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 fixed ladder requirements come from two standards: 1910.23 sets the design dimensions — rung spacing, clearances, the 42-inch rail extension — and 1910.28(b)(9) sets the fall-protection timeline that ends the ladder cage era on November 18, 2036. This guide maps every date, every dimension, and a worked 30-foot retrofit example.

Fall protection is required at different heights by work type: OSHA construction triggers at 6 feet and general industry at 4 feet, with separate thresholds for scaffolds, steel erection, and fixed ladders. This guide decodes every trigger under 29 CFR 1926.501 and 1910.28 and walks a worked example of assessing a site's fall hazards.

A full-body harness only arrests a fall when it is donned correctly and fitted snug. This guide walks through every step - inspection, untangling, shoulder straps, chest and leg buckles, and dorsal D-ring placement - then covers the fingers-flat fit check and what OSHA 1926.502, 1910.140, and ANSI Z359 require before you tie off.

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.