Falls are a common cause of serious work-related injuries and deaths, making fall protection planning crucial for eliminating hazards and controlling risks associated with working at heights or near openings. A fall protection plan is a set of policies and procedures to identify fall hazards and implement measures to prevent injury. It includes the selection, assembly, maintenance, inspection, and dismantling of equipment like ladders, scaffolds, or platforms, as well as fall protection equipment. Emergency procedures for rescuing fallen workers are also a critical part of the plan. [4] [2]

Key elements to consider when writing a fall protection plan:

• Identifying all areas where there is a potential for injury due to a fall.
• Prioritizing passive fall arrest systems like guardrails, travel restraint, or fall-restricting systems over personal fall arrest systems.
• Developing written fall protection policies and procedures relevant to the workplace.
• Specifying procedures for fall protection equipment inspection, setup, use, and removal.
• Creating fall arrest rescue procedures detailing how to safely return workers to the ground after a fall.
• Educating and training workers and supervisors to understand and properly fulfill their role in fall protection and prevention.

[3] [3] [3] [3] [3] [1] Responsibilities for fall hazards:

• Employers must develop written fall protection policies, identify potential fall injury areas, prioritize passive fall arrest systems, and create fall arrest rescue procedures.
• Supervisors must ensure workers follow legal requirements and workplace policies, inform workers about fall hazards, ensure workers use appropriate fall protection equipment, act on worker safety concerns, and participate in fall protection planning.
• Workers must alert supervisors to unidentified fall hazards, participate in fall protection planning, follow legal requirements and workplace policies, actively participate in education and training, and use protective equipment appropriately.

[3] [3] [3] [3] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] Fall arrest systems should only be used when other methods of fall protection are not available or possible, including engineering controls (e.g., elevated platform), guardrails, safety nets, or travel restraint. [5]

When using a fall arrest system, consider these key elements:

• Bottoming out: Prevented by designing the fall arrest system to minimize free fall distance.
• Pendulum effect: Reduced by placing the anchor point directly above the worker or using multiple anchor points.
• Suspension trauma: Addressed with an effective rescue plan and measures like relief straps or loops for the worker's feet.

[5] [5] [5] To prevent bottoming out, calculate the total fall clearance distance, considering the length of the lanyard, the length of the energy absorber (when deployed), the worker's height, and a safety factor. [6]