Competent Person Fall Protection Training

This module covers the foundation of the course: why fall protection matters, the two OSHA trigger heights you need to keep straight (6 ft for construction, 4 ft for general industry), the specific hazards that trigger protection, and a first look at the accepted systems used to prevent or arrest a fall. 

This module covers the foundation of hazard recognition — why OSHA requires it first, the major categories responsible for fatal falls (edges, holes and skylights, scaffolds and steel, ladders, and aerial/scissor lifts), and the specific warning signs to spot in each. It builds the habit of walking a site and naming every fall exposure before work begins, setting up the hierarchy of controls covered next.

This module covers the course's five-level hierarchy of fall protection controls — Elimination, Passive, Travel Restraint, Fall Arrest, and Administrative — ranked by reliability rather than by name. (Note: this expands on ANSI Z359.2's three-tier grouping, since Z359.2 explicitly excludes Administrative Controls from its scope.)

You'll learn what each rung asks of the worker, why fall arrest ranks low despite being effective when used correctly, and what the fatality data reveals about relying on the harness as a first choice instead of a last resort. The goal: always reach for the highest rung the work will allow.

This module covers the passive fall protection systems that protect workers without any action on their part — guardrails, safety nets, and covers — along with the OSHA-specified geometry, strength testing, and installation requirements for each. It also introduces the administrative fallbacks (controlled access zones, warning lines, safety monitors) used when passive protection isn't feasible, and explains why they rank lower on the hierarchy of controls.

This module covers the ABCD framework for personal fall arrest — Anchorage, Body support, Connector, and Descent/Rescue. You'll learn OSHA's anchorage and harness/D-ring requirements, the key numbers that keep an arrest survivable, and a closer look at connectors (energy absorbers, SRLs, and vertical lifelines) — how each works, the standards behind them, and the inspection rules that keep them reliable.

Takes PFAS from components to practice — selecting and donning a harness in order, checking fit, and inspecting gear (pre-use and annual, including the point of no return). Then it calculates fall clearance as a stack of distances and shows how swing fall can defeat an otherwise perfect setup.

This module covers the equipment and rules specific to ladders, scaffolds, and aerial/scissor lifts — three activities that each carry their own trigger height rather than the general 4 ft/6 ft rules. You'll learn ladder setup requirements and the three-points-of-contact rule, scaffold platform and guardrail specs (including the added requirements for suspension scaffolds), and how to avoid ejection and tip-over on aerial and scissor lifts.

This module covers OSHA's rescue mandate — the requirement to provide for prompt rescue or ensure self-rescue — and the physiological reason it matters: suspension trauma. You'll learn the three rescue methods (self, assisted, and rescue service), the role and limits of a trauma relief strap, and the distinction between OSHA's rescue duty (the legal floor) and ANSI Z359.2/Z359.4 (the voluntary blueprint for building a compliant rescue program).

This module covers how to move from protecting one worker on one task to managing fall protection across an entire organization, using ANSI Z359.2 as the blueprint. You'll learn the four purposes of a managed program, the distinct roles of the qualified, competent, and authorized person, and how the fall hazard survey report applies the hierarchy of controls before work begins. 

Two OSHA templates are included: a Model Fall Protection Plan and a Job-Specific Fall Protection Plan & Checklist, giving you real-world examples to reference or adapt.

In this module, you'll hear from two safety professionals with very different vantage points.

Josh Hooper is Arch Electric's EHS Specialist. After 20 years in the Navy as a shipboard firefighter, where his job centered on hazard identification and preventing casualties before they happened, Josh transitioned into safety work in the solar industry, bringing that same prevention-first mindset to Arch's crews working at height.

Jacob Krigbaum is the owner of Proven Solutions Corporation, a safety and compliance company that works across construction, manufacturing, agriculture, maritime, and more than a dozen other industries. With over 96 safety-related certifications, Jacob brings a broader, cross-industry view of where fall protection training and enforcement most often fall short.

Together, they offer both an inside look at how one company applies fall protection in the field and a wider perspective on the patterns that show up across industries.