Standing Tall on Safety: A Closer Look at Fall Protection in Construction

Each year, falls continue to be the leading cause of death in the construction industry. In support of OSHA’s National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction, it’s a great time to revisit the Hierarchy of Fall Protection. The questions I answered below are designed to prompt safety professionals, insurers, and the work force to critically assess their approach to fall risk.

What is the Hierarchy of Fall Protection? 

In simple terms, it’s a structured approach used to control fall hazards in the workplace—especially in construction, manufacturing, and industrial settings. The hierarchy prioritizes methods of eliminating or minimizing fall risks by effectiveness, starting with the most reliable, elimination of the hazard. Then working into passive solutions and ending up with those that rely more heavily on human behavior and compliance; like fall restraint, fall arrest systems, and administrative controls. 

How often do employers follow the Hierarchy of Fall Protection VS skipping straight to PFAS as PPE?

I can attest that far too often; employers bypass the top levels of the Hierarchy of Fall Protection and go straight to issuing PPE—usually a harness and lanyard—as the default solution. This happens for a few key reasons: time pressure, lack of planning during the design phase, or a misunderstanding of what constitutes true compliance versus best practice.

PPE (like personal fall arrest systems, PFAS) is one of the last lines of defense—not the first. The hierarchy is structured to prioritize elimination of the hazard altogether, then passive systems like guardrails or hole covers, followed by fall restraint. These options either remove the hazard or prevent the fall entirely, which is safer and less prone to human error.

Unfortunately, many job sites treat PPE as a “one-size-fits-all” fix, when it should be a backup after higher-level controls have been deemed unfeasible. What we really need is a stronger emphasis during planning stages—designing fall hazards out of the job entirely when possible. I’d venture to say if your first thought is a PFAS, you probably missed a safer opportunity upstream.

What steps can an employer take to eliminate fall hazards before resorting to personal fall arrest equipment?

With 28 years in the field, I’ve learned that the most effective fall protection strategy is to plan for elimination from the start. Before we ever put someone in a harness, employers should be asking: “Can we do this work without exposing someone to a fall hazard at all?” and there are definitely a few proven steps that work. 

We can use design principles to eliminate the hazard early by engaging safety professionals during the design and pre-construction phases, not just on the jobsite. Instead of installing skylights that require routine rooftop access, the design team could suggest non-fragile roof panels or install walkable skylights that eliminate fall-through risks. Design parapet walls at least 42 inches high to double as guardrails and remove the need for temporary edge protection. In multi-story buildings, include permanent anchor points in the structural drawings so fall protection is built in, not bolted on later, offering both in=process construction and later- facilities maintenance access points to be used post construction. Eliminating the need to work at height is the most foolproof form of fall protection.

How can engineering controls and emerging technologies help employers reduce reliance on personal fall arrest systems?

Considering engineering controls like modifying structures to allow safe access or the addition of permanent access platforms, catwalks, or guardrails could also be investments that pay off in both safety and productivity; even substituting with technology can have an impact. The use of drones for inspections, extendable tools for elevated measurements, or even robotic systems where feasible are innovations that keep boots on the ground. And it’s worth mentioning, even something as simple as reordering tasks can prevent exposure. For instance, installing edge protection systems before allowing all trades access, can remove the risk of a fall altogether.

Ultimately, employers must stop viewing fall arrest as the first option, it should be the last resort when all other controls have been evaluated and ruled out. The safest fall is the one that never happens.

If you’d like to learn more about the Hierarchy of Fall Protection, explore training opportunities for your team, or discuss fall protection strategies in construction, feel free to reach out. We’re always here to support safer job sites. Stay safe out there.

Authored by: Carley Smith, President and Owner of Carley Smith Safety Services