WAC 296-155-24503 Definitions. Anchorage means a secure point of attachment for lifelines, lanyards, or deceleration devices which is capable of withstanding the forces specified in the applicable sections of chapter 296-155 WAC.

аааа Approved means, for the purpose of this section; tested and certified by the manufacturer, or any recognized national testing laboratory, to possess the strength requirements specified in this section.

аааа Body belt means a Type 1 safety belt used in conjunction with lanyard or lifeline for fall restraint only.

аааа Full body harness means a configuration of connected straps to distribute a fall arresting force over at least the thighs, shoulders and pelvis, with provisions for attaching a lanyard, lifeline, or deceleration devices.

аааа Full body harness system means a Class III full body harness and lanyard which is attached to an anchorage meeting the requirements of chapter 296-155 WAC, Part C-1; or attached to a horizontal or vertical lifeline which is properly secured to an anchorage(s) capable of withstanding the forces specified in the applicable sections of chapter 296-155 WAC.

аааа Catenary line - see horizontal lifeline.

аааа Competent person means an individual knowledgeable of fall protection equipment, including the manufacturers recommendations and instructions for the proper use, inspection, and maintenance; and who is capable of identifying existing and potential fall hazards; and who has the authority to take prompt corrective action to eliminate those hazards; and who is knowledgeable of the rules contained in this section regarding the erection, use, inspection, and maintenance of fall protection equipment and systems.

аааа Connector means a device which is used to couple (connect) parts of the personal fall arrest system and positioning device systems together. It may be an independent component of the system, such as a carabiner, or it may be an integral component of part of the system (such as a buckle or dee ring sewn into a body belt or body harness, or a snap hook spliced or sewn to a lanyard or self-retracting lanyard).

аааа Continuous fall protection means the design and use of a fall protection system such that no exposure to an elevated fall hazard occurs. This may require more than one fall protection system or a combination of prevention or protection measures.

аааа Control zone means the area between the warning line and the unprotected sides and edges of the walking/working surface.

аааа Deceleration device means any mechanism, such as a rope grab, ripstitch lanyard, specifically woven lanyard, tearing or deforming lanyards, automatic self-retracting lifelines/lanyards, etc., which serves to dissipate a substantial amount of energy during a fall arrest, or otherwise limit the energy imposed on an employee during fall arrest.

аааа Deceleration distance means the additional vertical distance a falling employee travels, excluding lifeline elongation and free fall distance, before stopping, from the point at which the deceleration device begins to operate. It is measured as the distance between the location of an employee's body belt or body harness attachment point at the moment of activation (at the onset of fall arrest forces) of the deceleration device during a fall, and the location of that attachment point after the employee comes to a full stop.

аааа Drop line means a vertical lifeline secured to an upper anchorage for the purpose of attaching a lanyard or device.

аааа Failure means load refusal, breakage, or separation of component parts. Load refusal is the point where the ultimate strength is exceeded.

аааа Fall arrest system means the use of multiple, approved safety equipment components such as; body harnesses, lanyards, deceleration devices, droplines, horizontal and/or vertical lifelines and anchorages, interconnected and rigged as to arrest a free fall. Compliance with anchorage strength requirements specified in the applicable sections of chapter 296-155 WAC, Part C-1 shall constitute approval of the anchorage.

аааа Fall protection work plan means a written planning document in which the employer identifies all areas on the job site where a fall hazard of ten feet or greater exists. The plan describes the method or methods of fall protection to be utilized to protect employees, and includes the procedures governing the installation use, inspection, and removal of the fall protection method or methods which are selected by the employer. (See WAC 296-155-24505.)

аааа Fall restraint system means an approved device and any necessary components that function together to restrain an employee in such a manner as to prevent that employee from falling to a lower level. When standard guardrails are selected, compliance with applicable sections governing their construction and use shall constitute approval.

аааа Fall distance means the actual distance from the worker's support to the level where a fall would stop.

аааа Free fall means the act of falling before a personal fall arrest system begins to apply force to arrest the fall.

аааа Free fall distance means the vertical displacement of the fall arrest attachment point on the employee's body belt or body harness between onset of the fall and just before the system begins to apply force to arrest the fall. This distance excludes deceleration distance, and lifeline/lanyard elongation, but includes any deceleration device slide distance or self-retracting lifeline/lanyard extension before they operate and fall arrest forces occur.

аааа Hardware means snap hooks, D rings, bucklers, carabiners, adjusters, O rings, that are used to attach the components of a fall protection system together.

аааа Horizontal lifeline means a rail, rope, wire, or synthetic cable that is installed in a horizontal plane between two anchorages and used for attachment of a worker's lanyard or lifeline device while moving horizontally; used to control dangerous pendulum like swing falls.

