Personal Fall Arrest Systems - Components

PFAS are devices that stop a worker from falling too far. These systems consist of several components, and understanding the importance of each component helps both the employer and employee to make the most educated decision about the needs for specific work sites. The components of a PFAS are as follows:

• Anchorage - A secure point of attachment to be used with personal fall protection equipment
• Body belt - A body support that includes a strap with means for securing it about the waist (also referred to as a safety belt)
• Connector - A component or element that is used to couple parts of the system together
• Energy (shock) absorber - A component whose primary function is to dissipate energy and limit deceleration forces that the system imposes on the body during fall arrest
• Full body harness - A body support designed to contain the torso and distribute the fall arrest forces over at least the upper thighs, pelvis, chest, and shoulders
• Lanyard - A component consisting of a flexible rope, wire rope, or strap, which typically has a connector at each end for connecting to the body support and to a fall arrester, an energy absorber, an anchorage connector, or an anchorage
• Self-retracting lanyard - A device that includes a drum-wound line that automatically locks at the onset of a fall to arrest the worker, but that automatically extracts from and retracts onto the drum during normal movement of the person to whom the line is attached

To learn more about Fall Protection visit our OSHA Construction Fall Protection Online Training web page.