Personal fall protection system
Contents |
[edit] Definition
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 (which were updated as the Work at Height Regulations 2007 in that year) define a ‘personal fall protection system’ as:
- (a) a fall prevention, work restraint, work positioning, fall arrest or rescue system, other than a system in which the only safeguards are collective safeguards; or
- (b) rope access and positioning techniques.
[edit] Fall systems
In general personal fall protection systems are considered as the next option if a collective fall protection systems are not possible. The reasons for not being able to install collective systems may be as a result of planning constraints, rights of light, viewing corridors or local restrictions etc. Specifying a system that meets both the EN 795:2012 standard (updated from the 1997 standard) for single user anchor devices and the CEN/TS 16415:2013
Both collective fall systems and personal fall systems generally sit in one of two categories, restraint systems and arrest systems as described here;
[edit] Collective fall protective systems
- Collective fall restraint systems, such as guardrails, working platforms, scaffold systems.
- Collective fall arrest systems, such as net systems, airbags, fall breaks.
[edit] Personal fall protective systems
- Personal fall restraint systems, such as anchor points with harnesses at fixed lengths and lanyards preventing hazards from being reached. Usually defined as perimeter systems and ridge systems.
- Personal fall arrest systems are usually the same but with harness that extend beyng the hazard but arrest a fall if it occurs.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- BS 7883.
- BS 7883 guide released.
- Collective restraint systems.
- Dynamic self-retracting lanyard.
- Fall arrest system.
- Fall prevention systems.
- FASET.
- Hoists.
- Injuries on construction sites.
- Safety in high places.
- Site safety.
- Work at height checklist for managers.
- Work at height regulations.
- Work at height.
- Working at height - our duty to prevent harm and protect each other.
- Work at Height Regulations.
- Working at height training.
Featured articles and news
Homes, landlords. tenants and the new housing standards
What will it all mean?
The Architectural Technology podcast: Where it's AT
Catch-up on the latest episodes.
Edmundson Apprentice of the Year award 2026
Entries now open for this Electrical Contractors' Association award.
Traditional blue-grey slate from one of the oldest and largest UK slate quarries down in Cornwall.
There are plenty of sources with the potential to be redeveloped.
Change of use legislation breaths new life into buildings
A run down on Class MA of the General Permitted Development Order.
Solar generation in the historic environment
Success requires understanding each site in detail.
Level 6 Design, Construction and Management BSc
CIOB launches first-ever degree programme to develop the next generation of construction leaders.
Open for business as of April, with its 2026 prospectus and new pipeline of housing schemes.
The operational value of workforce health
Keeping projects moving. Incorporating unplanned absence and the importance of health, in operations.
A carbon case for indigenous slate
UK slate can offer clear embodied carbon advantages.
Costs and insolvencies mount for SMEs, despite growth
Construction sector under insolvency and wage bill pressure in part linked to National Insurance, says report.
The place for vitrified clay pipes in modern infrastructure
Why vitrified clay pipes are reclaiming their role in built projects.
Research by construction PR consultancy LMC published.
Roles and responsibilities of domestic clients
ACA Safety in Construction guide for domestic clients.
Fire door compliance in UK commercial buildings
Architect and manufacturer gives their low down.