SAFE PRACTICES / Working at Heights

Below the Permanents (Single Rope Grab System)

When working at heights below the permanents cannot be accomplished by using a ladder, aerial lift, or scaffolding, (for instance, when hanging greenbeds or walking on the top of set walls), you must use fall arrest equipment. This equipment includes: a full body harness with a self-retracting lanyard, a vertical lifeline with rope grab, and a tag line.

Prior to working at height and using fall protection equipment, Southern CA IATSE employees are required to have passed the CSATF Safety Pass Course D – Fall Protection

  • Inspect all fall protection equipment prior to use
  • Locate an anchorage point for the vertical lifeline
  • Single-user anchorage points are eyebolts located on the soundstage trusses and have been identified with a yellow tag.* Select an anchorage point above you and as close as possible to where you are going to be working to avoid or limit a swing fall
  • Connect the vertical lifeline to the anchorage point with the double-locking snap hook
  • Attach the manual rope grab to the vertical lifeline. Make sure that the arrow on the rope grab is pointing up toward the anchorage point
  • Attach the self-retracting lanyard (SRL) to the rope grab with a self-locking carabiner. Connect the tag line to the double-locking snap hook on the SRL
  • Position the rope grab, SRL and tag line on the lifeline so that the final height of the SRL is 6 feet above your intended work height. Protect the lifeline against rough edges by using a rope protector or by padding sharp corners
  • From the ground or green bed, pull the tag line and attach the double-locking snap hook from the SRL to the “D” ring located on the back of your harness
  • Never remove your lifeline until you are back on the ground or green bed. If you need to move a longer distance horizontally across the set, you can rig two or more vertical lifeline systems. This will reduce the swing fall potential. (See info sheet “Multiple Rope Grab Systems.”)
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