In an effort to provide the most current information on slip, trip and fall prevention, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) announced in a recent press statement the approval of a newly revised American National Standards Institute (ANSI) /ASSE Z359.0-2009 “Definitions and Nomenclature Used for Fall Protection and Fall Arrest” voluntary consensus standard.

The recently updated Z359.0-2009 standard, approved by ANSI on October 27, 2009, will be available to download at no cost on November 6, 2009. The standard establishes definitions and nomenclature for fall arrest and fall protection equipment, which includes definitions and nomenclature used for all the current Z359 standards.

ASSE serves as the secretariat for the Z359 Fall Protection standards, or Fall Protection Code. The ASSE Fall Protection Code now includes nine standards: Z359.0-2009 “Definitions and Nomenclature Used for Fall Protection and Fall Arrest;” Z359.1-2007 “Safety Requirements for Personal Fall Arrest Systems, Subsystems and Components;” Z359.2-2007 “Minimum Requirements for a Comprehensive Managed Fall Protection Program;” Z359.3-2007 “Safety Requirements for Positioning and Travel Restraint Systems;” Z359.4-2007 “Safety Requirements for Assisted-Rescue and Self-Rescue Systems, Subsystems and Components;” Z359.6-2009 “Specification and Design Requirements for Active Fall Protection Systems;” Z359.12-2009 “Connecting Components for Personal Fall Arrest Systems;” Z359.13-2009 “Personal Energy Absorbers and Energy Absorbing Lanyards” as well as the historical ANSI/ASSE Z359.1-1992 (R1999).

The ANSI/ASSE Z359 ASC for Fall Arrest/Protection is also working on 10 additional Z359 standards projects aimed at protecting workers from falls. For more information on or to purchase the Z359 Fall Protection Code, version 2.0, visit https://www.asse.org/cartpage.php?link=z359-v2.