Reference

Fall restraint keeps a worker from reaching the hazard; fall arrest catches a fall already in progress. This reference sets out the hierarchy, a side-by-side comparison, the anchorage rule OSHA actually enforces for restraint, how work positioning differs from both, and where restraint quietly stops being restraint on a real jobsite.

ANSI/ASSP Z359.14-2021 replaced the Class A and Class B self-retracting lifeline labels with Class 1 and Class 2 on August 1, 2023, and changed what the class measures: anchorage position, not stopping distance. Covers both classes side by side, why Class A does not convert to Class 1, and how edge rating differs from class.

A personal fall arrest system is only as strong as its weakest link, and the ABCDs framework is how to make sure no link is missing. This guide explains the ABCDs of fall protection, Anchorage, Body wear, Connectors, and Descent or rescue, covers the OSHA trigger heights, and shows how to calculate the fall clearance you actually need.