Safety Harnesses

A fall protection harness is arguably the most essential part of any fall protection setup. The harness forms the interface between you and the rest of your fall protection equipment; it distributes the forces of a fall in a controlled manner across your body, preventing you from being injured or fatally wounded in the event of an accident. If you were to consider how uncomfortable it would be to tie a rope around your waist and use that as your tether, it quickly hits home how important a suitable safety harness is.

When choosing a fall arrest harness, you must consider many factors to ensure it will be sufficient for your needs. One of the most critical factors is how many anchor points the work harness features, as these points will dictate what positions you can work in whilst wearing the harness. Choose the wrong type, and you may find that you cannot carry out specific tasks safely.

If at any point you need assistance finding the best fall arrest harness for your needs, then we are here to help. With the help of the well-renowned manufacturers we work with, we can get expert backup for even the most difficult questions about fall arrest equipment.

These harnesses are worn by anyone working above ground level or at the edge of an excavation, cutting, or anything else you may be able to fall down or into. This broad scope of use cases makes fall safety equipment one of the most widely used pieces of PPE, almost as popular as safety helmets and RPE. Some great examples of where you will frequently see height safety equipment in use include;

Renewable Energy

When installing anything from wind turbines in a field to solar panels on rooftops, you will see fall restraint systems in use.

Civil Engineering

During large engineering projects, there will be points where workers need to operate in cherry pickers, scissor lifts or in other areas where falls are a risk factor.

Construction & Maintenance

This can be on building sites, whilst scaffolding is being erected or simply whilst working on a roof, replacing missing tiles.

Utilities

Whilst working underground in the gas and wastewater sectors, full-body harnesses designed for confined access are often used to lower workers in and out of manholes and access shafts.

This factor will ultimately depend on the type of work you do. However, some applications make specific configurations of harnesses better suited than others. Carrying out a harness risk assessment will ultimately help you identify not only the harness you need but also the accompanying fall restraint lanyards and fall arrest lanyards required for the job.

One Point Harness

These feature a connection on the back of the harness between the should blades. You can use them for both fall arrest and fall restraint applications.

• Fall Arrest Use
• Fall Restraint Use

Two Point Harness

These Feature an anchor point at the chest and one on the upper back. The additional anchor point makes using a shorter lanyard possible if facing a fixed anchor point on a building whilst working.

• Fall Arrest Use
• Fall Restraint Use

Three Point Harness

These harnesses feature a third set of connections at the waist level. These are used alongside a work positioning lanyard to take the weight off your arms, allowing you to work “hands-free” at height.

• Fall Arrest Use
• Fall Restraint Use
• Work Positioning

Five Point Harness

These feature a further two connection points at the waist level, allowing you to work in suspension from ropes.

• Fall Arrest Use
• Fall Restraint Use
• Work Positioning
• Working In Suspension

Within our range of harnesses, you will see terms such as quick-release buckles, colour-coded straps, sub-pelvic straps, tool & lanyard keepers and more. This jargon can be a challenge to understand if you are just setting out into the world of height safety equipment.

How To Inspect Your Safety Harness?

Firstly it is important to know that your fall protection equipment requires two key types of inspection.

• Daily Harness Inspection - This is what you should be doing each and every time you go to wear your harness. Start by looking for the obvious things, such as the triggered fall indicators. Then look for other signs of wear, including damaged stitching, frayed straps, and anything else not functioning as designed.
• A Service inspection - EN 365 stipulates that you must conduct a service inspection every twelve months, which a competent person must complete. Please contact us if you need help finding someone to carry out this inspection.

Ultimately your harness is only as good as the condition you keep it in. If you wear it out or don't take care of it, it could fail, causing significant injury to you or someone else.

Should I Buy A Kit Or A Harness Only?

This choice is up to you; purchasing a harness height safety kit is a great place to start if you are buying a complete setup from scratch. These kits have a harness, lanyard and often a storage bag to keep everything safe. Each kit will usually be set up for specific working-at-height tasks and price points.

The Rest Of The Range

If you are looking for other height safety equipment, you are in the right place; we sell a lot more than just fall safety harnesses. Some different categories and products you may find of interest include;

Hard Hats

We have specific ranges for working at heights, including our Linesman, Skyworker, and VISTAlens Dualswitch helmets.

Lanyards

These come in various shapes and sizes and include arrest lanyards, restraint lanyards and positioning lanyards.

Retractable Blocks

These blocks feature self-retracting lines that you can use to limit falls.

Harness Kits

These come with lanyards and bags to keep all your height safety equipment safely contained and together.

Slings

use these to create anchor points around trees, posts and other fixed structures.

Hooks & Karabiners

Within this range you can find the connectors you need to tie everything together in your height safety setup.