Fall Protection Introduction

In addition to safety regulations for the design, construction, erection, and dismantling of scaffolds, every employee working on a scaffold more than 10 feet above a lower level must be protected by a personal fall arrest system, guardrails, or both.

A personal fall arrest system (PFAS) comprises the parts used to arrest an employee's fall. A PFAS consists of an anchorage, connectors, and a body harness. It may include a lanyard, deceleration device, lifeline, or combinations of these.

Effective January 1, 1998, body belts are not acceptable as part of a personal fall arrest system. However, the use of a body belt in a positioning device system is acceptable and is regulated under §1926.502(e).

The difference between a personal fall arrest system and positioning device system is that a positioning device system allows an employee to work with both hands free while hanging from an anchor point. A positioning device is not allowed to have more than 2 feet of free fall.

To learn more about Scaffolding Safety visit our Construction Scaffolding Safety Online Training web page.