Safety harnesses
What is a safety harness?
A safety harness or fall-arrest harness is a body harness used as part of a personal fall-arrest system to protect a person from falling from work at height. Fall arrest harnesses are designed to distribute the falling force across the body to minimize the risk of injury.
What does a fall arrest harness look like
A fall arrest harness consists of straps, buckles, anchor points (D-rings), and sometimes tool loops. The straps go over the shoulders, around the legs, and around the body.
Straps: The straps are adjustable, allowing the harness to fit the wearer precisely for a safe, comfortable fit.
D-ring: On the back of the fall arrest harness, typically between the shoulder blades, there is a D-ring. Some models also have an anchor point at the chest. The D-ring is the primary attachment point to which a fall arrest lanyard or other type of fall arrest device can be attached.
Buckles: The buckles are often click buckles, so the harness is quick to put on and take off: It is also at the buckles that the straps are adjusted for a personal fit of the harness.
Padding: Fall arrest harnesses are available with different variations of padding on the shoulders, at the legs and around the hips.
Tool loops: On some models there are tool loops in which you can carry tools with you.
How to use your safety harness
Always inspect your fall arrest harness before use, it may have damage, wear or other weaknesses. Also check the straps, buckles and D-ring.
Then open the harness buckles so that the harness is easy to step into. First step into the leg straps and pull the harness up. Close the buckles and adjust the straps so that they fit and the harness sits well against the body. Attach your connecting device (e.g. fall arrest lanyard or fall arrest block) to the D-ring. Before you start work, make sure that all equipment is properly secured and that the harness is in place.
Remember to have your fall protection equipment checked at least once a year by a qualified person.
You can find more information about fall protection in our articles.
