Written fall protection program generator
A written fall protection program is the document that sets your company’s rules for working at height: when protection is required, who is the competent person, how personal fall arrest systems are inspected and used, how a fallen worker gets rescued, and how training is certified. For construction work, 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M (1926.501–1926.503) sets the requirements; general industry work — fixed platforms, rooftops, walking-working surfaces — falls under 29 CFR 1910 Subpart D (1910.28) and 1910.140. Any company whose crews work above the trigger height needs one.
What you get
A ready-to-use PDF with your company filled in, version and effective date, a management signature block and an annual review line. Blank lines are left where only your site can answer.
- Scope — construction, general industry, or both — and who it covers
- Roles: competent person, authorized/qualified users, program administrator, with a roster
- Fall hazard survey and the hierarchy of controls for each task
- Personal fall arrest system rules: anchorage, arresting force, free-fall limits
- Equipment inspection — before each use and periodic — and removal-from-service rule
- Site-specific rescue plan section — prompt rescue or self-rescue
- Fall protection plan option for infeasible conventional protection (leading edge, precast, residential)
- Training content and 1926.503(b) written certification of training, with a sign-off log
- Annual review, revision log and management signature
Fill in and download
What the document is built on
- 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M — 1926.501 (duty to have fall protection), 1926.502 (criteria and practices), 1926.503 (training and certification)
- 29 CFR 1910.28 and 1910.140 — general industry walking-working surfaces and personal fall protection systems, where work falls outside construction
- 29 CFR 1910.30 — general industry training requirements (the 1926.503 parallel)
When the job needs documented training, not just a talk — certificate issued the same day.
Questions safety managers ask
At what height does fall protection kick in?
For construction, most situations trigger at 6 feet above a lower level (29 CFR 1926.501(b)(1)); a few tasks, like work near dangerous equipment, trigger below that. For general industry walking-working surfaces, the trigger is 4 feet (29 CFR 1910.28(b)). Towers and telecom field work follow 1910.268(g), which is lower still — that is covered by the separate tower safety program generator.
What has to be in the written certification of training?
Under 1926.503(b), the employer must keep a written certification record with the employee’s name or other identity, the date(s) of training, and the signature of the trainer or the employer. Only the latest certification needs to be kept on file.
Does OSHA require a written rescue plan?
1926.502(d)(20) requires the employer to provide for prompt rescue of a fallen employee, or to assure employees can rescue themselves — it does not mandate the plan be in writing, but a written, site-specific plan is the only practical way to show you actually met that requirement when it is checked.
Can we skip guardrails or a harness if it is "infeasible"?
Only for specific tasks — leading edge work, precast concrete erection, and residential construction (1926.501(b)(2), (b)(12), (b)(13)) — and only with a written fall protection plan meeting 1926.502(k): why conventional protection is infeasible or more hazardous, who decided, and the alternative measures used. This template includes that section; it is not a general substitute for PFAS or guardrails.
Other program generators
A template, not legal advice. It gives you the structure and the regulatory elements; it becomes your program when you fill in the blanks, adapt it to your work, train your people on it and keep it current. Check the current standards and any state OSHA plan that applies to you.