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Safety & OSHAaka: PFASaka: personal fall arrest systemaka: fall arrest

Fall Arrest System

In Plain English

A harness and lifeline system that catches a worker if they fall from height.

Definition

A personal fall arrest system (PFAS) is a combination of an anchor point, body harness, and connecting device (lanyard or self-retracting lifeline) designed to stop a worker's fall before they hit the lower level or object. OSHA requires PFAS to limit maximum arresting force to 1,800 pounds, limit free fall to 6 feet, and ensure the worker is rescued promptly after arresting a fall. The total fall distance including deceleration must be calculated to ensure clearance.

Why It Matters in Bidding

Personal fall arrest is a direct general-conditions and trade cost that estimators must carry whenever work occurs at height without guardrails or nets, including harnesses, lanyards, anchors, and engineered anchorage. Beyond equipment, the required rescue plan and clearance calculations affect means-and-methods pricing, and omitting them invites OSHA exposure and uncompetitive or non-responsive safety scope at bid.

Example

Bidding steel erection on a four-story frame, the GC's estimator includes engineered tie-off anchors, self-retracting lifelines, harnesses for the crew, and a suspended-worker rescue provision in the general conditions rather than assuming subs supply everything.

Related Terms

Fall ProtectionGuardrail SystemPersonal Protective Equipment (PPE)OSHA

Related Tools & Templates

Fall Protection Plan

Frequently Asked Questions

Price the components together: body harnesses per worker, lanyards or self-retracting lifelines, and the anchorage. Engineered or temporary anchors and horizontal lifeline systems can dominate the cost on steel and concrete work. Clarify in the bid whether the GC's general conditions or each trade carries the gear, so the safety scope is not double-counted or missed.
Fall clearance is the total distance below the anchor needed to arrest a fall, including free fall, deceleration, harness stretch, and a safety margin. If clearance is insufficient, the design must shift to a different anchor location or a self-retracting lifeline, which changes equipment selection and cost the estimator must account for.
Yes. OSHA requires prompt rescue of a worker after a fall is arrested, since suspension trauma is life-threatening. Estimators should reflect the cost of rescue equipment, training, and the planned method in their safety line items, because a compliant system without a rescue provision is incomplete and can be cited.

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