Swing Falls and How They Happen

Swing Falls are one of the most dangerous, and sometimes fatal, events that can happen to a worker when working at height. When implemented correctly into a workplace, fall protection improves worker safety by preventing a worker from striking the ground during a fall event. However, when fall protection is used incorrectly, the danger of a fall can be increased by the creation of a swing fall.

A swing fall describes the event that occurs when a worker using a personal fall arrest system falls when the anchor point is not directly above the worker’s head. In this situation, the worker would begin falling straight down until the lifeline stops paying out. After the lifeline finished braking, the worker would continue to fall as he or she swings toward the center point under the anchorage.

Once the worker begins swinging, the potential danger increases significantly, and there are several possible results. One result, if there is no vertical structure underneath the anchor, is that the worker continues swinging until he or she is rescued or comes to rest naturally. If the worker is not rescued quickly, the centrifugal force of the swing can multiply the pressure the harness exerts on the worker’s body. That greater pressure can increase the risk of suspension trauma, and may lead to permanent tissue damage, brain damage, or even death.

Another result is that the worker could strike the support structure underneath the anchor point if one is present. At some heights, this result can be as bad as falling without fall protection, since the worker will still experience an impact as well as potential suspension trauma.

One additional result is that the worker can strike the ground at a greater velocity than simply falling straight down. If a worker is far enough from the anchor point, the lifeline can extend farther than the height of the worker above the lower level. In this situation, the worker would fall until the lifeline stops paying out, then begin swinging and continue to accelerate. The falling worker would accelerate for a longer time than he or she would without the fall protection until striking the ground.

What Causes Swing Falls

We know that swing falls occur when a worker’s fall protection attachment point is not directly overhead. The attachment point may be at the worker’s waist or foot level, or the worker may have moved too far away from the overhead anchorage point. But what can be done to prevent those situations from arising?

These swing falls often occur because the fall protection system provided is inadequate. We can look at aircraft applications for an example. In aircraft maintenance applications, workers need access to the tops of both the fuselage and the wings, which means they have to cover long distances along the length and width of the plane. If the fall protection system is a monorail that travels along the fuselage, the worker would have to move off-plumb or move to a different monorail to reach any part of the wings.

If monorails can’t cover both wings and the fuselage, the fall protection system wouldn’t fully meet the needs of the workers, which would make them vulnerable to swing falls. To eliminate that swing fall hazard, the fall protection system itself may need to be changed or replaced so it does meet the needs of the workers. In this example, the solution might be to replace the monorail with a traveling bridge system, but the solution will vary depending on specific needs.

However, there are conditions where the type of fall protection system implemented is limited by the application. It is possible that a situation would prohibit the installation of a complete system that would automatically eliminate the risk of swing falls, such as insufficient overhead space. In these situations, the next best solution is to implement specialized fall protection equipment—harnesses, lifelines, connecters, etc.—and to educate workers on the dangers of swing falls. Workers who understand how dangerous swing falls are and how they happen may be less likely to use fall protection in a way that puts them at risk of a swing fall.

Swing falls can be very dangerous, and there are precautions that can be taken to prevent them. Any time an engineered fall protection solution is used, it is crucial to follow all of the manufacturer’s instructions for use. Consult a Qualified Person to help identify the best fall protection solution for your application and provide sufficient training for your workers to keep the risk of swing falls as low as possible.