Fall Protection

A safety harness is a form of protective equipment designed to protect a person, from injury or damage.

The harness is an attachment between a stationary and non-stationary object and is usually fabricated from rope, cable or webbing and locking hardware.

Some safety harnesses are used in combination with a shock absorber, which is used to regulate deceleration when the end of the rope is reached.

• Listed below are different types of fall safety equipment and their recommended usage.
  1. Class 1 Body belts (single or double D-ring) are designed to restrain a person in a hazardous work position to prevent fall or to arrest a fall completely within 3 foot of movement (OSHA). Amends must be made to keep the line rigid at all times. A harness should also be used.
  2. Class 2 Chest harnesses are used when there are only limited fall hazards (no vertical free fall hazard), or for retrieving persons such as removal of persons from a tank or a bin.
  3. Class 3 Full body harnesses are designed to arrest the most severe free falls.
  4. Class 4 Suspension belts are independent work supports used to suspend a worker, such as boatswain’s chairs or raising or lowering harnesses