Fall Protection Plan Development
Compliant fall protection plans that satisfy Regulation 10 of the Construction Regulations, 2014 — protecting workers at height and protecting your business from one of the most heavily enforced areas of OHS law.
The Legal Requirement
Falls from height remain one of the leading causes of fatal and serious workplace incidents in South Africa. Because of this, fall protection is one of the most scrutinised areas by the Department of Employment and Labour inspectorate and by clients reviewing contractor safety files. A generic, off-the-shelf fall protection plan is not enough — the plan must address the actual hazards, equipment, and rescue arrangements of your specific work at height.
We develop fall protection plans that are specific, practical, and defensible. They identify the fall hazards on your site or project, the hierarchy of controls applied, the equipment selected, the competency of users, and — critically — the rescue plan should a fall occur.
Regulation 10 of the Construction Regulations, 2014 requires a contractor to have a fall protection plan where there is a risk of falling, and to ensure it is implemented and maintained. The Driven Machinery Regulations and General Safety Regulations also apply to work-positioning and access equipment.
- Regulation 10 of the Construction Regulations, 2014 — fall protection plan
- Hierarchy of controls: eliminate, prevent, arrest
- Competency and medical fitness of persons working at height
- Inspection, certification, and use of fall-arrest and access equipment
- Emergency rescue plan for a suspended or fallen worker
How We Develop Your Plan
Hazard Identification
We identify every location and task where a fall could occur on your site or project, including roof work, ladders, platforms, scaffolding, and mezzanines.
Risk Assessment
We assess the likelihood and severity of each fall hazard and the persons at risk, applying the hierarchy of controls to determine the most effective protective measures.
Control & Equipment Selection
We specify the controls — collective protection, personal fall-arrest systems, anchor points, and access equipment — matched to each hazard and the work being performed.
Rescue Plan
We develop a site-specific rescue plan so a fallen or suspended worker can be recovered quickly, because suspension trauma can be fatal within minutes.
Training & Implementation
We brief the people who will work at height and their supervisors on the plan, the equipment, and the rescue arrangements, and embed the plan into your safety file.
What You Receive
- Site- or project-specific fall protection plan
- Work-at-height risk assessment and hazard register
- Equipment specification and inspection requirements
- Rescue plan with roles, equipment, and contact details
- Competency and medical fitness requirements for workers at height
- Integration into your construction safety file
Who This Is For
- Construction contractors and principal contractors in Gauteng and SADC
- Roofing, cladding, and facade contractors
- Facilities and maintenance teams working at height
- Telecommunications and rigging contractors
- Industrial plants with elevated work and confined access
Case Study: Roofing Contractor Compliance
A roofing contractor was repeatedly asked by clients for a fall protection plan and had been using a generic template. We developed a plan specific to their roof work, including edge protection, fall-arrest anchor points, and a rescue plan using their own trained rescue team.
Result: The contractor's safety file passed client review without findings on fall protection, and the documented rescue plan satisfied a client audit that had previously rejected the generic template.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is a fall protection plan legally required?+
Under Regulation 10 of the Construction Regulations, 2014, a contractor must have a fall protection plan wherever there is a risk of falling during construction work. In practice, any work at height should be covered by a documented plan, and clients increasingly require it in safety files.
What must a fall protection plan include?+
It must identify the fall hazards, assess the risks, specify the controls following the hierarchy of eliminate-prevent-arrest, set out equipment and competency requirements, and include a rescue plan. We cover all of these so the plan is complete and defensible.
Why is a rescue plan so important?+
A worker suspended in a harness after a fall can suffer suspension trauma, which can be fatal within minutes. A documented, equipped, and rehearsed rescue plan is essential and is a specific area inspectors and clients check for.
Can you combine this with our safety file?+
Yes. The fall protection plan forms part of your construction safety file under the Construction Regulations, 2014. We deliver it ready to integrate, and can compile the full safety file if needed.