Fall protection basics

Key points

1. 1If you are working 6 feet or more above a lower level near an unprotected edge, you need fall protection: guardrails, a safety net, or a personal fall arrest system.
2. 2Inspect your harness and lanyard before every use. Look for cuts, frayed webbing, burns, bent buckles, or a deployed shock pack, and take it out of service if you find damage.
3. 3Tie off only to an anchor that can hold a fall, never to conduit, pipe, a guardrail, or anything you are not sure about. Ask the foreman if you don't know.
4. 4Wear the harness snug with the back D-ring between your shoulder blades, and keep the anchor overhead when you can so you fall less and don't swing.
5. 5Cover every floor hole and skylight with a cover that is secured and marked "HOLE" or "COVER," and never move a cover without replacing protection.
6. 6Check guardrails before you rely on them: top rail about 42 inches high, a midrail, and no loose or missing sections. Report any damage right away.
7. 7Only work at heights with fall gear if you have been trained on it. If you are unsure how to use the equipment, stop and ask.

Talk it over

• Where on this site are the edges, holes, or openings where someone could fall today?
• What are the approved anchor points for our tie-off, and who sets them up?
• If someone fell and was hanging in a harness, what is our plan to get them down fast?

Also in the other language: Protección contra caídas: lo básico

Official sources

• 29 CFR 1926.501 — Duty to have fall protectionecfr.gov
• 29 CFR 1926.502 — Fall protection systems criteria and practicesecfr.gov
• 29 CFR 1926.503 — Fall protection training requirementsecfr.gov

More toolbox talks

• Ladder safety
• PPE: the last line of defense
• Electrical safety basics