3 Tips to Improve Fall Protection Training

by Philip Jacklin, Contributor

Comprehensive training is the cornerstone of a successful fall protection program.

In the construction industry, protecting workers from falls is likely one of the most important tasks for the safety team. Falls from heights are the most common cause of injury and fatality to occur on the job site. For 14 consecutive years, “Fall Protection: General Requirements” have been the most cited OSHA violation. In 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported 885 fatalities due to falls.

According to a study conducted by the Center for Construction Research & Training (CPWR), insufficient planning was identified as the primary cause for fall deaths. And while OSHA requires initial fall protection training for all employees that will use fall protection equipment, it does not provide much clarity into the thoroughness of that training. Obviously, organizations should desire to provide trainings that will educate workers on the importance of fall protection, how to properly use equipment, and empower them to take an active role in their personal safety when working at heights. This article will outline OSHA’s fall protection training requirements and offer three tips to improve fall protection training programs, making them more effective and potentially saving lives.

Fall Protection Training Requirements

OSHA requires every organization to designate at least one individual as their Competent Person. To obtain Competent Person certification, the individual must complete a minimum 16-hour training course offered by an ANSI-accredited training organization. The EM385 standard, for many federal or DoD properties, requires a 24-hour Competent Person certification. Competent Person certifications must be refreshed every two years.

The Competent Person is the organization’s facilitator of the fall protection program. They are primarily responsible for identifying fall hazards, implementing solutions to mitigate risk, conducting and documenting annual equipment inspections, and designating any employees that will use fall protection equipment as Authorized Users.

OSHA mandates that employers provide initial fall protection training to employees and designate them as an Authorized User before they can use fall protection equipment on the job site. OSHA does not provide further context on what that training will entail or how often it should occur; therefore, employers should also consult the ANSI Z359 consensus standard to develop a robust and effective training program for their employees. While OSHA does not provide much insight into the content or frequency of ongoing trainings, it does mandate that retraining must occur when equipment, environments, or policies change, or when an employee displays a gap in understanding of fall protection knowledge that could put themselves or others in danger.

Now that we understand OSHA’s minimum training requirements, let’s discuss three ways to enhance training programs for greater effectiveness.

Tip #1: Teach Proper Harness Fitting Techniques

Providing an employee with a fall protection harness is one thing, but ensuring they don the harness correctly is another. Users must ensure their harness is fitted properly, or they may be subject to more severe injury during a fall arrest.

Proper harness tension is crucial to ensuring a worker remains safe during fall arrest. A properly tensioned harness encourages the user to maintain an upright posture. It keeps the body stationary during fall arrest, which best mitigates the fall forces that the harness can partially absorb during fall arrest. If a harness fits loosely, it will suddenly become very tight in crucial areas, such as the groin or pelvic region. This sudden “tightening” of the harness can cause unanticipated injury and will not properly absorb forces from the user. Fall protection manufacturers must ensure that no more than 1,800 pounds of force is felt by a user in their harness. However, this can only be performed if the user dons the harness correctly, according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

A correct fit is achieved by first verifying that the harness provided to the worker is the correct size (see the manufacturer’s instruction manual for guidance) and then by adjusting the chest, shoulder, and leg straps.

The chest strap should be aligned with the creases created by a user’s armpits when they hold their arms flat against the sides of their body. The shoulder straps should fit snugly so that the user feels slight tension on their shoulders, and they should not be able to slip off without unfastening the chest strap. The leg straps should be adjusted tightly enough to remain stationary on the user’s leg but not so tight as to cut off circulation. One common rule for determining leg strap tightness is called “flat hand, not fat hand.” This is where a user’s extended palm (flat hand) can comfortably slip under the leg strap when tightened, but not the user’s fist (fat hand).

Tip #2: Discuss Fall Clearance Calculations

When providing connection devices to users, employers must educate workers on how to determine the minimum fall clearance required by the device. This distance will vary depending on the connection device used by the worker, specifically whether it is a shock-absorbing lanyard, Class 1 SRL (for overhead anchors), or Class 2 SRL (for foot-level anchors). If a worker does not work above the minimum fall clearance required, they risk hitting the ground before their fall is fully arrested. If that happens, the equipment will not successfully absorb their fall forces, and the user can be subject to more severe injury.

