Page 217 - Safety Memo

Safety Memo #21 Personal Fall Arrest Systems (PFAS) & Personal Fall Restraint Systems
(PFRS)

Date: August 23, 2019

To: ACI PROJECT DIVISION
<<MANDATORY>>
Personal Fall Arrest Systems (PFAS), Personal Fall Restraint Systems (PFRS)

When all other forms of fall protection are either infeasible or impossible to use, Personal Fall Arrest Systems or Personal
Fall Restraint Systems may be used. They should be designed so that when stopping a fall, an employee can neither free fall
more than 6 feet nor contact any lower level.

All parts of these systems must be inspected daily and before using/equipping them. If any part of the system has failed or
already been used and should not be used again per the manufacturers' recommendation, then that part must be taken out of
service and replaced immediately.

The PFAS and PFRS consists of four parts. Just remember the ABCs and R of fall protection:

A: Anchor
B: Body Wear
C: Connecting Devices
R: Rescue

All components must be rated to be OSHA compliant:
• Anchors must be capable of supporting 5,000 lbs per employee attached.
• Body wear should come in the form of a full body harness with D-Rings rated at a minimum tensile strength of
5,000 lbs.
• Connecting devices are the link that joins the body wear to the anchor. These can consist of energy-absorbing
lanyards, self-retracting lifelines, rope grabs, or retrieval systems.
• Rescue plans should always be in place so that prompt rescue may occur in the event of a fall or so that employees are
able to rescue themselves.