When can you unhook your fall arrest while using a suspended scaffold?

Unhooking your fall arrest while using a suspended scaffold should only occur when you have safely exited the platform. This practice ensures that you are no longer at risk of falling from a height, which is critical for maintaining safety standards. The primary purpose of a fall arrest system is to prevent falls when working at elevations, and it is designed to keep you secured to the scaffold or another safe structure during the entire time you are at risk.

Choosing to unhook your fall arrest at any other time—such as when preparing to descend, waiting for supervisor instructions, or right after completing a task—can leave you vulnerable to falls while you are still on or transitioning from the platform. Safety protocols mandate that workers remain harnessed and secured until they are fully off the scaffold and in a safe position. This ensures that, in the event of a slip or misstep during the descent, the fall arrest system will function as intended to protect the worker from injury.