1910.140(c): General Requirements for Personal Fall Protection Systems

(c) General requirements. The employer must ensure that personal fall protection systems meet the following requirements. Additional requirements for personal fall arrest systems and positioning systems are contained in paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section, respectively. 196 citations

(1) Connectors must be drop forged, pressed or formed steel, or made of equivalent materials.

(2) Connectors must have a corrosion-resistant finish, and all surfaces and edges must be smooth to prevent damage to interfacing parts of the system.

(3) When vertical lifelines are used, each employee must be attached to a separate lifeline.

(4) Lanyards and vertical lifelines must have a minimum breaking strength of 5,000 pounds (22.2 kN). Open (c)(4)

(5) Self-retracting lifelines and lanyards that automatically limit free fall distance to 2 feet (0.61 m) or less must have components capable of sustaining a minimum tensile load of 3,000 pounds (13.3 kN) applied to the device with the lifeline or lanyard in the fully extended position.

(6) A competent person or qualified person must inspect each knot in a lanyard or vertical lifeline to ensure that it meets the requirements of paragraphs (c)(4) and (5) of this section before any employee uses the lanyard or lifeline. 5 citations

(7) D-rings, snaphooks, and carabiners must be capable of sustaining a minimum tensile load of 5,000 pounds (22.2 kN). Open (c)(7) 2 citations

(8) D-rings, snaphooks, and carabiners must be proof tested to a minimum tensile load of 3,600 pounds (16 kN) without cracking, breaking, or incurring permanent deformation. The gate strength of snaphooks and carabiners must be capable of withstanding a minimum load of 3,600 pounds (16 kN) without the gate separating from the nose of the snaphook or carabiner body by more than 0.125 inches (3.175 mm). Open (c)(8) 1 citations

(9) Snaphooks and carabiners must be the automatic locking type that require at least two separate, consecutive movements to open. 1 citations

(10) Snaphooks and carabiners must not be connected to any of the following unless they are designed for such connections: Open (c)(10) 10 citations

(i) Directly to webbing, rope, or wire rope; Open (c)(10)(i) 5 citations

(ii) To each other; 1 citations

(iii) To a D-ring to which another snaphook, carabiner, or connector is attached;

(iv) To a horizontal life line; or

(v) To any object that is incompatibly shaped or dimensioned in relation to the snaphook or carabiner such that unintentional disengagement could occur when the connected object depresses the snaphook or carabiner gate, allowing the components to separate. 4 citations

(11) The employer must ensure that each horizontal lifeline: Open (c)(11) 10 citations

(i) Is designed, installed, and used under the supervision of a qualified person; and 7 citations

(ii) Is part of a complete personal fall arrest system that maintains a safety factor of at least two. 3 citations

(12) Anchorages used to attach to personal fall protection equipment must be independent of any anchorage used to suspend employees or platforms on which employees work. Anchorages used to attach to personal fall protection equipment on mobile work platforms on powered industrial trucks must be attached to an overhead member of the platform, at a point located above and near the center of the platform. Open (c)(12) 7 citations

(13) Anchorages, except window cleaners' belt anchors covered by paragraph (e) of this section, must be: Open (c)(13) 49 citations

(i) Capable of supporting at least 5,000 pounds (22.2 kN) for each employee attached; or Open (c)(13)(i) 27 citations

(ii) Designed, installed, and used, under the supervision of qualified person, as part of a complete personal fall protection system that maintains a safety factor of at least two. Open (c)(13)(ii) 22 citations

(14) Travel restraint lines must be capable of sustaining a tensile load of at least 5,000 pounds (22.2 kN).

(15) Lifelines must not be made of natural fiber rope. Polypropylene rope must contain an ultraviolet (UV) light inhibitor.

(16) Personal fall protection systems and their components must be used exclusively for employee fall protection and not for any other purpose, such as hoisting equipment or materials. 4 citations

(17) A personal fall protection system or its components subjected to impact loading must be removed from service immediately and not used again until a competent person inspects the system or components and determines that it is not damaged and safe for use for employee personal fall protection. Open (c)(17) 8 citations

(18) Personal fall protection systems must be inspected before initial use during each workshift for mildew, wear, damage, and other deterioration, and defective components must be removed from service. Open (c)(18) 65 citations

(19) Ropes, belts, lanyards, and harnesses used for personal fall protection must be compatible with all connectors used. Open (c)(19) 3 citations

(20) Ropes, belts, lanyards, lifelines, and harnesses used for personal fall protection must be protected from being cut, abraded, melted, or otherwise damaged. Open (c)(20) 15 citations

(21) The employer must provide for prompt rescue of each employee in the event of a fall. Open (c)(21) 8 citations

(22) Personal fall protection systems must be worn with the attachment point of the body harness located in the center of the employee's back near shoulder level. The attachment point may be located in the pre-sternal position if the free fall distance is limited to 2 feet (0.6 m) or less. 8 citations