Fall Protection Training
Falls are the leading cause of death in construction, and most of them trace to a decision made before anyone left the ground. M Squared Safety trains crews and the employees you designate to recognize fall hazards, select and inspect the right system, and build fall protection into the plan instead of improvising it at the edge. We teach on-site nationwide.
What the course covers
Fall protection under OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M, and where the work is in California, the Cal/OSHA Construction Safety Orders at 8 CCR 1669 through 1671. OSHA requires protection at six feet above a lower level in construction, per 29 CFR 1926.501. The course works through the duty to protect, guardrails and personal fall arrest, anchorage, connectors and harnesses, inspection and removal from service, rescue planning, and the ANSI/ASSP Z359 fall protection code that stands behind the equipment.
The training requirement itself is a standard, not a suggestion. Under 29 CFR 1926.503(a)(1) the employer must provide a training program for each employee who might be exposed to fall hazards, and 1926.503(a)(2) requires a competent person to cover the nature of the hazards, correct procedures for erecting, maintaining, disassembling and inspecting the systems, the use of guardrails and personal fall arrest, roles under a safety monitoring system, and the applicable Subpart M standards.
Fall protection competent person training
Most people searching for a fall protection competent person class are looking for the training that prepares the employee who inspects their systems and signs off on the site. We teach that, and we will tell you plainly how the designation actually works, because it is worth understanding before you spend money on it.
OSHA defines a competent person at 29 CFR 1926.32(f) as one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them. Read it closely and it has two halves. Training can deliver the first: hazard recognition, inspection methodology, anchorage evaluation, and the correction techniques the standard expects. The second half, the authority, can only come from the employer. No instructor and no wallet card can grant it.
So we build your designated employee's capability to the standard, and the designation stays yours to make. If another vendor tells you their class by itself makes someone a competent person, ask which part of 1926.32(f) hands them your authority.
Who it is for
Roofers, framers, steel erectors, utility and solar crews, facilities and maintenance teams, and any supervisor responsible for work at height. Crews working on houses should also read fall protection in residential construction, which covers how OSHA defines residential construction and what is left of safety monitors and slideguards under Subpart M.
Built around your equipment
We train on the systems you actually run, from harnesses and self-retracting devices to guardrail and mobile anchor points, so the class carries straight to the job. If you use specific gear, we build the inspection and use portions of the course around it. See mobile fall protection systems and guardrail systems.
Fall protection training online: which course, which rule
Short answer. Federal OSHA requires fall protection training before workers are exposed to fall hazards: in construction under 29 CFR 1926.503 and in general industry under 29 CFR 1910.30. We offer online courses for each setting, in Federal OSHA and Cal/OSHA versions, in English and Spanish. They are Authorized User training for the worker who uses the equipment. They do not make anyone a competent person. The employer designates the competent person (1926.20(b)(2)).
Which version do I need?
Match the course to the kind of work and to the rule your employer answers to. Spanish versions exist for every course below. The full Spanish list is in Cursos en línea en español.
To compare other courses, see the Federal OSHA online courses, the Cal/OSHA online courses or the M Squared Training Academy. Not sure which state rules apply to you? Start with OSHA training requirements by state. For a short crew talk, there is a Fall Protection Toolbox Talk in English and Spanish, which is separate from the required training.
Competent person vs authorized user
These are two different roles, and a class can only deliver one half of one of them.
Competent person. OSHA defines the term at 29 CFR 1926.32(f): one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them. California uses the same words in 8 CCR 1504. Training can build the capability. The authorization comes from the employer, who makes the designation (1926.20(b)(2)). No instructor, certificate or wallet card can grant it.
Authorized user. In our catalog, the Authorized User courses are written for the worker who wears and uses a fall protection system. They teach where protection is required, how the systems work, how to inspect and put on a harness, and what to do after a fall.
| Authorized User courses | Competent Person Duties courses | |
|---|---|---|
| Written for | Workers who use fall protection | Foremen, supervisors and safety leads whom the employer may designate |
| Makes you a competent person? | No | No. It teaches the duties. The employer designates. |
| Still needed from the employer | Site-specific training. We recommend hands-on practice on your equipment. | Authority to take corrective action, site-specific training and the written training record. We recommend hands-on practice. |
The designation matters in the rules. Federal construction training under 1926.503(a)(2) is to be given by "a competent person qualified in the following areas." California requires that a construction fall protection plan be implemented under the supervision of a competent person and that the plan document that person's identity (8 CCR 1671.1(a)(4)). Whether an online course fits your employer's training program is the employer's call. We do not claim it replaces a competent person's on-site training of your crew.
What the rules require
Construction (29 CFR 1926.503)
- The employer must provide a training program for each employee who might be exposed to fall hazards (1926.503(a)(1)).
- Required topics include the nature of fall hazards in the work area, the correct procedures for erecting, maintaining, disassembling and inspecting the systems, and the use and operation of guardrail systems, personal fall arrest systems, safety net systems, warning line systems, safety monitoring systems, controlled access zones and other protection (1926.503(a)(2)).
