Fall Protection Glossary

Use the following glossary for a general understanding of common terms in fall protection. These are not meant to be used in place of ANSI and OSHA definitions in their appropriate context. Find further reference at the end of the glossary.

Activation Distance - The vertical distance from the point of a fall until a fall arrester, such as an SRL, applies braking or stopping force. Activation distance is a component of arrest distance.

Anchorage - A secure connecting or terminating point of a fall protection or rescue system. An anchorage must be able to support a fall protection or anchorage system's impact force.

ANSI – American National Standards Institute, a non-profit organization that develops and supervises standards for products, services, and procedures across the United States.

Arrest Distance - The required vertical distance needed to arrest a fall. The total includes deceleration and activation distances.

ASSP – American Society of Safety Professionals, a US organization consisting of occupational safety and health professionals. ASSP manages development of the Z359 standard.

 Body Belt - A strap that can secure a wearer about the waist and attach to a lanyard or lifeline. Sometimes called a “safety belt.” Effective January 1, 1998, per Federal OSHA, body belts are not acceptable as part of a personal fall arrest system. Note: The use of a body belt in a positioning device system is acceptable.

Body Harness - A set of straps secured around the user’s body and which can distribute fall arrest forces and attach to fall arrest systems.

Buckle - A device that connects two straps around a user’s body.Certificate of Compliance – A document that states a product meets an applicable standard. A third-party ISO 17065-accredited organization must issue the certificate.

Competent Person – An employer-designated person trained to identify, evaluate, and address hazardous conditions on worksites.

Connector - A device that connects a user’s body belt or full body harness to his or her anchor.

Deceleration Distance – The distance during the fall when a falling subject is decelerating due to an energy absorber. Deceleration distance is a component of arrest distance.

Declaration of Conformity – A manufacturer document that states a product conforms to an applicable standard.

Energy Absorber – An object that buffers a user from fall arrest forces.

Fall Arrest – An action that stops a free fall.

Fall Protection – A system or equipment that prevents or mitigates the effect of a fall.

Free Fall – The period of a fall before a system or equipment begins to arrest the fall.

Guardrail - A protective barrier that prevents workers from falling to lower levels. A form of passive fall protection.

Leading Edge – A working or walking surface with an unprotected edge that presents a fall hazard.

Positioning Device - A body belt or harness that keeps an elevated user vertically supported while keeping his or her hands free. Limits free fall to 2 feet or less.

Qualified Person – An accredited professional in fall protection and rescue who can design, assess, or specify fall protection and rescue systems.

Snaphook - A hook-shaped, self-closing, and self-locking connector that can secure onto, or release from, an object.

SRD – Self-Retracting Device, a device with a drum-wound line that locks when a user falls. An SRD dispenses and retracts its line during an attached user's normal movement. The onset of a fall causes the device to lock the drum and arrest the fall. The term is often interchanged in the field with Self-Retracting Lifeline (SRL) and Personal Fall Limiter (PFL). Nicknames include “yoyo” and “backpack.”

SRL – Self-Retracting Lifeline, a mechanical fall arrestor with a locking mechanism and energy absorber to arrests a fall and limits forces on the user. The term is often interchangeable with Self-Retracting Device (SRD) and Personal Fall Limiter (PFL).

Swing Fall – A type of fall that occurs when someone falls from a point horizontal to a fixed anchorage. A person will move in a pendulum-like motion after the initial vertical fall.

For official OSHA and ANSI fall protection definitions, see OSHA 1910.140 (General Industry), OSHA 1926.502 (Construction), and ANSI/ASSP Z359. ANSI and OSHA definitions may include more or less information than those above. The above definitions only seek to make fall protection language more accessible to workers of all levels.