Existing OSHA general statutes make fall protection mandatory where workers are exposed to potential fall hazards from heights of six feet or more. Many companies have voluntarily lowered their in-house standards even further than the OSHA guidelines and restrict workers from traversing more than four feet above unprotected potential fall surfaces.

Informed insurance industry risk evaluators believe "four foot maximum potential falls" may become the regulated standard in the future, since insurance industry research into documented falls has shown that serious injuries are common even from this minimal height. In addition to free-falls off high working surfaces such as railcars or truck trailers, some of the most common injuries are caused by minimal, non-impact falls including slips, trips, and sliding falls. Fall Protection Systems, Inc., the leading manufacturer of fall protection systems in the USA, offers effective, comparatively low cost fall protection systems for these applications.