аааа Lanyard means a flexible line of webbing, rope, or cable used to secure a body belt or harness to a lifeline or an anchorage point usually 2, 4, or 6 feet long.

аааа Leading edge means the advancing edge of a floor, roof, or formwork which changes location as additional floor, roof, or formwork sections are placed, formed, or constructed. Leading edges not actively under construction are considered to be "unprotected sides and edges," and positive methods of fall arrest or fall restraint shall be required to protect exposed workers.

аааа Lifeline means a vertical line from a fixed anchorage or between two horizontal anchorages, independent of walking or working surfaces, to which a lanyard or device is secured. Lifeline as referred to in this text is one which is part of a fall protection system used as back-up safety for an elevated worker.

аааа Locking snap hook means a connecting snap hook that requires two separate forces to open the gate; one to deactivate the gatekeeper and a second to depress and open the gate which automatically closes when released; used to minimize roll out or accidental disengagement.

аааа Low pitched roof means a roof having a slope equal to or less than 4 in 12.

аааа Mechanical equipment means all motor or human propelled wheeled equipment except for wheelbarrows, mopcarts, robotic thermoplastic welders and robotic crimpers.

аааа Positioning belt means a single or multiple strap that can be secured around the worker's body to hold the user in a work position; for example, a lineman's belt, a rebar belt, or saddle belt.

аааа Positioning device system means a body belt or body harness system rigged to allow an employee to be supported on an elevated vertical surface, such as a wall, and work with both hands free while leaning.

аааа Restraint line means a line from a fixed anchorage or between two anchorages to which an employee is secured in such a way as to prevent the worker from falling to a lower level.

аааа Roll out means unintentional disengagement of a snap hook caused by the gate being depressed under torque or contact while twisting or turning; a particular concern with single action snap hooks that do not have a locking gatekeeper.

аааа Roof means the exterior surface on the top of a building. This does not include floors or form work which, because a building has not been completed, temporarily become the top surface of a building.

аааа Roofing work means the hoisting, storage, application, and removal of roofing materials and equipment, including related insulation, sheet metal, and vapor barrier work, but not including the construction of the roof deck.

аааа Rope grab means a fall arrester that is designed to move up or down a lifeline suspended from a fixed overhead or horizontal anchorage point, or lifeline, to which the belt or harness is attached. In the event of a fall, the rope grab locks onto the lifeline rope through compression to arrest the fall. The use of a rope grab device is restricted for all restraint applications. (Refer to WAC 296-155-24510 (1)(b)(iii)).

аааа Safety line - see lifeline.

аааа Safety monitor system means a system of fall restraint used in conjunction with a warning line system only, where a competent person as defined by this part, having no additional duties, monitors the proximity of workers to the fall hazard when working between the warning line and the unprotected sides and edges including, the leading edge of a low pitched roof or walking/working surface.

аааа Self retracting lifeline means a deceleration device which contains a drum wound line which may be slowly extracted from, or retracted onto, the drum under slight tension during normal employee movement, and which after onset of a fall, automatically locks the drum and arrests the fall.

аааа Shock absorbing lanyard means a flexible line of webbing, cable, or rope used to secure a body belt or harness to a lifeline or anchorage point that has an integral shock absorber.

аааа Single action snap hook means a connecting snap hook that requires a single force to open the gate which automatically closes when released.

аааа Snap hook means a self-closing connecting device with a gatekeeper latch or similar arrangement that will remain closed until manually opened. This includes single action snap hooks that open when the gatekeeper is depressed and double action snap hooks that require a second action on a gatekeeper before the gate can be opened.

аааа Static line - see horizontal lifeline.

аааа Strength member means any component of a fall protection system that could be subject to loading in the event of a fall.

аааа Steep roof means a roof having a slope greater than 4 in 12.

аааа Unprotected sides and edges means any side or edge (except at entrances to points of access) of a floor, roof, ramp or runway where there is no wall or guardrail system as defined in WAC 296-155-505(7).

аааа Walking/working surface means for the purpose of this section, any area whose dimensions are forty-five inches or greater in all directions, through which workers pass or conduct work.

аааа Warning line system means a barrier erected on a walking and working surface or a low pitch roof (4 in 12 or less), to warn employees that they are approaching an unprotected fall hazard(s).

аааа Work area means that portion of a walking/working surface where job duties are being performed.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, [49.17].040, and[49.17].050 . 00-14-058, з 296-155-24503, filed 7/3/00, effective 10/1/00. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.040,[49.17.]050 and [49.17.]060. 96-24-051, з 296-155-24503, filed 11/27/96, effective 2/1/97. Statutory Authority: Chapter 49.17 RCW. 95-10-016, з 296-155-24503, filed 4/25/95, effective 10/1/95; 91-03-044 (Order 90-18), з 296-155-24503, filed 1/10/91, effective 2/12/91.]