Small Business Self-Evaluation Checklist: Fall Arrest Systems
To provide optimum protection, a fall arrest system should be designed by a structural engineer experienced in the elimination/control of fall hazards. Similarly, proper installation by a contractor should be supervised and directed by a professional engineer who understands all of the challenges posed. Unlike a general contractor, a skilled engineer understands the dynamic force that a falling body exerts on cables, rails, and building structures and their ability to accept the loads.
This “Client Handout” provides small business owners a means of identifying potential problem areas that may occur with a fall arrest system. Any question answered “No” should be thoroughly investigated and corrective actions taken.
| Questions | Yes | No | N/A | |
| Is there a written safety program covering fall arrest systems, procedures, and policies? | ||||
| Have all workers been trained in the use and maintenance of the fall arrest systems? | ||||
| Do workers know the appropriate anchorage points for each task? | ||||
| Are all anchorage points stable, substantial, and designed to withstand the dynamic forces of a body in free-fall? | ||||
| Are all anchorage points for body harnesses located at shoulder height? | ||||
| Are anchorage points for self-retracting lifeline systems located overhead? | ||||
| Can a worker move from station to station, climb up/down, without exposure to a fall hazard? | ||||
| If a lifeline, lanyard, or self-retracting lifeline is not permanently attached to an anchorage point at an elevated work area, is the first worker up or the last worker down protected while climbing and traversing? | ||||
| Vertical Lifelines | ||||
| Do vertical lifelines have a minimum breaking strength of 5,000 lbs (2,268 kg)? | ||||
| Does the system provide fall protection as the worker connects to and releases from the vertical lifeline? | ||||
| Is the vertical lifeline arranged so workers never have to hold it for balance? | ||||
| Horizontal Lifelines | ||||
| Has the horizontal lifeline system been designed and approved by a structural engineer? | ||||
| Have the anchorages to which a horizontal lifeline is attached been designed and evaluated specifically for a horizontal lifeline? | ||||
| Is the rope or cable for the horizontal lifeline free from signs of wear or abrasion? | ||||
| Does rope or cable for the horizontal lifeline have the required initial sag? | ||||
| Have clearances for the horizontal lifeline been checked? | ||||
| Is the hardware riding on the horizontal lifeline made of steel? | ||||
| Fall Arresters | ||||
| Is the fall arrester compatible with the lifeline on which it is to be installed or operated? | ||||
| Is the fall arrester equipped with a changeover lever that allows it to become a stationary anchor on the lifeline? | ||||
| Is the fall arrester equipped with a locking mechanism that prevents unintentional opening of the device and subsequent disengagement from the lifeline? | ||||
| Is the “up” direction on the fall arrester properly marked? | ||||
| Lanyards | ||||
| Is the lanyard length as short as necessary and, in no case, greater than 6 ft (1.8 m)? | ||||
| Are manually adjustable lanyards used when it is desirable to be able to take slack out of the lanyard? | ||||
| Does the lanyard have a shock-absorbing feature to limit the arresting forces to 500-600 lbs (227- 272 kg)? | ||||
| If the lanyard has a shock absorber, is it obvious to the user that the shock absorber has been deployed (e.g., Is there a warning label, broken pouch, etc.?)? | ||||
| Is it prohibited to tie knots from the lanyard to the lifeline? | ||||
| Is the end of the cable properly spliced? | ||||
| Have double-locking snap hooks been used? | ||||
| Is the snap hook attached to the D-ring, eyebolt, or other hardware in a manner approved by the manufacturer of the snap hook? | ||||
| Are snap hooks arranged so they are never connected to each other? | ||||
| Are full-body harnesses quipped with all necessary attachment points? | ||||
| Are Velcro type of closure prohibited from all load-bearing connections? | ||||
| Has the free-fall distance been considered, so that a worker will not strike a lower surface or object before the fall is arrested? | ||||
| Have pendulum-swing fall hazards been eliminated? | ||||
| Have pendulum-swing fall hazards been eliminated? | ||||
| Are all inspections of fall arrest systems performed by trained inspectors? | ||||
| Are written reports maintained of inspections? | ||||
COPYRIGHT ©2005, ISO Services Properties, Inc.