- The employer verifies training with a written certification record: the name or other identity of the employee, the date or dates of the training, and the signature of the trainer or the employer. The latest certification must be maintained (1926.503(b)).
- The employer must retrain an employee when changes in the workplace or in the fall protection systems or equipment make earlier training obsolete, or when the employee's knowledge or use of the systems shows the skill was not retained (1926.503(c)).
Protection is triggered at an unprotected side or edge 6 feet or more above a lower level (1926.501(b)(1)), and residential construction work at 6 feet or more is covered by 1926.501(b)(13).
General industry (29 CFR 1910.30)
- The employer must train each employee who uses personal fall protection systems or who is required to be trained elsewhere in the subpart, before the employee is exposed to a fall hazard (1910.30(a)(1)).
- The training must be given by a qualified person (1910.30(a)(2)).
- The employer must retrain an employee when it has reason to believe the employee does not have the understanding and skill required (1910.30(c)), and must give training in a manner the employee understands (1910.30(d)).
The general industry trigger is an unprotected side or edge 4 feet or more above a lower level (1910.28(b)(1)(i)).
California (Cal/OSHA construction)
8 CCR 1670(a) requires approved personal fall arrest, fall restraint or positioning systems for employees whose work exposes them to falling in excess of 7 1/2 feet from the perimeter of a structure, unprotected sides and edges, leading edges, shaftways and openings, sloped roof surfaces steeper than 7:12, or other sloped surfaces steeper than 40 degrees, where not otherwise adequately protected. Written fall protection plans are covered in 8 CCR 1671.1. Use the Cal/OSHA courses for California workplaces so the training matches the rule the employer answers to.
Equipment
When the work needs a system on the roof or at the edge, M Squared sells Malta Dynamics mobile fall protection systems, such as the Malta Dynamics XSERIES X1000 Mobile Fall Protection System, the Malta Dynamics XSERIES X500 Mobile Fall Protection System and the Malta Dynamics XSERIES X1270 Mobile Fall Protection System, and Wall Walker guardrail components, such as the Wall Walker Guardrail Post and the Wall Walker Guardrail Bracket Pair. The courses above teach the rules and the general use of these systems. We recommend training on the exact equipment your crew will use, which the employer arranges.
Questions you may have
Does online fall protection training count?
It can cover the classroom content, and the certificate you get from us is a certificate of completion from M Squared Safety Solutions, Inc. The employer must prepare the written certification record (1926.503(b)) and ensure training by a qualified person (1910.30(a)(2)). Whether an online course satisfies that is the employer's determination. We recommend hands-on practice on your own equipment, which the employer arranges.
Which standard applies to my job, 1926.503 or 1910.30?
1926.503 is the construction training rule, in Subpart M. 1910.30 is the general industry training rule, in Subpart D. The trigger heights differ: 6 feet for construction under 1926.501(b)(1), and 4 feet for general industry under 1910.28(b)(1)(i).
Who can be a competent person?
Someone the employer designates who meets both halves of 29 CFR 1926.32(f): able to identify existing and predictable hazards, and authorized to take prompt corrective measures. The employer designates (1926.20(b)(2)), not the training provider.
Is there a Spanish version?
Yes, for every course in the table above. General industry training must be given in a manner the employee understands (1910.30(d)). Use the Spanish links in the table.
Fall Protection FAQ
When does OSHA require fall protection?
In construction, at six feet above a lower level, per 29 CFR 1926.501. In California, the Cal/OSHA Construction Safety Orders apply at 8 CCR 1669 through 1671. In general industry the trigger is lower, 4 feet under 29 CFR 1910.28(b)(1)(i), which catches plant, warehouse and hangar work.
Is fall protection training actually required, or just recommended?
Required. 29 CFR 1926.503(a)(1) requires the employer to provide a training program for each employee who might be exposed to fall hazards, and 1926.503(a)(2) requires a competent person to deliver it and lists the topics it must cover.
What has to be in the fall protection training record?
Under 29 CFR 1926.503(b), a written certification record containing the name or other identity of the employee trained, the date or dates of the training, and the signature of the person who conducted the training. The most recent certification must be kept on file. A sign-in sheet with no trainer signature does not satisfy it.
When do we have to retrain?
Under 29 CFR 1926.503(c), when workplace changes make previous training obsolete, when the fall protection systems or equipment change, or when an employee demonstrates inadequate knowledge or skill in using them. The last one is the trigger people forget: if you see someone using a system wrong, retraining is not discretionary.
Can training make someone a competent person?
No, and be cautious of anyone who says otherwise. OSHA defines a competent person at 29 CFR 1926.32(f) as one capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards who also has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them. The authority half can only come from the employer. Training builds the capability; your company makes the designation.
Do you train on our own equipment?
Yes. We build the inspection and use portions of the course around the systems your crew runs.
Where is fall protection training available?
On-site nationwide, scheduled around your project. Southern California is our home footprint and the fastest place to schedule; elsewhere we travel and quote the travel with the course. Call 949-954-6581.