Glossary of Fall Protection Terms - PPE

Personal Protective Equipment - PPE

Anchorage:
a secure point of attachment for lifelines, lanyards or other fall protection deceleration devices.

Anchorage Connector:
used to join the connecting device (lanyard, lifeline, or deceleration device) to the anchorage.

Arresting Force:
the force transmitted to the body when a fall is arrested. Also known as Fall Arrest Force.

Body belt (safety belt):
a strap with means both for securing it about the waist and for attaching it to a lanyard, lifeline, or deceleration device.
The use of a body belt for fall arrest is prohibited.

Body Belt:
a waist strap for attaching to a lanyard, lifeline or deceleration device. Used for positioning and/or restraint. Also known as a Safety Belt.

Body Harness:
a design of straps which is secured about a person in a manner to distribute fall arresting forces over at least the thighs, pelvis, waist, chest and shoulders, with provisions for attaching it to other components of a personal fall arrest system. Also known as a Full-Body Harness.

Body harness:
straps which may be secured around your employee in a way that distributes the fall arrest forces over at least the person’s thighs, pelvis, waist, chest and shoulders. The body harness must have a means for attaching it to other components of a personal fall arrest system.

Body Wear:
the personal protective equipment worn by a worker, such as a body belt or body harness.

Buckle:
an integral connector used to attach straps or webbing segments together or to themselves.

Cam Buckle:
an integral connector whereby the shoulder straps can be easily adjusted simultaneously with one hand. Promotes proper snug fit; will not slip or misadjust.

Competent person:
is defined by OSHA as someone who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has the authority to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.

Competent Person:
one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has the authority to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.

Connecting Device:
the critical link which joins the body wear to the anchorage/anchorage connector, such as shock-absorbing lanyard, fall limiter, self-retracting lifeline, rope grab, etc.

Connector:
a mechanism or device used to join together components of a personal fall arrest system or parts of a component within the system. See also Hardware.

Connector (anchorage connector):
a device which is used to couple (connect) parts of the personal fall arrest system and positioning device systems together. The connector may be an independent component of the system, such as a carabiner, or it may be an integral component of part of the system (such as a buckle or dee-ring sewn into a body belt or body harness, or a snap-hook spliced or sewn to a lanyard or self-retracting lanyard).

Controlled access zone (CAZ):
an area in which certain work (e.g., overhand bricklaying) may take place without the use of guardrail systems, personal fall arrest systems, or safety net systems and access to the zone is controlled.

Dangerous equipment:
equipment (such as pickling or galvanizing tanks, degreasing units, machinery, electrical equipment, and other units) which, because of form or function, may be hazardous to employees who fall onto or into such equipment.

Deceleration device:
any mechanism, such as a rope grab, rip-stitch lanyard, specially-woven lanyard, tearing or deforming lanyards, automatic self-retracting lifelines/lanyards, etc., which serves to dissipate a substantial amount of energy during a fall arrest, or otherwise limit the energy imposed on an employee during fall arrest.

Deceleration Device:
any mechanism which serves to dissipate energy during a fall arrest, limiting the forces imposed on a person.

Deceleration distance:
the additional vertical distance a falling employee travels, excluding lifeline elongation and free fall distance, before stopping, from the point at which the deceleration device begins to operate. It is measured as the distance between the location of an employee's body belt or body harness attachment point at the moment of activation (at the onset of fall arrest forces) of the deceleration device during a fall, and the location of that attachment point after the employee comes to a full stop.

Directive 89/686/EEC:
European Directive for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE.
The Directive details both Essential Health and Safety Requirements (EHSRs) for the PPE and the conformity assessment procedures, which for products protecting against more serious risk may require the intervention of a so-called "Notified Body". Notified Bodies are institutes appointed by the Member States and they have the mission to be at the service of the manufacturer wherever the Directive requests for third party intervention (EC type examination, approval and monitoring of quality assurance systems).
PPE Directive 89/686/EEC covers these products. It defines legal obligations ensuring that PPE on the European market gives the highest level of protection against hazards: the CE marking affixed to PPE signals that! As this is a "New Approach" Directive, manufacturers or their authorised representative in the European Union can comply with the technical requirements either directly, or by means of European Harmonised Standards, the latter providing a presumption of conformity to the essential health and safety requirements.

D-Ring:
an integral component or provision commonly found on body wear and some anchorage connectors which allows for attaching a connecting device (lanyard, lifeline, or deceleration device).

Equivalent:
alternative designs, materials, or methods to protect against a hazard which the employer can demonstrate will provide an equal or greater degree of safety for employees than the methods, materials or designs specified in the standard.

