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.

Do you need a harness in a lift? OSHA answers by machine: boom-lift occupants must attach to the boom or basket under 1926.453, while scissor lifts are scaffolds whose guardrails are the fall protection. This guide separates the rules, the MEWP Group A and B classes, anchor points, restraint versus arrest, and the manual.

OSHA assigns every fall protection duty to a named role: the competent person who inspects and corrects, the qualified person who engineers anchors and lifelines, the authorized person who uses the systems. This guide decodes the 1926.32 definitions, maps every Subpart M duty to its role, and staffs a real roofing job.

A hard hat only protects you when it is worn the way it was certified to be worn. This guide explains how to set the suspension and the 1-inch shell clearance, when reverse wear is allowed, why a ball cap underneath defeats the design, and which accessories are safe. Every step is mapped to ANSI Z89.1 and OSHA 1910.135.