As with your carabiners, harness, descender, and other equipment, it’s best to get rope grabs that are certified. This ensures that the equipment has been made to a high standard and makes it easier to stay compliant with OSHA.

OSHA says very little about grabs, addressing them only generally. For all fall arrest equipment OSHA requires that it limit the maximum arresting force on the employee to 1,800 pounds (1910.140(d)(1)(i)), bring the employee to a complete stop (1910.140(d)(1)(ii)), and be strong enough to withstand twice the potential force of a 6’ free fall (1910.140(d)(1)(iii)). You can see all of the details here. There is generally no OSHA stamp to be found on rope grabs, but all backup devices that abc sells meet OSHA requirements when used properly.

The most common and applicable standard is ANSI Z359. It requires that fall arresters lock automatically without any input form the user and that they require two consecutive, deliberate actions to open. It also lists requirements for the performance of the device during a fall and requirements for the lanyard that you use. While using ANSI gear isn’t required and there are a lot of great devices that aren’t ANSI, it’s easier to justify your equipment decisions to OSHA when you use ANSI rated gear.

SPRAT Safe Practices For Rope Access Work is another common guide used in the rope access industry covering both equipment and technique. It’s a great best practices guide though it is unlikely to be referenced by OSHA during an inspection. Window Washers commonly use Rope Descent or RDS, meaning they simply descend down a rope. Rope Access includes RDS skills but also covers a variety of other rope skills for rescues, going up a rope, and more. Safe Practices says a Backup Device should be intended for rope access use and be suitable for use in rescue (13.4). You can see the full details here.

The IWCA also has its I-14 standard which is window cleaning specific. On rope grabs, it says that “In addition to complying with ANSI Z359.1, rope grabs used for fall arrest shall include by design, an anti panic stop feature.” (9.2.2(b)).

Standards can be complex and it can be difficult to know which ones you should work to comply with. For additional guidance, contact your local OSHA representative or a qualified trainer. As with your carabiners, harness, descender, and other equipment, it’s best to get rope grabs that are certified. This ensures that the equipment has been made to a high standard and makes it easier to stay compliant with OSHA.

OSHA says very little about grabs, addressing them only generally. For all fall arrest equipment OSHA requires that it limit the maximum arresting force on the employee to 1,800 pounds (1910.140(d)(1)(i)), bring the employee to a complete stop (1910.140(d)(1)(ii)), and be strong enough to withstand twice the potential force of a 6’ free fall (1910.140(d)(1)(iii)). You can see all of the details here. There is generally no OSHA stamp to be found on rope grabs, but all backup devices that abc sells meet OSHA requirements when used properly.

The most common and applicable standard is ANSI Z359. It requires that fall arresters lock automatically without any input form the user and that they require two consecutive, deliberate actions to open. It also lists requirements for the performance of the device during a fall and requirements for the lanyard that you use. While using ANSI gear isn’t required and there are a lot of great devices that aren’t ANSI, it’s easier to justify your equipment decisions to OSHA when you use ANSI rated gear.

SPRAT Safe Practices For Rope Access Work is another common guide used in the rope access industry covering both equipment and technique. It’s a great best practices guide though it is unlikely to be referenced by OSHA during an inspection. Window Washers commonly use Rope Descent or RDS, meaning they simply descend down a rope. Rope Access includes RDS skills but also covers a variety of other rope skills for rescues, going up a rope, and more. Safe Practices says a Backup Device should be intended for rope access use and be suitable for use in rescue (13.4). You can see the full details here.


The IWCA also has its I-14 standard which is window cleaning specific. On rope grabs, it says that “In addition to complying with ANSI Z359.1, rope grabs used for fall arrest shall include by design, an anti panic stop feature.” (9.2.2(b)).

Standards can be complex and it can be difficult to know which ones you should work to comply with. For additional guidance, contact your local OSHA representative or a qualified trainer.

As with your carabiners, harness, descender, and other equipment, it’s best to get rope grabs that are certified. This ensures that the equipment has been made to a high standard and makes it easier to stay compliant with OSHA.

OSHA says very little about grabs, addressing them only generally. For all fall arrest equipment OSHA requires that it limit the maximum arresting force on the employee to 1,800 pounds (1910.140(d)(1)(i)), bring the employee to a complete stop (1910.140(d)(1)(ii)), and be strong enough to withstand twice the potential force of a 6’ free fall (1910.140(d)(1)(iii)). You can see all of the details here. There is generally no OSHA stamp to be found on rope grabs, but all backup devices that abc sells meet OSHA requirements when used properly.

The most common and applicable standard is ANSI Z359. It requires that fall arresters lock automatically without any input form the user and that they require two consecutive, deliberate actions to open. It also lists requirements for the performance of the device during a fall and requirements for the lanyard that you use. While using ANSI gear isn’t required and there are a lot of great devices that aren’t ANSI, it’s easier to justify your equipment decisions to OSHA when you use ANSI rated gear.

SPRAT Safe Practices For Rope Access Work is another common guide used in the rope access industry covering both equipment and technique. It’s a great best practices guide though it is unlikely to be referenced by OSHA during an inspection. Window Washers commonly use Rope Descent or RDS, meaning they simply descend down a rope. Rope Access includes RDS skills but also covers a variety of other rope skills for rescues, going up a rope, and more. Safe Practices says a Backup Device should be intended for rope access use and be suitable for use in rescue (13.4). You can see the full details here.

As with your carabiners, harness, descender, and other equipment, it’s best to get rope grabs that are certified. This ensures that the equipment has been made to a high standard and makes it easier to stay compliant with OSHA.

OSHA says very little about grabs, addressing them only generally. For all fall arrest equipment OSHA requires that it limit the maximum arresting force on the employee to 1,800 pounds (1910.140(d)(1)(i)), bring the employee to a complete stop (1910.140(d)(1)(ii)), and be strong enough to withstand twice the potential force of a 6’ free fall (1910.140(d)(1)(iii)). You can see all of the details here. There is generally no OSHA stamp to be found on rope grabs, but all backup devices that abc sells meet OSHA requirements when used properly.

The most common and applicable standard is ANSI Z359. It requires that fall arresters lock automatically without any input form the user and that they require two consecutive, deliberate actions to open. It also lists requirements for the performance of the device during a fall and requirements for the lanyard that you use. While using ANSI gear isn’t required and there are a lot of great devices that aren’t ANSI, it’s easier to justify your equipment decisions to OSHA when you use ANSI rated gear.

SPRAT Safe Practices For Rope Access Work is another common guide used in the rope access industry covering both equipment and technique. It’s a great best practices guide though it is unlikely to be referenced by OSHA during an inspection. Window Washers commonly use Rope Descent or RDS, meaning they simply descend down a rope. Rope Access includes RDS skills but also covers a variety of other rope skills for rescues, going up a rope, and more. Safe Practices says a Backup Device should be intended for rope access use and be suitable for use in rescue (13.4). You can see the full details here.