The Key to an Effective Fall Protection Program
How employers can significantly reduce fall-related injuries and fatalities by following the Hierarchy of Fall Protection Controls.
- By Philip Jacklin
- Sep 08, 2025
It is common knowledge within the occupational health and safety community that falls are one of the leading causes of injury and fatality in the workplace. In 2023, 885 workers died from falls, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which was an increase from the number of fatalities in 2022. Furthermore, 2022 saw an increase from 2021, and 2021 saw an increase from 2020. What has not yet entered common knowledge in this community is exactly why the number of workers dying from falls has continued to increase in recent years.
In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on providing fall protection from employers in construction and general industries. Nevertheless, it appears that these efforts have yet to yield significant decreases in the number of fatal falls occurring annually. And while industry-leading employers are investing more than ever in supplying quality PPE and fall protection equipment to employees, there is another underrated aspect that can protect workers at height. However, in this author’s opinion, the key to a truly effective fall protection program is strict adherence to the Hierarchy of Fall Protection Controls, which could be the factor that helps save lives.
The Hierarchy of Fall Protection Controls
The Hierarchy of Fall Protection Controls (see Figure A) is based on the original Hierarchy of Controls, released by the National Safety Council (NSC) in 1950. The Hierarchy aims to prevent worker injuries through a series of various control methods, beginning with the elimination of the hazard and sequentially moving through less effective control measures. Less effective fall protection solutions should only be considered when it is infeasible to install a more effective solution.
Hazard Elimination
Eliminating the hazard is, obviously, the most effective method of protecting workers and should be attempted whenever a fall hazard is identified. This level of the Hierarchy will require the task to be performed in a different location or by an alternative means, preventing the worker from being exposed to the fall hazard. If the fall hazard can be successfully eliminated, the original risk of injury to the worker can be completely circumvented.
While eliminating a fall hazard may initially sound difficult, it is not impossible. However, it might require a major overhaul of how or where the current elevated work task is performed. For example, a sanitary district worker was tasked with climbing water tanks monthly to read levels, take photos, and record other notes on the tank’s status. Every month, this worker had to climb multiple 30- to 40-foot fixed ladders to reach each tank’s platform, where readings were taken. Years into this practice being normal procedure, the district’s safety team purchased a drone for the worker to help their efforts. Now, the worker simply had to fly the drone to capture a few photos, and the worker no longer had to climb all those fixed ladders. Each climb had the potential to lead to a fall, but now that no climbs are being performed, there is no potential to lead to a fall.
Another example of hazard elimination is the use of pre-cast panels in the construction industry. Historically, concrete sections of buildings had to be constructed on-site, with workers being exposed to falls and other hazards. However, many companies now pre-fabricate concrete panels, allowing workers to spend less time at heights. This equates to reduced exposure to fall hazards for workers and a decreased likelihood of a potential fall occurring.
Identifying ways to modify tasks to reduce the time workers are exposed to fall hazards is not easy work, but preventing an avoidable fatality will always be worth the effort.
Passive Fall Protection
If it is finally determined that the fall hazard for the task at hand cannot be eliminated, we should try to utilize a passive fall protection system. Passive fall protection systems are highly effective at preventing injuries because they require minimal to no input from the worker. These systems “passively” protect workers from fall hazards without any direct input from the worker.
Guardrail is an ideal example of a passive fall protection system. It simply requires a worker to stay on the correct side of the guardrail, and they will be prevented from falling. Preventing a fall will simultaneously reduce the likelihood of injury occurring from a fall, making it a worthwhile effort.
Further, it’s important to consider that guardrail’s simplicity is also the main reason it is so effective at preventing falls. When guardrail is the provided fall protection solution, workers do not have to be trained on complicated systems, or ensure their fall protection harness is donned properly, or ensure they use the correct SRL. When guardrail or passive fall protection is used, workers can focus on their tasks at hand and not have to be concerned for their safety and well-being. Whenever more complicated systems are used, workers must split their focus between performing their task and working safely.
Whenever possible, guardrails should be installed near fall hazards to ensure that workers of nearly every level of knowledge and experience will be equally protected.
Active Travel Restraint
Active Travel Restraint is the concept that workers can be “restrained” in specific work areas using fixed-length lanyards to prevent exposure to falls. For example, if an anchor point was installed ten feet away from the edge of a rooftop, the worker could attach a 6-foot fixed-length lanyard to their body harness. This equipment setup would not only allow them to get closer than 4 feet within the roof’s edge, thus preventing them from falling off that edge.
Active Fall Arrest
Fall arrest equipment is one of the most used levels of the Hierarchy, especially in the construction industry; however, it is completely ineffective in preventing falls. Fall arrest equipment, by its nature, can only stop a worker after they have fallen—it will not prevent a fall. That being said, fall arrest equipment is very effective at preventing fatalities from falls. Fall arrest equipment decelerates fallen workers and absorbs some of the fall forces generated during the fall. It is common to sustain minor injuries from fall arrest equipment, but it is seen as a preference to almost-certain death when falling from heights. Falls do not have to happen at extreme heights to be deadly. In fact, most fatal falls occur at 20 feet or less.
Employers are prone to utilize fall arrest equipment because it can be such versatile and efficient equipment. However, even when the right equipment is provided, tragedies can still happen if fall protection equipment is misused. Fall protection equipment requires thorough training and worker vigilance to ensure it works as expected every time.
A 2021 study conducted by the Center for Construction Research & Training (CPWR) reported that over half of all fatal falls occurred while the worker was using fall protection equipment. While this study only surveyed about 1000 companies, the statistic is too alarming to dismiss. If fall protection equipment is not used properly, the worker’s safety cannot be guaranteed.
Administrative Controls
The final level of the Hierarchy should be viewed as an absolute last resort. These systems do not prevent falls or injuries as they have almost no inherent protection factor. A safety monitor, one form of administrative control, is a worker who is designated to observe fellow workers at-height and verbally communicate when they are nearing the fall hazard. This might be necessary during a fall hazard assessment before any fall protection equipment has been installed but should not be relied upon for regular fall protection.
Conclusion
The Hierarchy of Fall Protection Controls offers an opportunity to significantly reduce the number of injuries and fatalities that occur each year in the workplace. It requires employers to challenge themselves to rethink how or where certain tasks are performed and consult with fall protection partners to help determine the most effective fall protection method for each unique fall hazard. If we can prevent more falls, we can prevent more fatalities. If we can prevent more falls, we can save lives.
This article originally appeared in the September 2025 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.