Personal Fall Arrest System

A personal fall arrest system (PFAS) is used to safely stop (arrest) a worker who is falling from a working level. It consists of an anchorage, connectors, and a body harness. It also may include a lanyard, deceleration device, lifeline, or suitable combinations of these components. In general, workers must have fall protection when they could fall six feet or more while working.

Note that body belts (safety belts) are prohibited for use as part of a personal fall arrest system. Limited use of body belts can still be used as part of a positioning device system or fall restraint system.

When employers choose to use a personal fall arrest system as a means of worker fall protection, they must adhere to the following requirements:

• Limit the maximum arresting force on a worker to 1,800 pounds when used with a body harness.
• Be rigged so that a worker can neither free fall more than six feet nor contact any lower level.
• Bring a worker to a complete stop and limit the maximum deceleration distance a worker travels to 3.5 feet.
• Have sufficient strength to withstand twice the potential impact energy of a worker free falling a distance of six feet or the free fall distance permitted by the system, whichever is less.
• Be inspected prior to each use for wear, damage, and other deterioration. Defective components must be removed from service.

When working on a suspended scaffold more than 10 feet above a working surface, or when working on a bucket truck or aerial lift, workers must wear a full-body harness.

When working on a supported scaffold more than 10 feet above a working surface, employers may choose to use a PFAS instead of a guardrail.

A PFAS has three major components:

• The anchor and the anchorage connector
• The connecting device, which is a lanyard or a retractable lifeline, with snaphooks
  • A lanyard could also include a deceleration device
• The full-body harness

The webbing, which is the material used for ropes and straps of lifelines, lanyards, and harnesses, must be made of synthetic fibers.

Make sure all components of your PFAS are from the same manufacturer and are meant to be used together. If not, any substitution must be evaluated and tested by a competent person to ensure that it meets PFAS requirements.

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