The minimum fall clearance required should be printed on the product’s label or can be found in the manufacturer’s instructions. For 6-foot shock-absorbing lanyards, the minimum fall clearance required is typically 18.5 feet—that is calculated by adding the expected free fall, deceleration distance, anticipated harness stretch, and a 3-foot safety factor. In other words, if a worker uses a 6-foot shock-absorbing lanyard and they are not at least 18.5 feet off the ground, they could potentially hit the ground before the fall is fully arrested.

SRLs (or self-retracting lifelines) provide the user with the ability to work in fall arrest gear, but with less fall clearance required. Since SRLs begin decelerating falls almost instantly after the fall occurs, users should experience virtually no free fall when using overhead anchorages. And since they decelerate falls quicker than lanyards, there are less fall forces generated, and fall arrest can happen much quicker. Personal 6-foot SRL units typically only require 6-7 feet of fall clearance to guarantee a successfully arrested fall.

However, if the anchor option is at the user’s foot level, workers are required to use a Class 2 SRL, per an update to the ANSI Z359.14 standard that took effect in August 2023. When the anchor point is located beneath the dorsal d-ring on a user’s harness, the SRL cannot begin deceleration until after the user has fallen beneath the anchor point. This will subject the user to free fall, increased fall forces, and increased deceleration distances—which will require more fall clearance. These units are especially designed to absorb that additional load, whereas Class 1 SRLs run the risk of failing during one of these falls. Class 2 SRLs generally require a minimum fall clearance of 16-18 feet to successfully arrest a fall.

Before any elevated work begins, users should confirm the minimum fall clearance required by whatever connection device they are using and ensure they are working at a height above that clearance.

Tip #3: Incorporate Hands-On Demonstrations

It is often difficult for trainers to determine whether the information provided to Authorized Users is fully understood and if they will adopt safe work practices. However, two demonstrations can be added to fall protection trainings that do a wonderful job of helping workers realize the importance of using their fall protection equipment correctly.

The first is referred to as a “drop” demonstration. Fall protection manufacturers are notorious for performing these during training sessions. In these demonstrations, a mannequin weighing over 200 pounds is put through simulated drops to show workers what happens when a fall occurs. Typically, a free fall with no shock absorption is first performed, allowing users to see firsthand the speed and violence of falling only six feet. Then, users watch a second simulated fall occur with the aid of a shock-absorbing lanyard or SRL. Users compare the differences between the two falls and observe how fall protection equipment decelerates their fall and absorbs the majority of the fall forces. When an SRL is used in these demonstrations, most users are surprised to see just how quickly the devices work and are more likely to use them in the future.

The second is referred to as a “suspension” demonstration. In this demonstration, workers don their fall protection harness and are then hoisted up, allowing their feet to be slightly lifted off the ground. If a user has not donned their harness properly, they see how the harness begins to be lifted up before they are elevated off the ground. This demonstrates how the body would be subject to increased forces in the groin or pelvic region during a fall. Additionally, once users are lifted off the ground, they get to experience what it feels like to be in suspension. The discomfort they feel (sometimes pain, depending on the user), combined with the thought of going through an actual fall, gives users a glimpse into what they would feel after fall arrest occurs. This demonstration is a great way to combat any users who may question whether falls “actually hurt.”

It is vital for users to know that even if a fall is successfully arrested, they will still be subject to some fall forces, sometimes up to 1,350 pounds of force, depending on which connection device they use. The best way to prevent all chances of injury from a fall is to prevent the fall from occurring in the first place.

Conclusion

According to the U.S. BLS, we have seen a steady increase in the number of fatal falls each year since 2020. Tragically, the majority of those falls could have been prevented with more effective planning and training. Comprehensive fall protection training is the cornerstone of a successful fall protection program, and organizations should always be on the lookout for ways to keep their trainings informative, engaging, and effective. Companies like Diversified Fall Protection can help augment an organization’s training programs to ensure workers are following minimum OSHA requirements and industry best practices. If we can convince workers to consistently use their fall protection equipment and use it properly each time, we can prevent falls and save lives.

Philip Jacklin is a Continuing Education Program Manager, Diversified Fall Protection (fallprotect.com).