positioning systems only
Snaphooks
Unless the snaphook is a locking
type and designed for the following
connections, snaphooks shall not be
engaged:
•Directly to webbing, rope or wire
rope
•To each other
•To a D-ring which another
snaphook or other connector is
attached
•To a horizontal lifeline
Anchorage
•Anchorage means a secure point of attachment for
lifelines, lanyards or deceleration devices
•Anchorages used for attachment of personal fall arrest
equipment shall be independent of any anchorage being
used to support or suspend platforms and capable of
supporting at least 5,000 lbs (22.2 kn) per employee
attached
Anchorage
As part of a complete
personal fall arrest
system which maintains
a safety factor of at least
two; and under the
supervision of a qualified
person
Horizontal Lifelines
Devices used to connect to a
horizontal lifeline which could
become vertical must be
capable of locking in both
directions on the lifeline
Connector
Used to
couple
(connect)
parts of the
personal fall
arrest system
Deceleration Device
•Limits the energy imposed on
an employee during fall arrest
•Deceleration distance means the additional vertical
distance a falling employee travels, excluding lifeline
elongation and free fall distance, before stopping, from the
point at which the deceleration device begins to operate
Free Fall Distance
Free fall distance:
The vertical displacement of the fall
arrest attachment point on the
employee's body belt or body harness
between onset of the fall and just before
the system begins to apply force to arrest
the fall
Lanyard
Cannot be made of natural fiber rope.
Must be protected against damage by cuts or abrasions
Each employee must be provided a separate lanyard
Lanyards must have a minimum breaking strength of 5000
lbs.
PFAS
Personal Fall Arrest Systems must:
•Limit maximum arresting force on an employee to
1,800 lbs when used with a body harness
•Be rigged such that an employee can neither free fall
more than 6 ft (1.8 m), nor contact any lower level
•Bring an employee to a complete stop and limit
maximum deceleration distance an employee travels to
3.5 ft
Calculation of Total Fall Distance
Freefall = 6 ft maximum
Deceleration Distance = 3.5 ft maximum
Lifeline elongation = 2 ft maximum
Total fall before stopping = 11.5 ft
Portion of body landing below attachment point
approximately 5 ft
6 ft + 3.5 ft + 2 ft + 5 ft = 16.5 ft
Total clearance below required to avoid contacting
lower level may be as great as 16.5 ft or more!
PHYSICS OF A FALL
Elapsed
Distance
Velocity
Speed
Force at
Time
Traveled
(Ft. Per Second)
(MPH)
Impact
(Seconds)
(Feet)
0.00
0
0
0
0
0.25
1
8
5.5
400
0.50
4
16
11
1,600
0.61
6
20
14
2,400
0.75
9
24
16
3,600
1.00
16
32
22
6,400
1.25
25
40
27
10,000
1.50
36
48
33
14,000
1.75
49
56
38
19,600
(LBS)
Note: calculations based upon a 180 pound worker carrying 20 pounds of tools.
Distance Chart
Additional Requirements PFAS
•Inspected prior to each use
•Not attached to guardrail
systems
•At hoist areas, allow
movement to edge only
Inspected Prior to Each Use
ANSI A10.32-2004 states the
service life of fall protection
equipment manufactured of
synthetic fiber shall be 5 years
unless otherwise specified by
the manufacturer
Guardrails
Top Rail
Mid- Rail
Toeboard
•Top rails between 39 and 45 in tall
•Toeboards at least 3 1/2 in high
Safety Nets
Place as close as possible, but no
more than 30 ft below where
employees work
Sides & Edges - Improper
Guarding
This ¼ in nylon rope alone is not a
proper way to guard this open floor
Sky Lights and Other Openings
•Holes more than 6
ft high must be
protected
• This opening
could be made
safe by using a
guardrail or strong
cover
Floor Holes
Improperly
Covered
•Cover completely and securely
• If no cover, can guard with a guardrail
Concrete Forms and Rebar
•Use PFAS when
working on
formwork or rebar
•Cover or cap
protruding rebar
Good Work Practices
•Perform work at ground level if possible
•Tether or restrain workers so they can't reach the edge
•Use guardrail systems
•Use conventional fall protection
Training
Employers must provide fall protection training
The training is to teach you:
• How to recognize hazards
• How to minimize hazards
The training must cover:
• Fall hazards
• Fall protection systems
• Use of fall protection devices
Summary
If you can fall more than 6 feet, you must be protected
•Use fall protection on:
•walkways, ramps, open sides and edges, holes, concrete
forms and rebar, excavations, roofs, wall openings,
bricklaying and residential construction
•Protective measures include guardrails, covers, safety
nets, and Personal Fall Arrest Systems