Fall Protection
Course Objectives
Identify fall hazards.
List elevated locations which requires fall hazards
awareness.
List the different types of fall protection systems and
their requirements.
Identify the component of PFAS.
Outline safe working practices and control measures of
fall hazards.
Fall Accidents
Fall to a work surface
Fall against an object
Fall from moving vehicle/equipment
Fall from stairs, ramps and ladders
Fall from edge of work level
Fall into/through an opening
Fall from one work level to the other
Fall Protection
Fall protection is equipment used to prevent
individuals from falling from elevated surfaces or
when working at heights.
Fall protection is composed of different types of
safety harnesses and protection systems,
including fall arrest, work positioning, restraint,
suspension, retreival, ladder climbing, and
controlled descent systems, among others.
It is typically used in high-risk industries such as
construction, maintenance, and manufacturing.
Duty to have Fall Protection
Employer shall provide and
install all fall protection
systems required to protect
workers from fall and shall
comply with all pertinent
requirements of the standards
before employees begins the
work that necessitates the fall
protection.
Types of Fall Protection
Fall prevention: preventing workers from falling by using
engineering controls (guardrails and hole covers) or restraint
systems.
Fall arrest/rescue: preventing injury during and after a fall
by using personal fall arrest systems (PFAS) or safety nets
and having an effective rescue plan in place.
Fall Protection Hierarchy
• Elimination or substitution. For example, eliminate a hazard by
lowering the work surface to ground level, or move (substitute) a
process, sequence or procedure to a different location so that
workers no longer approach a fall hazard.
• Passive fall protection. Isolate or separate the hazard or work
practice from workers through the use of guardrails or covers over
exposed floor openings.
• Fall restraint. Secure the worker to an anchor using a lanyard short
enough to prevent the worker’s center of mass from reaching the fall
hazard.
• Fall arrest. This includes systems designed to stop a worker’s fall after
a fall has begun.
• Administrative controls. These work practices or procedures signal
or warn a worker to avoid approaching a fall hazard. For example, a
person may be appointed to monitor work around fall hazards.
Types of Fall-Protection Systems
Personal Fall-Arrest Systems (PFAS)
✓ A system used to arrest a worker in a fall from a working level.
✓ It consists of an anchorage, connectors, a body belt or body
harness, and may include a lanyard, deceleration device, lifeline,
or suitable combinations of these.
✓ These systems are designed to stop a free-fall of up to 6 feet, and
limit the maximum forces of a user to 1800 pounds or less, as in
steel erection or elevated maintenance work. The following are
the four elements of a fall arrest and some examples
Personal Fall-Arrest Systems (PFAS)
Consists of:
Anchorage Connector
Shock Absorbing
Lanyard
Full Body Harness
The anchorage connector
must be attached to a suitable and
strong attachment point
Body Harness
▪ Body harnesses are designed to
minimize stress forces on an
employee's body in the event of a
fall, while providing sufficient
freedom of movement to allow
work to be performed. The
harness must be made from
synthetic fibers.
Safety Belt VS Full Body Harness
How to wear Full Body Harness
Anchorage
✓ An anchorage is a
secure point of
attachment for
lifelines, lanyards, or
deceleration devices.
✓ An anchorage for a
personal fall-arrest
system must support
at least 5,000 pounds.
Anchorage Connector
✓ Device that provides a secure
attachment point. Examples include
tie-off adapters, hook anchors,
beam connectors, and beam
trolleys.
Connector
Connectors do the linking; they make the anchorage, the lanyard, and the harness a complete
system. Connectors include carabiners, snap hooks, and D-rings.
Carabiner
Carabiners must have a minimum
tensile strength of 5,000 pounds.
Snap hook
Snap hooks must be high-tensile alloy steel and have a minimum tensile strength of 5,000 pounds.
D-ring
D-rings are the attachment points sewn into a full-body harness.
D-rings must have a minimum tensile strength of 5,000 pounds.
Deceleration Devices
Deceleration devices protect workers from the impact of a fall
and include shock-absorbing lanyards, self-retracting lifelines or
lanyards, and rope grabs.
Shock-Absorbing
Lanyard
A shock absorber reduces the impact on a
worker during fall arrest by extending up to
3.5 feet to absorb the arrest force.
Lifelines
✓ A lifeline is a cable or rope that
connects to a body harness,
lanyard, or deceleration device,
and at least one anchorage. There
are two types of lifelines. (Vertical
and Horizontal)
Safety-Net Systems
Types of Fall-Protection Systems
Fall Prevention
Types of Fall-Protection Systems
Fall Prevention
Protecting Workers from Falling Objects
Canopies: Make sure canopies won't collapse or tear
from an object's impact.
Toeboards: Toeboards must be least 3½ inches high and
strong enough to withstand a force of at least 50
pounds applied downward or outward.
Positioning
Device
A positioning-device
system provides
support and must stop
a free fall within 2
feet
Training
Clear Points
✓ The four most common types of fall-prevention equipment
are: Personal Fall Arrest System, Guardrail or Railing Systems,
Safety Net Systems & Covers.
✓ Personal fall arrest systems are an important part of reducing
injury and death that can result from a fall.
✓ Guardrails are considered a fall prevention system.
