Analysis of Anchors and Bracing Configurations for Personal Fall Arrest Systems in Residential Construction

Falls continue to be a major problem in the residential construction industry and account for a large number of injuries and fatalities each year (US Department of Labor, 2012).  The effects of a fall are catastrophic to the workers and their families as well as the construction company and surrounding community.  Prevention of these incidents has been the primary focus of organizations such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  To reduce the number of falls on residential construction sites, OSHA has put forth several standards that require the use of fall protection.  Although guidelines have been provided, there have been concerns and complaints regarding the standards as well as methods and materials that should be used.

The goal of this research was to measure the behavior of a five truss roof system with various anchor points and bracing configurations loaded by a horizontal force.  A lab built roof system was used to test three different anchor types with three forms of temporary bracing.  The materials and methodology used in this testing were based on common materials and practices currently used in the residential construction industry.

The results of this research show that anchors must engage multiple trusses to spread the applied load throughout the roof system.  Several forms of temporary bracing such as lateral, diagonal, and sway bracing, are also required to strengthen the roof system allowing it to withstand an applied load.