7
2.6: Fall Restraint
Fall Restraint
is an area of Fall Protection devoted to restraining the user of the system in a
manner which restricts his or her access to the fall hazard in a manner such that they cannot be
subjected to a fall. A typical Fall Restraint System consists of an anchorage, a full body harness
or a restraint belt and a restraint lanyard. A Shock-Absorbing Lanyard or a Self-Retracting
Lifeline should never be utilized in a restraint application as it they not capable of restricting a
user’s access to fall hazards.
2.7: Work Positioning
Work Positioning
is an area of Fall Protection devoted to allowing a user to work on a vertical
surface by means of a positioning assembly, and restricting the user’s exposure to a fall of no
more than two feet. Typical positioning assemblies consist of a large rebar hook and a length of
chain, rope, wire rope or webbing with a double locking snap hook on either end. These snap
hooks are attached to d-rings on the hips or on the waist of the user’s full body harness, with the
rebar hook attached to the structure upon which the user is working. An SAL or an SRL should
never be used for work positioning, nor should they ever be attached to a side or hip d-ring on a
full body harness.
However, while rigged for work positioning, the user should always have
an SAL or SRL attached to the back d-ring of their full body harness and tied-off to the
structure on which they are positioning as a back up device
.
2.8: Free-Fall
Free-Fall is the distance that a worker will fall before the connecting device or deceleration
device elements of the PFAS will begin to engage during a fall event. OSHA allows a maximum
Free-Fall Distance of 6’ (6 feet) when rigging a Personal Fall Arrest System (PFAS). In some
cases, exceptions may be allowed when there is no practical way to limit the Free-Fall Distance
to 6’, such as a job-site where no overhead anchor-point is available. Tying off in a manner that
would create a Free-Fall greater than 6’ should always be a last resort. If you are rigging a
system that allows more than 6’ of Free-Fall, make sure your Connecting Device/Deceleration
Device is rated for this application.
2.9: Clear-Fall
Clear-Fall or Clear-Fall Distance is the distance that is required to safely arrest the fall of a
user. When working at heights and using a PFAS, it is important to consider the distance
between the walking/working level and the next lower level to ensure that the components
selected are capable of arresting the user’s fall before they hit the next lower level. The required
Clear-Fall Distance can easily be calculated by adding together the Free-Fall Distance, the
Deceleration Distance, the height of the user plus a safety factor of 2 feet. The formula for
calculating Clear-Fall Distance is shown below:
Free-Fall Di Deceleration Di Height of Safety Factor = Clear-Fall Distance
The matrix on the next page can be used as a guide for calculating Clear-Fall Distance on
your job-site:
Example Values
Actual Values
Free-Fall Distance
(OSHA allows up to 6’)
6’
Deceleration Distance
(Typically 3.5’ or less)
3.5’
Height of Worker
6’
Safety Factor
(Minimum of 2’)
2’
Total
(Sum of all values)
17.5’
