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Fall arrest vs fall restraint: what it means for the CHST

Toe Board editorial teamUpdated 3 min read

Fall restraint keeps a worker from reaching the edge at all: the lanyard is short enough, from a placed anchor, that the worker cannot get to the point where they could fall. Fall arrest lets the worker reach the edge and stops them after a fall begins. Restraint prevents the fall. Arrest limits the harm of one.

Two roof-edge scenes: on the left a worker on a short line from an anchor stops before the edge, labeled restraint; on the right a worker has gone over the edge and hangs from a lanyard, with the free fall and deceleration distances marked, labeled arrest
Restraint: the edge is out of reach. Arrest: the fall happens and is stopped.
Use this diagram

Fall arrest in the rules

A personal fall arrest system is anchor, connector and full body harness, often with a shock-absorbing lanyard or a self-retracting line. Under 29 CFR 1926.502(d), the system must limit the arresting force on the worker to 1,800 pounds with a body harness, limit free fall to 6 feet, keep the worker from contacting any lower level, and limit deceleration distance to 3.5 feet. Anchorages must hold 5,000 pounds per attached worker, or be designed by a qualified person with a safety factor of at least two. Body belts are not allowed as part of an arrest system.

The catch is clearance. Free fall, deceleration, harness stretch, the worker's height below the D-ring and a safety margin all add up, and the total must fit above the next level down. That arithmetic is what the fall clearance calculator does.

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Fall restraint in practice

Subpart M gives criteria for arrest systems and positioning devices in 1926.502(d) and (e); 1910.140 defines travel restraint. In plain terms, the idea of restraint is that the length is set so the edge cannot be reached from any point the worker can move to.

Positioning devices, used for example on rebar walls, are a third category under 1926.502(e): they hold a worker in place with both hands free, with free fall limited to 2 feet.

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Every answer comes with a full explanation.

Which to choose

Where it works, restraint prevents the fall, so there is no arrest force. Read the hierarchy of controls the same way. Arrest is used where the worker must reach the edge. Both rank below collective protection that needs no action from the worker, such as a guardrail system. A toeboard protects people below from falling objects and is a separate duty.

Common mix-ups

  • The same lanyard is not always both. A 6-foot lanyard that lets the worker reach the edge is arrest, not restraint.
  • Arrest needs a rescue plan. Suspension after a fall is itself a hazard.
  • Clearance is not the lanyard length. Add every distance.

On the CHST exam

Fall protection is one of the common hazards named in the hazard and risk identification and control domain, 36.6% of the CHST.

Practice it

The fall protection guide maps Subpart M. Every term in this set is in the CHST terms glossary.

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