Smart fall arrest system

A smart fall arrest system for arresting the fall of a user from an elevated worksite, the system comprising:

• a fall arrest device comprising a first connector configured to connect the device to an anchor point at the worksite and a second connector configured to connect the fall arrest device to a connection point on a harness worn by a user;
• an intelligent module fixed to the fall arrest device, the intelligent module comprising:
• a range finder;
• an accelerometer module;
• a user alert device;
• and
• a processor operably connected to the range finder, the accelerometer module, and the user alert device, the processor configured to:
• (a) determine a clearance distance from the range finder to a surface underlying the worksite in response to a signal from the range finder indicating the distance,
• (b) determine an anchor distance between the connection point and an anchor point in response to the accelerometer module being moved from adjacent one of the connection point and the anchor point to adjacent the other of the connection point and the anchor point,
• (c) determine if either the clearance distance or the anchor distance are not acceptable, and
• (d) control the user alert device to alert a user if either the clearance distance or the anchor distance is unacceptable.