General terms

Falling edge

A falling edge is the edge over which an individual could fall. From a fall height of 1 m and upwards, there is always a risk of falling. At lower heights, or when you are working adjacent to a substance into which you could sink, a risk assessment must be carried out to determine whether there is a risk of falling or sinking and which protection measures need to be implemented to counteract these risks.

What is the definition of a falling edge?

In the German technical rules for workplaces, ASR A2.1 , four different situations are mentioned to illustrate what constitutes a falling edge:

  • Edge between a flat surface and a surface with a pitch of over 60° (example: the outer edge of a flat roof)
  • Transition between a fall-through-resistant and a non-fall-through-resistant surface (example: domed skylight)
  • Edge between a surface with an angle of inclination of less than 20° and a surface with a pitch of over 60° (example: a mansard roof)
  • Position on a curved surface from which the angle of inclination of the tangent plane is greater than 60° (example: barrel roof)