One of the most critical calculations that must be performed on a job site is the amount of Fall Clearance a specific job application requires.  Fall Clearance is a highly variable combination of five primary factors: Free Fall; Maximum Arrest Distance; Harness Stretch, Safety Margin; and Swing Fall. Given the differing performance of fall protection connectors, be they fixed length or adjustable lanyards, or self-retracting lifelines - which pay out and retract webbing or cable (sometimes up to 100 ft. in length) - the job site Competent Person must ensure that the equipment chosen for the job at hand will perform as expected to prevent injury or loss of life.

Having ready access to tools that can help the Competent Person or worker-at-height accurately calculate Fall Clearance or access other important technical information helps maintain regulatory compliance and ensures workers remain safe across the job sites. To assist fall protection professionals, Guardian has added a digitally enabled QR code to product labels. A quick scan with a mobile device directs users to the Guardian website  www.guardianfall.com where they will gain instant access to instruction manuals, test reports, technical data sheets, as well as an industry-leading, dynamic Fall Clearance Calculator that can be accessed from anywhere on the job site.

Guardian’s web-based Fall Clearance Calculator is a free, open-access tool that works with Guardian self-retracting lifelines with 24”, 36”, 42” or 54” maximum fall arrest distances. Simply select your anchor point location (above or below dorsal D-ring), choose your SRL’s maximum arrest distance, then adjust the anchor height (above work surface), and worker offset values to match the job site. If your selected equipment is suitable for the application, you’ll receive visual confirmation (green means Go!) and the total fall clearance requirement including any specific swing fall amount for reference. If not, the tool will indicate that a leading-edge-capable device is required, or if the selected equipment and application are fully incompatible, the tool will indicate a red Unsafe condition. In the latter cases, you can adjust your anchor height and worker offset values and re-run the scenario to potentially relocate your anchor location to ensure compatibility.

Information demands across job sites are at an all-time high, and the more manufacturers can do to put relevant information in the hands of decision makers when they need it, where they need it, the safer job sites will be. The online dynamic Fall Clearance Calculator is just one more example of how Guardian is making safe simple and accessible.