Personal Fall Arrest Systems

1. Personal Fall Arrest Systems Inspection and Maintenance OSHA REGULATION CFR 1926.502-503

2. Disclaimer The information presented in this presentation has been compiled from sources believed to be reliable and is intended to be a tool to assist and guide you in building your own presentation. This program may not address all the hazardous conditions or unsafe acts that may exist. For that reason, SPIN cautions users to confirm accuracy and compliance with the latest standards and best practices. Local, State/Provincial and Federal regulations take precedence over this material. Implementation of any practices suggested by this program is at your sole discretion, and SPIN will have no liability to any party for any damages including, but not limited to, direct, indirect, special or consequential damages, arising out of or in connection with the information provided or its use.

3. PFAS(Personal Fall Arrest System) • A system used to protect an employee in a fall from a working level. • It consists of an anchorage, connectors, body harness and may include a lanyard, deceleration device, lifeline, or suitable combinations of these. • As of January 1, 1998 the use of a body belt for fall arrest is prohibited! • Employers must plan the rescue of the worker.

4. Justification • If equipment isn’t inspected before each use, defects not identified could cause failure of the system in the event of a fall. • Serious injury or death may occur when wearing faulty personal fall arrest systems which fail in the event of a fall. • New quarterly inspection report to be submitted to the EHS office.

5. Inspection • To maintain service life and ensure performance capabilities. • Inspect before and after each use. • Take out of service any defective conditions found. • Equipment may not be modified in anyway. • Best practice is to store out of light, and hanging from the Dee-ring.

6. Examine all nylon webbing for burn marks, torn, frayed, broken fibers, pulled stitches or frayed edges. No damage from acid or other corrosives. Dee-ring - no wear, pits, deterioration, deformation or cracks. Inspection: Harness

7. Buckles, not deformed or cracked and operate correctly. Tongue straps, no excessive wear All Grommets (if present), secure and not deformed from abuse or a fall. No additional punched holes. Rivets tight not deformed. Inspection cont.

8. No Cuts, burns, abrasion, kinks, knots, broken stitches. Check Snap-hooks for, hook, locks, and eye distortion. Carabiner for excessive wear, distortion and lock operation. All locking mechanisms seat and lock securely. Inspection - Lanyard or lifeline

9. No visible “WARNING TAG” deployed. Shock Absorber no damage, pay close attention to where it attaches to the lanyard. Point of attachment to snap-hook free of defects. Lanyard cont..

10. Retractable Lanyard • Check • outer casing no damage • nuts/rivets tight • cable ends securely crimped, eye and rubber stop in place • entire length of cable/strap undamaged and retracts freely • Verify locking mechanism operates correctly by pulling sharply on the cable/strap • If manufacturer recommends, return for scheduled inspection

11. Inspection Snap-hooks • No hook and eye distortion. • No cracks, pitted surfaces or corrosion. • Keeper latch • not bent, distorted or obstructed • seats into nose of the hook without binding • spring securely closes • test locking mechanism to verify it locks properly

12. Rescue • Never work alone. • Always pre-plan how you will rescue someone in the event of a fall. • You may survive a fall but will not survive extended period of time suspended in your PFAS.

13. RESCUE • Arresting forces are on thighs, pelvis, waist, chest and shoulders • Harness rated for 1800 pounds of arresting forces • Tolerable suspension time of 15 minutes

14. 1.) Free Fall Distance. Limited to 6’ 2.)Total Fall Distance. The sum of the fall distance and deceleration distance. 3.) Deceleration distance. Must not exceed 3.5’. Lanyard Before Fall Shock Absorber 1. Working Surface Free Fall 2. Deceleration(Shock Absorber Activation) 3. Closest Object in Fall Path Clearance

15. Before Fall Anchor After Fall 6’ length of lanyard 3 1/2’ deceleration distance Fall Clearance Calculation 6ft. Lanyard length 6ft. Height of worker 31/2 ft. Extension of shock absorber 3 ft. Safety Factor 18 1/2 ft. Minimum recommended fall clearance. 6’ height of worker 3’ safety factor

16. Swing Fall Hazard

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