1

Fall Protection Awareness Class

Instructor: Ken Coats, Central Region Safety BDM

2

4 Components of a Personal Fall Arrest System

• Body Support

• Body Belts

• Full Body Harness

• Connectors

• Lanyards

• Self Retracting Lifelines

• Vertical and Horizontal Systems

• Anchorage

• Engineered

• Non Engineered

• Rescue

3

Full Body Harness

• OSHA 1926.502 (d) (16) (ii):

• Personal fall arrest systems shall limit the maximum arresting force on an employee to 1,800 pounds (8 kN) when used with a body harness.

ANSI

Fall Arrest

(always must have)

Dorsal D-Ring

4

Connectors

• Snap hooks and carabiners must be self-locking and self-closing.

• All connectors must meet 5000lbs.

• All connectors must be connected to a compatible connection.

• NEW ANSI Standard (11/2007)

• Connectors shall meet 5000 lbs. and the gate shall meet 3600 lbs.

5

Lanyards

• Many different types of lanyards

• Needs to be able to reduce energy from 5000 lbs force to…

• 1800 lbs for OSHA

• ANSI 900 lbs or less……

6

Shock Absorbing Lanyards

• Always connect the shock pack to the Dorsal D-ring

• Make sure you are not exceeding the weight limit of the lanyard

• Never connect two lanyards together

• 100% Tie-Off

7

Clearance Calculations

General Rule:

“You need 12.5 ft of clearance with a 6 ft lanyard”

6.0 ft for Free Fall

3.5 ft for Deceleration

1.0 ft for D-ring slide

2.0 ft for Safety Factor

12.5 ft clearance required

Freefall

+

Deceleration

+

Safety Factor

8

Clearance Calculation

What if I don’t have 12.5 ft of clearance?

• Raise the anchor point

• Use a shorter lanyard

• Use a SRL

SRL Example

• 3.5 ft for Deceleration

• 1.0 ft for D-ring slide

• 2.0 ft for Safety Factor

• 6.5 ft clearance required

9

Anchorage and Anchorage Connectors

• Anchorages are defined as secure points to attach an anchorage connector to be used in conjunction with a fall protection or rescue system.

• Anchorages used for fall protection shall be capable of supporting a load of 5,000 lbs. per worker, unless certified by a qualified person who maintains a 2:1 safety factor.

• The maximum arresting force (MAF) on the anchor shall be no more than 1,800 lbs.

10

Rescue & Escape

• OSHA 1926.502 (d) (20):The employer shall provide for prompt rescue of employees in the event of a fall or shall assure that employees are able to rescue themselves.

• ANSI Z359.2 Rev. If emergency services are not able to answer a request for assistance in a timely manner or if they do not have adequate equipment, then companies should have in-house rescue procedures and trained personnel in place

• Program effectiveness should be evaluated at regular intervals of no more than two years