Fall Protection Toolbox Talk

Project: ____________ · Date: ____________ · Led by: ____________

Falls kill more construction workers than anything else — about one in three deaths on the job. And fall protection has been OSHA's most-cited violation for over a decade, which means inspectors find people unprotected at height every single day.

Why it matters

A fall from 6 feet can kill you; a fall from 10 feet usually changes your life. The gear only works if it's worn, connected to a real anchor, and inspected — an unclipped lanyard is just extra weight.

Key points — cover all of these

1. The trigger height is 6 feet in construction. Above that you need guardrails, a personal fall arrest system, or another compliant system — no exceptions for 'just a minute'.
2. 100% tie-off means connected at all times, including while moving. Use twin-leg lanyards to stay clipped through transitions.
3. Anchors must hold 5,000 lbs per worker — a certified anchor point, not a pipe, conduit, or guardrail.
4. Inspect your harness and lanyard before every shift: webbing cuts, burns, pulled stitching, deployed shock pack, hooks that don't self-lock. Any failure = out of service.
5. Mind the fall distance: a 6-ft lanyard plus deceleration can need nearly 18 feet of clearance. Tie off high, keep slack short, watch for swing-fall.
6. Have a rescue plan. Suspension trauma can turn survivable falls fatal in minutes — know who gets a fallen worker down, and how.

Ask the crew

The answers are the point — this is where today's real hazards surface.

• Where will anyone on this crew be above 6 feet today, and what are they tying off to?
• If someone fell and was hanging in their harness right now, what exactly would we do in the next five minutes?
• When did each of us last really inspect our harness — not glance at it, inspect it?

The one thing today

Today, nobody works above 6 feet unclipped — not even to grab one tool.

Reference: OSHA 29 CFR 1926.501 (duty to have fall protection); 1926.502 (systems criteria)

Attendee sign-in