Fall Arrest vs. Fall Prevention: What’s the Difference—and Why It Matters
When it comes to working at heights, safety isn’t optional. Two terms you’ll hear often are fall arrest and fall prevention, and while they sound similar, they serve very different purposes on a jobsite.
Fall prevention is the first line of defense. Its goal is simple: stop a fall from ever happening. This includes guardrails, scaffolding with proper edge protection, warning lines, and travel-restraint systems that keep workers from reaching a fall hazard in the first place. If prevention is done right, a fall never becomes an event.
Fall arrest, on the other hand, comes into play after a fall has already begun. These systems—like full-body harnesses, lanyards, and self-retracting lifelines—are designed to catch a worker mid-fall and minimize injury. They don’t prevent the fall; they mitigate the impact when prevention isn’t possible.
Ideally, every project uses a layered approach: prioritize prevention, and rely on arrest only when exposure to a fall hazard can’t be fully eliminated. Understanding the difference helps companies choose the right equipment, train crews effectively, and ultimately protect the people who make the work happen.