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.

OSHA Guardrail Requirements: OSHA requires guardrail systems - or an equivalent fall protection method - on any open-sided floor, platform, or runway that is 4 feet or more above a lower level in general industry (29 CFR 1910.28), or 6 feet or more above a lower level in construction (29 CFR 1926.501).