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.