A fall arrest system is installed on a California construction project. What is the maximum permitted free fall distance?
Correct Answer
A) 6 feet
Cal/OSHA limits free fall distance to 6 feet maximum for personal fall arrest systems to minimize injury potential upon arrest.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
Cal/OSHA Title 8, Section 1670 limits the maximum free fall distance for personal fall arrest systems (PFAS) to 6 feet. This limit is set to minimize the forces acting on the body at the moment of arrest — the greater the free fall distance, the larger the arresting force, which increases the risk of serious injury even when the system works as designed. At 6 feet, properly designed systems can arrest a fall within tolerable deceleration forces.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option B: 8 feet
8 feet exceeds the Cal/OSHA maximum of 6 feet. A free fall of 8 feet would generate arresting forces that could injure a worker even if the system functions correctly. This option is outside the regulatory limit.
Option C: 4 feet
4 feet is below the maximum limit, so it would be compliant — but it is not the correct answer to the question of what the maximum permitted distance is. The question asks for the maximum allowed, which is 6 feet, not the minimum acceptable. However, if a system limits free fall to 4 feet, that is acceptable under the regulation.
Option D: 10 feet
10 feet is significantly above the 6-foot maximum and would expose workers to dangerously high arresting forces. Federal OSHA (29 CFR 1926.502) also uses a 6-foot limit for construction, making 10 feet wrong under both federal and California standards.
Memory Technique
Remember '6 feet = Free Fall Max.' The number 6 appears twice in fall protection: (1) fall protection required at 6 feet or more above a lower level, and (2) maximum free fall of 6 feet in a PFAS. Both are 6 — a consistent number to anchor.
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