In construction and other industries that require work at heights, falls are a serious problem, but they don’t have to be. According to OSHA, in 2020 alone, there were 351 fatal falls to a lower level, which took up a great deal of the 1,008 total fatalities in construction that year. In this industry, falls are the leading cause of death, but they are practically always preventable.
The simplest way to reduce the frequency of falls is through proper worker training. If workers are well aware of the safest practices, they are far less likely to fall from unsafe heights. However, even with this ingrained drive for security, the possibility always remains for an accident to occur. Therefore, it is essential to prepare adequately for every job, using the correct equipment to keep workers safe. Specifications for fall safety equipment and protection systems are covered in the ANSI/ASSP Z359 (formerly ANSI/ASSE Z359) series of standards, as well as other American National Standards. Many of these have been bundled together into the ANSI/ASSE Z359 Fall Protection and Arrest Standards Package Version 3.0.
The ANSI/ASSE Z359 Fall Protection and Arrest Standards Package includes the following documents:
ANSI/ASSP Z359.1-2020 – The Fall Protection Code
ANSI/ASSE Z359.2-2017 – Minimum Requirements for a Comprehensive Managed Fall Protection Program
ANSI/ASSP Z359.3-2019 – Safety Requirements for Lanyards and Positioning Lanyards
ANSI/ASSP Z359.4-2013 (R2022) – Safety Requirements for Assisted-Rescue and Self-Rescue Systems, Subsystems and Components
ANSI/ASSE Z359.6-2016 – Specifications and Design Requirements for Active Fall Protection Systems
ANSI/ASSP Z359.7-2019 – Qualification and Verification Testing of Fall Protection Products
ANSI/ASSP Z359.9-2021 – Personal Equipment For Protection Against Falls – Descent Controllers
ANSI/ASSP Z359.11-2021 – Safety Requirements for Full Body Harnesses
ANSI/ASSP Z359.12-2019 – Connecting Components for Personal Fall Arrest System
ANSI/ASSP Z359.13-2013 (R2022) – Personal Energy Absorbers and Energy Absorbing Lanyards
ANSI/ASSP Z359.14-2021 – Safety Requirements for Self-Retracting Devices For Personal Fall Arrest and Rescue Systems
ANSI/ASSE Z359.15-2014 – Safety Requirements for Single Anchor Lifelines and Fall Arresters for Personal Fall Arrest and Rescue Systems
ANSI/ASSE Z359.16-2016 – Safety Requirements For Climbing Ladder Fall Arrest Systems
Each of these documents covers a different aspect of fall arrest systems or fall safety equipment. Some of these are broad and generally overarching, such as ANSI/ASSP Z359.1-2020, which “establishes requirements for the performance, design, marking, qualification, instruction, training, inspection, use, maintenance, and removal from service of connectors, full body harnesses, lanyards, energy absorbers, anchorage connectors, fall arresters, vertical lifelines, and self-retracting lanyards comprising personal fall arrest systems.”
Other standards in the Z359 series take a more-concentrated scope, generally detailing specifications for a specific type of equipment or method that was mentioned in Z359.1. For example, ANSI/ASSP Z359.3-2019 gives guidelines for the lanyards and harnesses used for personal positioning and travel restraint systems. While this document does address all aspects of this one system, it also mentions that it “shall not be used as a primary fall arrest system.” It is essential that each of these standard documents be used to complement one another.
Ultimately, compliance with all of the standards in this package provides worksites with much needed security, saving lives in elevated work environments.
ANSI/ASSE Z359 Fall Protection and Arrest Standards Package is available on the ANSI Webstore.
