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When a brick mason is working at a height or needs to reach down below a working surface, ensuring safety is paramount to prevent falls and injuries. A personal fall arrest system is specifically designed to protect workers from falling by securing them to an anchor point. This system consists of a full-body harness, lanyard, and an anchor point, which collectively work to catch the worker in case of a fall.

In this scenario, where reaching down 12 inches below the working surface may put the mason in a precarious position, utilizing a personal fall arrest system is essential. It provides the necessary safety measures to prevent falls and mitigate the risks associated with working at height or in unstable positions.

Other options, such as guard rails, safety harnesses (which are part of the fall arrest system), and hard hats, serve important safety roles but do not provide the same level of fall protection that a personal fall arrest system does in this specific context. Guard rails protect against falls from edges, safety harnesses alone do not include the necessary components for a complete fall arrest system, and hard hats are primarily for head protection against falling objects rather than preventing falls themselves. Therefore, the focus on a personal fall arrest system directly addresses the need for fall protection when working