Question: Would climbing a fixed ladder in a full body harness and using double lanyards to tie off and maintain 100% connection to the fixed ladder be in compliance with the fall protection requirements in §1910.28(b)(9) if the ladder meets the standard’s requirements for anchorages?

Answer:

A double lanyard system that consists of a body harness, lanyards and an anchorage meets the definition of personal fall arrest system in the final rule, provided those components meet all of the applicable requirements in §1910.140(c) and (d). For example, the lanyards must have a minimum breaking strength of 5,000 pounds and anchorages (the fixed ladder in this instance) used to attach to the personal fall arrest systems must be capable of supporting at least 5,000 pounds for each employee attached.