Failure:
means load refusal, breakage, or separation of component parts. Load refusal is the point where the ultimate strength is exceeded.

Fall Indicator:
a safety device or warning flag which serves to let a user know that a shock-absorbing lanyard has been involved in a fall and should be removed from service.

Fall Limiter:
a self-retracting lifeline/lanyard with a quick-activating braking system that limits a free fall. Refer to Self-Retracting Lifeline/Lanyard. (Ex.: Miller MiniLite® Fall Limiter.)

Free fall:
the act of falling before a personal fall arrest system begins to apply force to arrest the fall.

Free fall distance:
the vertical distance between onset of the fall and just before the system begins to apply force to arrest the fall. This distance excludes deceleration distance, and lifeline/lanyard elongation, but includes any deceleration device slide distance or self-retracting lifeline/lanyard extension before they operate and fall arrest forces occur.

Friction Buckle:
an integral connector whereby the webbing passes over the knurled bar and back down between the knurled bar and frame to adjust and tighten webbing straps.

Full-Body Harness:
(See Body Harness.)

Guardrail system (railing or guard rail):
a barrier erected to prevent employees from falling to lower levels.

Hole:
a gap or void 2 inches (5.1 cm) or more in its least dimension, in a floor, roof, or other walking/working surface.

Infeasible:
it is impossible to perform the construction work using a conventional fall protection system (i.e., guardrail system, safety net system, or personal fall arrest system) or that it is technologically impossible to use any one of these systems to provide fall protection.

Lanyard:
a flexible line of rope, wire rope, or strap which generally has a connector at each end for connecting the body belt or body harness to a deceleration device, lifeline, or anchorage.

Lanyard:
a flexible line of rope, wire rope/cable, or webbing which generally has a connector at each end for securing a body belt or body harness to a lifeline, deceleration device or anchorage.

Lanyard Ring:
a component of a body harness that allows the user to attach a lanyard when not in use so that it is not hanging freely.

Leading edge:
the edge of a floor, roof, or formwork for a floor or other walking/working surface (such as the deck) which changes location as additional floor, roof, decking, or formwork sections are placed, formed, or constructed. A leading edge is considered to be an "unprotected side and edge" during periods when it is not actively and continuously under construction.

Lifeline:
a component consisting of a flexible line for connection to an anchorage at one end to hang vertically (vertical lifeline), or for connection to anchorages at both ends to stretch horizontally (horizontal lifeline), and which serves as a means for connecting other components of a personal fall arrest system to the anchorage.

Lifeline:
a line provided for direct or indirect attachment to a body belt, body harness, lanyard, or deceleration device. Such lifelines may be horizontal or vertical in application.

Low-slope roof:
a roof having a slope less than or equal to 4 in 12 (vertical to horizontal).

Lower Level:
an area or surface to which a person can fall.

Lower levels:
those areas or surfaces to which an employee can fall. Such areas or surfaces include, but are not limited to, ground levels, floors, platforms, ramps, runways, excavations, pits, tanks, material, water, equipment, structures, or portions thereof.

Maximum Arrest Force:
the peak force on the body during arrest of a fall by the fall arrest system. Also known as Peak Fall Arrest Force.

Mating Buckle:
an integral connector whereby a center bar is pushed through a square link. Webbing is then tightened for proper fit.

Opening:
a gap or void 30 inches (76 cm) or more high and 18 inches (48 cm) or more wide, in a wall or partition, through which employees can fall to a lower level.

Orthostatic Intolerance:
Refer to Suspension Trauma.

Personal fall arrest system:
a system used to arrest an employee in a fall from a working level. It consists of an anchorage, connectors, a body belt or body harness and may include a lanyard, deceleration device, lifeline, or suitable combinations of these. As of January 1, 1998, the use of a body belt for fall arrest is prohibited.

Personal Fall Arrest System:
an arrangement of components that together will arrest a person in a fall from a working level. It typically consists of an anchorage, connecting device and body harness, and may include a lanyard, deceleration device, lifeline or a combination of these.

Personal Fall Limiter (PFL):
a self-retracting lanyard with a quick-activating braking system that limits a free fall. In addition, a PFL offers versatility through dual operation by either attaching directly to the harness back D-ring for use as a personal fall limiter, or can be used as a traditional retractable lifeline.

Positioning device system:
a body belt or body harness system rigged to allow an employee to be supported on an elevated vertical surface, such as a wall, and work with both hands free while leaning.

Qualified person:
as defined by OSHA 29 CFR 1926.32 (m) someone who, by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or who by extensive knowledge, training, and experience, has successfully demonstrated his ability to solve or resolve problems relating to the subject matter, work, or the project.

