Archives: FAQs

A written rescue plan is part of an overall fall protection plan and is required by OSHA. The written rescue plan must be site specific and include step-by-step procedures for self rescue, assisted rescue, or multi-person evacuation. The following four topics must be addressed when developing and implementing your rescue plan: 

1. Who will be executing the rescue?
2. Where will the rescue take place?
3. What type of equipment is required to safely conduct the rescue?
4. What are our rescue options for this area?

A rescue plan is a living document and must be updated as new equipment is brought onto the worksite.  It must be read and understood by any workers who will be impacted by the information it contains. 

A fall protection plan is a detailed safety plan for workers who will perform work at an elevated area. These advance plans must be worksite specific and made available to all employees.  

The following factors should be considered when developing a fall protection plan: 

1. Potential fall hazards on-site within the work area.
2. Fall protection applications that employees will encounter with the appropriate equipment they need to work safely.
3. Procedures for the assembly, maintenance, inspection and disassembly of all fall protection systems used on-site.
4. Procedures for handling, storing and securing all tools and materials.
5. Training methods for employees at the worksite.
6. Prompt, safe rescue procedures in the event of injured workers.

Suspension trauma, also known as orthostatic intolerance or harness hang syndrome, is a deadly condition caused by a long period of restricted blood circulation. Symptoms include:

• Lightheadedness
• Palpitations
• Tremulousness
• Poor concentration
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Sweating
• Weakness or fainting upon standing
• Unconsciousness

Orthostatic intolerance first begins when a worker experiences a fall and is suspended above the ground, typically when using a fall arrest system. While suspended, a worker may become unconscious and the length of suspension combined with venous pooling (blood collecting in the veins) could result in death. Such fatalities can occur in less than 30 minutes and even as little as 10 minutes. OSHA mandates that rescue be made within 4-6 minutes. 

“100% tie-off” or “100% fall protection” means that when a worker is exposed to potential fall hazards, he or she must be protected by an active or passive fall protection system 100% of the time. Active systems include fall arrest systems such as those with an anchor, full body harness and connecting lanyard. A passive system could be a guardrail or netting. For example, when a guideline indicates that 100% fall protection is required above 6 feet, a worker climbing a fixed ladder of any height above 6 feet should be protected by a ladder climb system, cage or other active fall protection while climbing as well as when exiting the ladder onto the working surface. A positioning or travel restraint device could be a part of this 100% fall protection system. Most often, a backup fall arrest system is also used while connected to the positioning or travel restraint system to ensure 100% tie-off at all times.

The ANSI/ASSE Z359.0-2012 standard says, “a swing fall is a pendulum-like motion that occurs during and/or after a vertical fall. A swing fall results when an authorized person begins a fall from a position that is located horizontally away from a fixed anchorage.” 

Swing falls are typically associated with the use of a self-retracting lanyard because an SRL can be installed at greater heights than shock absorbing lanyards. If cable is let out of the device as a result of the user moving away from the device horizontally, a fall and the subsequent locking of the SRL will cause the user to “swing” like a pendulum back towards the center anchor point. The possibility of a swing fall requires adjusted calculations for fall clearance.

ANSI/ASSE Z359.0 defines a PFAS as “an assembly of components and subsystems used to arrest a person in a free fall.” Typically, a PFAS consists of: [1] an anchorage device; [2] a full body harness; and [3] a connector. At the most basic level, the anchor attaches to the structure upon which the user is working. The harness contains the body of the user. The connector fastens the user’s harness to the anchor and manages the forces associated with the arrest.