Anchorage Personal Fall Arrest System

Anchorages to which personal fall arrest equipment is attached shall be capable of supporting at least 5 000 pounds 22 2 kn per employee attached or shall be designed installed and used as part of a complete personal fall arrest system which maintains a safety factor of at least two under the supervision of a qualified person.

Anchorage personal fall arrest system.

Personal fall protection system performance and use requirements 1910 140. It consists of an anchor point connectors a body belt or body harness and may include a lanyard deceleration device lifeline or suitable combinations of these. Worker injury or fatality lawsuits higher insurance and workers compensation premiums and lost time. A approved personal fall arrest personal fall restraint or positioning systems shall be worn by those employees whose work exposes them to falling in excess of 7 1 2 feet from the perimeter of a structure unprotected sides and edges leading edges through shaftways and openings sloped roof surfaces steeper than 7 12 or other sloped surfaces steeper than 40 degrees not otherwise.

The final rule which allows employers to use personal fall protection systems i e personal fall arrest travel restraint and positioning systems adds requirements on the performance inspection use and maintenance of these systems. Anchorages used for attachment of a personal fall arrest system must be independent of any anchorage being used to support. The consequences of failure of a personal fall arrest system can be severe and far reaching. Personal fall protection system means a system including all components an employer uses to provide protection from falling or to safely arrest an employee s fall if one occurs.

When more than one personal fall arrest sy stem is attached to an anchorage the strengths stated above must be multiplied by the number of personal fall arrest systems attached to the anchorage. According to the definition in the federal osha standard a personal fall arrest system means a system used to arrest an employee in a fall from a working level. It is one of several forms of fall protection forms which also include fall guarding general protection that prevents persons from entering a fall hazard area e g guard rails and fall restraint personal protection which prevents persons who are in a fall hazard area from falling e g. Examples of personal fall protection systems include personal fall arrest systems positioning systems and travel restraint systems.

Even with a safety factor of two an engineered system rated for applied loads ranging from 1 800 to 2 400 pounds is a very different than a 5 000 pound anchor point. With an engineered system it is not uncommon to see applied loads ranging from 900 to 1 200 pounds for a single user during fall arrest.