EM 385-1-1 Fall Protection Competent Person Training Requirements.

Who the Competent Person Is

The manual defines the Competent Person for Fall Protection as a person designated in writing by the employer to be responsible for the immediate supervision, implementation, and monitoring of the Fall Protection Program. Through training, knowledge, and experience in fall protection and rescue systems and equipment, they are capable of identifying, evaluating, and addressing existing and potential fall hazards, and they have the authority to take prompt corrective measures (paragraph 21-2.i).

Initial Training

All fall protection personnel, including competent persons, are trained according to ANSI/ASSP Z359.2 and ANSI/ASSP Z490.1 (paragraph 21-3). For the competent person, the training is conducted by a competent person trainer or a qualified person trainer (paragraph 21-3.c(1)), which the manual defines as someone who, by training, knowledge, and experience, can conduct competent person or qualified person level fall protection training (paragraph 21-2.j).

Initial training must include a minimum of 24 hours of course work, combining formal classroom training with a performance assessment of trainees based on observed physical demonstrations of skill or theoretical exercises. The trainer documents the training and issues a single certificate to the competent person showing they completed competent person fall protection training (paragraph 21-3.c(2)). Competent persons must also have the authority to stop work that is determined to be unsafe (paragraph 21-3.c(4)).

Refreshers

For USACE's own competent persons, the manual sets annual refresher training of at least two hours of fall protection and rescue-related informational meetings or training (paragraph 21-3.c(3)). Check your contract and your company program for what applies to your competent persons. Separately, the manual sets an annual refresher of at least one hour for Authorized Persons, the end users (paragraph 21-3.d(4)).

What the Competent Person Does

Paragraph 21-4.c lists the duties. Among them, the competent person:

• Conducts a fall hazard survey before end users are exposed
• Sets limits on work activities to control fall hazards and swing falls, and communicates them
• Immediately stops unsafe work and takes prompt corrective measures
• Prepares, updates, reviews, and approves Fall Protection and Prevention Plans as directed by the Program Administrator
• Makes sure a Rescue Plan is in place for every personal fall arrest system
• Supervises non-certified anchorages, and verifies systems are properly installed and inspected
• Verifies end users are trained and clearances are adequate before work at heights
• Removes damaged equipment, or equipment that has arrested a fall, from service, and inspects and documents equipment

Equipment inspection is part of that: a competent person inspects fall protection and rescue systems and equipment at least semi-annually and whenever equipment is subjected to a fall, and documents it (paragraph 21-5.a(3)). A Fall Protection and Prevention Plan is required when employees work at heights or are exposed to fall hazards; it's developed by a competent or qualified person and updated as conditions change, at least annually (paragraph 21-7.a).

Our Fall Protection Competent Person Training is 24 hours, taught in person, and our refresher is two. For the difference between the competent and qualified person, read competent person vs qualified person.