Quick-Connect Buckle:
for leg and chest harness straps that interlock similar to a seat belt for easy use and features a dual-tab release mechanism to prevent accidental opening.

Retractable Lifeline:
See Self-Retracting Lifeline/Lanyard.

Rollout:
a process by which a snap hook, carabiner or similar device unintentionally disengages from another component to which it is attached.

Rope Grab:
a deceleration device which travels on a lifeline and automatically engages the lifeline and locks to arrest a fall.

Rope grab:
a deceleration device which travels on a lifeline and automatically, by friction, engages the lifeline and locks so as to arrest the fall of an employee. A rope grab usually employs the principle of inertial locking, cam/level locking, or both.

Roof:
the exterior surface on the top of a building. This does not include floors or formwork which, because a building has not been completed, temporarily become the top surface of a building.

Roofing work:
hoisting, storage, application, and removal of roofing materials and equipment, including related insulation, sheet metal, and vapor barrier work, but not including the construction of the roof deck.

Safety-monitoring system:
a safety system in which a competent person is responsible for recognizing and warning employees of fall hazards. (See competent person, above)

Self-retracting lifeline/lanyard:
a deceleration device containing a drum-wound line which can be slowly extracted from, or retracted onto, the drum under slight tension during normal employee movement, and which, after onset of a fall, automatically locks the drum and arrests the fall.

Shock Absorber:
a component of a personal fall arrest system which allows dissipation of energy by extending deceleration distance reducing fall arrest forces.

Shock-Absorbing Lanyard:
specially-designed lanyard that elongates during a fall to significantly reduce fall arresting forces.

Snaphook:
a connector comprised of a hook-shaped member with a normally closed keeper, or similar arrangement, which may be opened to permit the hook to receive an object and, when released, automatically closes to retain the object.

Snap Hook:
a connector with a hook-shaped member, keeper, latch or other similar arrangement which may be opened to receive an object and, when released, automatically closes to retain the object.

Locking Snap Hook:
a snap hook that includes a locking mechanism which will keep the hook closed and locked until manually unlocked and opened.

Steep roof:
a roof having a slope greater than 4 in 12 (vertical to horizontal).

Strap – a length of webbing.

Stretchable Harness:
a full-body harness that is more comfortable to wear because the webbing is a blend of nylon, polyester, and a specially-formulated elastomer that stretches. Includes provisions for attaching a lanyard, lifeline or deceleration device.

Sub-Pelvic Strap:
a full-body harness strap, which passes under the buttocks without passing through the crotch, that is designed to transmit forces applied during fall arrest or post-fall suspension to the sub-pelvic part of the body.

Suspension Trauma (Orthostatic Intolerance):
when a person falls and remains both vertical and sedentary for a period of time, blood pools in the veins of the legs, which could result in unconsciousness. If a person is not rescued quickly, permanent damage and possibly death may result. (Miller Relief Step Safety Device relieves suspension trauma.)

Tie-Back Lanyard:
a flexible line of heavy-duty, abrasion-resistant webbing designed to be used as the connecting device and anchorage connector with a specially-engineered snap hook able to withstand 5,000 lbs. (22kN)

Toeboard:
a low protective barrier that will prevent the fall of materials and equipment to lower levels and provide protection from falls for personnel.

Tongue Buckle:
an integral connector similar to a standard belt buckle whereby a webbing strap is inserted through the buckle placing the buckle tongue through the appropriate grommet hole. Also known as a Grommet Buckle.

Total Fall Clearance Distance:
the maximum vertical distance that a worker could potentially fall and still avoid contact with a lower level.

Total Fall Distance:
the maximum vertical distance between the full-body harness attachment point and the lowest extremity of the body before and after the fall is arrested including lanyard extension and/or deceleration distance.

Unprotected sides and edges:
any side or edge (except at entrances to points of access) of a walking/working surface, e.g., floor, roof, ramp, or runway where there is no wall or guardrail system at least 39 inches (1.0 m) high.

Walking/working surface:
any surface, whether horizontal or vertical on which an employee walks or works, including, but not limited to, floors, roofs, ramps, bridges, runways, formwork and concrete reinforcing steel but not including ladders, vehicles, or trailers, on which employees must be located in order to perform their job duties.

Warning line system:
a barrier erected on a roof to warn employees that they are approaching an unprotected roof side or edge, and which designates an area in which roofing work may take place without the use of guardrail, body belt, or safety net systems to protect employees in the area.

Work area:
that portion of a walking/working surface where job duties are being performed.