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Workplace Fall Protection: How to Use a Personal Fall Arrest System

When working at heights is required to get the job done at your workplace, safe and effective fall prevention is essential. In addition to necessary equipment such as warning lines, floor covers, and fall arrest systems, it is vital that the employees who will be working above the ground receive training on properly using personal fall arrest systems. Proper training is the most effective means of preventing injury or even death as the result of a fall. 


Fall Protection: Fall Prevention and Fall Arrest

Fall protection is often referred to as “tying off,” but this type of personal arrest is just one method commonly utilized. Fall protection also includes fall prevention measures and fall arrest systems.

Fall prevention can include solid rails, wire rope rails, and travel restraints. Fall arrest, on the other hand, refers to a safety harness, lanyard, and anchor point—in which a worker “ties off” in order to protect themselves from a fall.

The purpose of this article is to review the proper use of the Personal Fall Arrest System (PFAS), which requires proper equipment and adequate training.


How to Properly Use a Safety Harness

The first step in the proper use of a harness is to thoroughly inspect it. The importance of this step cannot be understated and the safety harness should always be handled as though it could save your life because that’s precisely what it is designed to do. Examine for signs of wear on all straps, buckles, plastic components, and grommets. Inspections should be logged on a tag on the harness itself and the tag should be checked to see when the last inspection was conducted. The harness should only be worn if is safe and free of defects of any kind.

Once the harness has been attached to your body properly, have someone else check it before going any further. This step often gets skipped, but you do not want the straps to twist, and you can’t see what is out of your view. Better to be safe than sorry.


How to Properly Use a Safety Lanyard

After properly adjusting your harness, you must then choose the right lanyard. Before choosing your lanyard, consider how far above the lower level is to the anchor point. Do not assume you are safe only to discover that your PFAS is too long, which would allow you to strike the lower level when fully deployed.


Proper Anchor Point

According to OSHA, personal fall arrest equipment must be secured to an anchorage that can hold at least 5,000 pounds per employee attached. The anchor point must also be inspected and approved by a qualified person if the structure does not consist of structural steel or an engineered anchor point.

Free-fall distances should always be less than six feet. Other components such as railings, lanyards, and nets must be considered if a sufficient anchor point is not utilized.

A false sense of security is the kind of protection while working at heights. The only way to work safely and effectively above the ground is by implementing personal fall arrest systems and making sure all employees are trained to inspect, install, and utilize all components.

SafeRack is the recognized industry leader in truck and railcar loading platform systems, maintenance work platforms, rolling platforms, and other safety and fall protection equipment. We’re ready to assure workplace safety for you and your employees at your facility in any industry.