Fall Protection Rescue After a Fall

Why it matters

Surviving the fall is only half of it. A worker hanging in a harness can lose consciousness in minutes as the leg straps cut off circulation, which is called suspension trauma. OSHA requires prompt rescue of workers after a fall arrest, and prompt does not mean waiting for the fire department to figure out your roof. Today we make our rescue plan real: who, how, and with what equipment.

Hazards

• ⚠ Suspension trauma: pooling blood in the legs while hanging in the harness
• ⚠ No plan beyond calling 911 on sites first responders cannot reach quickly
• ⚠ Rescuers falling because they improvise at the edge without protection
• ⚠ Self-rescue attempts that turn a controlled hang into a second fall
• ⚠ Nobody on site trained to use the rescue equipment
• ⚠ The fallen worker hidden from view, hanging unnoticed

Controls and safe practices

• ✓ Have a written rescue plan for every task with fall arrest, reviewed before work starts.
• ✓ Keep rescue equipment on site and staged: ladder access, descent device, or rescue pole per the plan.
• ✓ Train at least two people per crew on the rescue plan and the equipment.
• ✓ If you are hanging: move your legs, pump against the straps, deploy trauma straps if fitted.
• ✓ Rescuers stay protected: fall protection on for the rescue too.
• ✓ Call 911 as backup, but do not make it the whole plan.
• ✓ Work in view of each other. Nobody on fall arrest works where nobody would see them fall.

Crew discussion questions

1. If someone fell right now from where we are working, exactly how do we get them down?
2. Where is our rescue equipment and who is trained on it?
3. How long would EMS take to reach our roof or floor, realistically?
4. Do our harnesses have trauma relief straps, and does everyone know how to deploy them?

Applicable OSHA standards

29 CFR 1926.502, 29 CFR 1926.50

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