A safety lanyard system comprising a lanyard and a lanyard spool; a transmitter configured to be worn by a user tethered to a distal end of the lanyard, the transmitter configured to transmit a beacon signal from a location of the user; a first receiver and a second receiver disposed on opposite sides of a vertically oriented plane, each of the first and second receivers operable to receive the beacon signal and to generate a first reception signal and a second reception signal, respectively; an extraction length detector configured to generate an extraction length signal indicative of an extracted length of the lanyard from the lanyard spool; a controller operably coupled to the first and second receivers to receive the first and second reception signals, and coupled to the extraction length detector to receive an extraction length signal; a data store (540,560) operably coupled to the controller, wherein the data store (540,560) comprises a program of instructions that, when executed by the controller, cause the controller to perform operations to apply a brake tension to the lanyard when a user approaches a safe operating area boundary, the operations comprising: determine an angle between the vertically oriented plane and the lanyard based on the comparison of the first reception signal and the second reception signal; determine the extracted length of the lanyard based on the extraction length signal; determine a proximity of the user to the safe operating area boundary; and, generate a braking signal in response to the proximity determination; and, a brake operably coupled to the controller to receive the braking signal and configured to retard the extraction of the lanyard from the lanyard spool in response to the braking signal. a transmitter configured to be worn by a user tethered to a distal end of the lanyard, the transmitter configured to transmit a beacon signal from a location of the user; a first receiver and a second receiver disposed on opposite sides of a vertically oriented plane, each of the first and second receivers operable to receive the beacon signal and to generate a first reception signal and a second reception signal, respectively; an extraction length detector configured to generate an extraction length signal indicative of an extracted length of the lanyard from the lanyard spool; a controller operably coupled to the first and second receivers to receive the first and second reception signals, and coupled to the extraction length detector to receive an extraction length signal; a data store (540,560) operably coupled to the controller, wherein the data store (540,560) comprises a program of instructions that, when executed by the controller, cause the controller to perform operations to apply a brake tension to the lanyard when a user approaches a safe operating area boundary, the operations comprising: determine an angle between the vertically oriented plane and the lanyard based on the comparison of the first reception signal and the second reception signal; determine the extracted length of the lanyard based on the extraction length signal; determine a proximity of the user to the safe operating area boundary; and, generate a braking signal in response to the proximity determination; and, determine an angle between the vertically oriented plane and the lanyard based on the comparison of the first reception signal and the second reception signal; determine the extracted length of the lanyard based on the extraction length signal; determine a proximity of the user to the safe operating area boundary; and, generate a braking signal in response to the proximity determination; and, a brake operably coupled to the controller to receive the braking signal and configured to retard the extraction of the lanyard from the lanyard spool in response to the braking signal.