Fall Arrest - Personal Fall Arrest Systems

Personal Fall Arrest Systems

Fall arrest is of two major types: general fall arrest, such as nets; and personal fall arrest, such as lifelines. The most common manifestation of fall arrest in the workplace is the Personal Fall Arrest System, or PFAS ("lifeline").

Such a system must include 4 elements referred to as ABCDs of Fall Arrest:

  • A - Anchorage - a fixed structure or structural adaptation, often including an anchorage connector, to which the other components of the PFAS are rigged.
  • B - Body Wear - a full body harness worn by the worker.
  • C - Connector - a subsystem component connecting the harness to the anchorage - such as a lanyard.
  • D - Deceleration Device - a subsystem component designed to dissipate the forces associated with a fall arrest event.

Each of these elements is critical to the effectiveness of a personal fall arrest system. There are many different combinations of products that are commonly used to assemble a personal fall arrest system, and each must meet strict standards. The specific environment or application generally dictates the combination or combinations that are most appropriate.

Read more about this topic:  Fall Arrest

Famous quotes containing the words personal, fall, arrest and/or systems:

    “I leave the governor’s office next week, and with it public life ... [which] has been on the whole a pleasant one. But for ten years and over my salaries have not equalled my expenses, and there has been a feeling of responsibility, a lack of independence, and a necessary neglect of my family and personal interests and comfort, which make the prospect of a change comfortable to think of.”
    —Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)

    “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
    —Bible: New Testament, Matthew 15:27.

    A woman to Jesus.

    “One does not arrest Voltaire.”
    —Charles De Gaulle (1890–1970)

    “Our little systems have their day;
    They have their day and cease to be:
    They are but broken lights of thee,
    And thou, O Lord, art more than they.”
    —Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892)