800-353-9425

Fall Protection for Railcars

Engineered fall protection solutions for railcar and railroad facilities, inspections, and maintenance work.

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Railcar Fall Protection Systems

When your team needs to access the top of railcars and tankers, ensuring their safety and your operational compliance is paramount. Whether you are managing loading, unloading, or maintenance, we recognize the inherent risks and the critical need for active and passive railcar safety measures. To mitigate these hazards, we provide a complete, single: source solution tailored to your unique challenges, ensuring adherence to the OSHA 1910 General Industry four: foot rule: the primary federal regulation requiring fall protection for employees working at height. By partnering with us, you gain access to expert engineering, seamless installation, and proactive maintenance. Our process begins with a thorough on-site hazard assessment conducted by a Qualified Person, as defined by ANSI Z359.2 (American National Standards Institute), to determine whether your facility is best served by Overhead Lifeline Systems (HLL) or Rigid Rail Fall Protection. This certified analysis ensures your system is not just a piece of hardware, but a compliant safety asset. 

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When is a 5-year recertification necessary? 

While annual inspections check for wear and tear, a 5:year recertification involves a comprehensive engineering review. This ensures the system still meets current building codes and OSHA standards, and that no changes to the facility’s structure have compromised the system’s integrity. 

What is the difference between fall arrest and fall restraint on a railcar? 

Fall restraint uses a tether to prevent the worker from reaching the edge, while fall arrest: common on tankers: stops a fall already in progress. We prioritize fall arrest for railcars to allow workers the range of motion needed for loading and maintenance tasks. 

Can these systems be used for multiple workers at once?

Only if specifically engineered for it. Standard systems are often rated for a single user per span. If your operations require multiple technicians on a single railcar, we must engineer the system with higher safety factors to manage simultaneous dynamic loads. 

How do environmental factors like ice or salt affect the system? 

Railcar yards are often corrosive environments. We utilize 316 Stainless Steel and specialized coatings to prevent rust. However, environmental buildup can affect trolley glide or cable tension, which is why annual inspections are critical for outdoor systems. 

What happens to the equipment after a fall event? 

If a fall is arrested, the system is legally required to be removed from service immediately. It cannot be used again until it has been inspected and recertified by a Qualified Person to ensure no structural deformation or cable fatigue occurred. 

Who is qualified to design railcar safety systems?

Per ANSI and OSHA guidelines, design must be overseen by a Qualified Person: typically a Professional Engineer (PE). This individual is responsible for calculating structural impact loads and ensuring the host structure can withstand the forces of a fall. 

What types of fall protection are used on railcars?

Access platforms, gangways, Horizontal Lifelines, and Rigid Rail. The right solutions often depend on types of railcars and activities as well as site conditions, and interior or exterior location.

Osha Regulations for Railcar Fall Protection

Under OSHA’s requirements, all workers must have some form of fall protection while on railcars. OSHA requires fall protection for employees who work at elevation, defined as 4 feet per the OSHA 1910 standard for general industry and 6 feet per OSHA 1926 construction standards.

customer testimonial

Your team was excellent, knowledgeable and very professional. The work schedule was planned for 4 plus weeks and your team completed the work in just over 2 weeks. Their workmanship is excellent; the communication was very good; their services were well provided; we were very satisfied. We will recommend FLS to others and will use FLS in the future.

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Hazard Assessment & Structural Analysis

Flexible Lifeline Systems railcar and railroad fall protection solutions start with the customer. Our qualified persons evaluate the specific operations conducting at height and perform an ANSI Z359.2-2007 compliant fall hazard survey. When required our Certified Structural Engineers (with PE Stamps in most states) review the structure where fall systems are most likely to be installed.

DESIGN & ENGINEERING

We design without bias and take into account the unique requirements of our customers. Our design team of civil and structural engineers, AutoCAD designers and field engineers produce comprehensive design packages that include detail foundation drawings, structural steel design and a compliant fall protection solution in accordance with ANSI and OSHA requirements. Additionally, our engineers factor other elements such as local seismic and weather conditions into each design. Our design packages include track and structural layouts, vehicle and railcar positions along with a fully detailed fall protection solution.

INSTALLATION SERVICES

Working near active railroads requires careful coordination, and in some cases special assurances. Our crews mobilize to site with all tools, safety and installation equipment. Each installation technician has extensive training in safety, equipment usage and construction techniques. Using our proprietary safety hazard assessment app, our crews perform a thorough pre installation safety evaluation each day to ensure all work is done safely. Our lead technicians have an average tenure with FLS of over 10 years. This experience is invaluable in the field when having competent, qualified and capable technicians working in an active work environment.

INSPECTIONS, REPAIRS & UPGRADES

Every fall protection system must be inspected and serviced periodically or after a fall. Our field service team of coordinators, inspection technicians and engineers proactively work with our customers to keep their fall protection systems serviced and up to date with the latest standards and requirements.

CERTIFICATION

Flexible Lifeline Systems ensures active fall protection systems stay in compliance through our annual system inspection services and 5-year full engineering/design review and recertification.

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