Fall protection system

A fall protection system, comprising:

• a harness having shoulder straps and leg straps;
• a housing with a quantity of webbing stored in the housing having a first and second end, the housing having an opening in it for pay out of the webbing and being mounted to the harness;
• a braking device mounted to the harness, the braking device further comprising
• a) a pair of first and second mating plates that oppose each other, each of the first and second mating plates having friction-inducing male lobes, with the males lobes of the first mating plate and male lobes of the second mating plate forming a serpentine path for the webbing to travel along, the webbing extending from the end in the housing and through the first and second mating plates with other end of the webbing being free for attachment to an elevated structure, the webbing contacting the friction-inducing males lobes of each of the first and second mating plates thereby allowing the webbing to pay out from the housing at a controlled rate of descent until a user reaches ground or a platform of safety.