Fall Protection Forum

When you’re shopping for something like oven mitts or beach towels, it’s generally safe to believe the tag that reads: “One Size Fits All.” But, when safety managers and other fall protection personnel are researching a full body harness for their employees, it’s critical to remember that “universal” sized harnesses…

Prior to the 1960s, cotton was the fabric of choice for all industrial products that needed textiles.  Although the fabric was cheap and plentiful, it did not hold up well in harsh environments. By the early 1960s, synthetic blends became available for American manufacturers. Once people experienced the rugged durability…

Full body harnesses have a very significant role in a fall protection system. Although every major part of a fall protection system is important, the full body harness is the part that is closest to the worker and literally connects the worker to the rest of the fall protection system….

Horizontal lifeline fall protection is an important system to have in any facility or situation where people must work at height.  But deciding which type of fall protection system is best for your particular application can be a difficult choice.  For this reason, it’s important to understand the advantages and…

During the early stages of fall protection education, I was under the impression that the track was the anchorage point. However, I was very wrong. After doing research and gaining more exposure to the world (and terminology) of fall protection, I have learned that there is a difference between the…

The earliest recorded fall protection tests occurred in Sweden and the United Kingdom around the time of WWII (mid to late 1940s). These tests were performed for aviation purposes in order to determine the different ways that the human body was affected by negative acceleration (or deceleration) forces. Scientists wanted…

Maximum Arresting Force is one of those epic fall protection terms. I say it’s epic because it plays an important role in the safety of anyone who uses a fall protection system or device. Those words also appear on the label of all Rigid Lifelines fall protection systems (and if…

After reading last week’s blog, you’re probably in suspense about how to protect employees who are exposed to confined workspaces.  OSHA states that if you have a ladder for accessing the confined space, you need a mechanical means of worker extraction with a gear that has a 5 to 1…

Confined spaces can pose a variety of hazards for people working in General Industry and the Construction Industry. For the purposes of this blog, we will be examining the different elements of confined spaces and how to offer protection for workers in those areas. Under OSHA 1926.501(b) criteria for construction…

Load testing has its place in an industrial facility. Load tests are important and necessary in the realms of material handling cranes. However, when it comes to fall protection, you don’t actually need to perform a drop test on the system (OSHA and ANSI Z359 have said so). As long…

Conducting an elevated worksite hazard assessment allows you to rule out passive fall protection options for your workers. Once you have determined that you need to use an active fall protection system, it’s important to consider the following things in order to avoid swing falls. Your active fall protection system…

Whether you are the owner of a construction company, the foreman at a jobsite, or the safety manager on a factory floor, you all share a common concern about employee safety while performing tasks in the workplace. Worker safety is especially important when anyone is performing tasks at elevation. If…