Construction Fall Protection Plan Guide
Core elements of a project-specific fall-protection plan: competent planning, work-at-height assessment, access, collective controls, equipment, rescue and inspection.
Plan before exposing people
Identify all locations and tasks with fall risk, including edges, openings, roofs, scaffolds, ladders and fragile surfaces. Consider falling objects and people below as well as the worker at height.
Prioritise collective protection
Where practicable, prevent falls using design, safe platforms, guardrails, covers or other collective measures before relying on personal fall-arrest equipment.
Specify systems and compatibility
Anchorages, connectors, harnesses, lanyards and lifelines must form a compatible system selected for the task and available clearance. Follow manufacturer and competent-person requirements.
Plan rescue
A suspended worker requires prompt rescue. Define equipment, trained rescuers, communication, access and medical response, and test whether the plan is realistic for the location.
Inspect and supervise
Maintain pre-use and formal inspection records, remove defective equipment from service and verify that the planned controls are actually used.
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