Fall Protection Connection Methods

Fall protection equipment is critical for workers who are exposed to fall hazards while on a job site. Personal fall arrest systems, or PFAS, are made up of a harness worn by the worker, a shock-absorbing lanyard and a rope grab that attaches to a safety line attached to a fixed anchorage point. Workers connect to fall protection anchor points by methods specified by occupational health and safety regulations.

Harnesses

• Workers must wear a full-body harness made out of synthetic material that is certified for industrial use. Recreational climbing harnesses are not allowed. These harnesses have straps around each leg, both shoulders, the waist and the chest, ensuring that the worker is held into the harness in the event of a fall. They have a metal D-ring at shoulder level that accepts a lanyard hook.

Lanyards

• A lanyard is a flexible line that attaches with a snap hook to the D-ring on the back of a harness. The other end of the lanyard snaps onto a fall arrestor or directly onto a solid anchor point. These lanyards often include shock absorbers to reduce the impact when the lanyard stops a fall. They must have a breaking strength of at least 5,000 pounds.

Rope Grabs

• If the worker is connected to a vertical lifeline, the connection is made through a rope grab. This is a piece of equipment that clamps onto a rope and moves freely upward, while containing a ratchet that prevents it from moving downward in the event of a fall. The worker connects to it by passing the snap hook of a lanyard through a metal loop on the rope grab.

Lifelines

• Lifelines are ropes that are firmly attached to anchor points. Workers then can connect their safety equipment to the lifeline, knowing it will support them in a fall. There are two basic methods of lifeline use: vertical lifelines, in which each worker uses a rope grab, and horizontal lifelines that are strung between two anchor points. A worker may hook a lanyard directly to a horizontal lifeline without needing a rope grab.