You need to calculate the total fall distance for a worker using a 6-foot shock-absorbing lanyard with a 3.5-foot deceleration distance. The worker is 6 feet tall and the D-ring is positioned at shoulder height (5 feet from ground). What is the total fall distance?
Correct Answer
C) 11 feet
Total fall distance = lanyard length (6 ft) + deceleration distance (3.5 ft) + safety factor (1.5 ft) = 11 feet. The worker's height and D-ring position are used to determine clearance requirements, not fall distance.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
The total fall distance calculation for a shock-absorbing lanyard includes three components: the lanyard length (6 feet), the deceleration distance (3.5 feet), and a standard safety factor (1.5 feet). Adding these together: 6 + 3.5 + 1.5 = 11 feet. The worker's height and D-ring position are used for clearance calculations to ensure adequate space below, not for determining the actual fall distance.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option A: 9.5 feet
This answer of 9.5 feet incorrectly omits the required 1.5-foot safety factor. It only adds the lanyard length (6 feet) and deceleration distance (3.5 feet), resulting in an incomplete calculation that underestimates the total fall distance by 1.5 feet.
Option B: 12.5 feet
This answer of 14.5 feet significantly overestimates the fall distance by incorrectly incorporating multiple worker dimensions or adding unnecessary factors. The calculation should only include lanyard length, deceleration distance, and the standard 1.5-foot safety factor.
Option D: 14.5 feet
This answer of 12.5 feet incorrectly includes the worker's height or D-ring position in the fall distance calculation. Fall distance is determined solely by equipment specifications (lanyard length, deceleration distance, and safety factor), not worker dimensions.
Memory Technique
Remember 'LDS': Lanyard length + Deceleration distance + Safety factor (1.5 ft) = Total fall distance. Worker dimensions are for clearance, not fall calculations.
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