Reference

Tie off without enough room below you and the system stops you only after you have already hit the ground. This guide shows how to calculate fall clearance step by step - free fall, deceleration, worker height, D-ring shift, and safety factor - with worked numbers for a shock-absorbing lanyard versus an SRL under OSHA 1926.502.

A shock-absorbing lanyard and a self-retracting lifeline both connect your harness to an anchor, but they behave differently in a fall, and choosing wrong can mean too little clearance to stop. This guide compares the two on free-fall distance, clearance, arrest force, and cost, and shows which connector fits each tie-off.