Safety Harness; Choosing and Using!

Posted : Thursday 1st December 2011

This news page looks at the use of a safety harness, its benefits, types available and optional accessories.

We all know that working from any height is a risky business, and is where the majority of work related accidents take place; it is for this reason that the use of the correct safety harness is crucial.

Safety harnesses come in a wide array of styles for various purposes, Lifting Gear Direct supplies lifting harnesses in various kits, to ensure you have all you need for specific purposes, such as a scaffolders kit, a construction workers kit and a restraint kit, there are also crane maintenance kits and work positioning kits available from Lifting Gear Direct.

Safety harnesses are available with various anchor points, usually 1,2,3 or 4. Other harnesses available are sitting harnesses and rescue harnesses; to go with all harness types are the additional fall restraint systems, fall arrest systems, fall arrest blocks, retrieval blocks, and safety lines.

A fall restraint system works by preventing the wearer from falling, where as a fall arrest system works by catching the wearer if they fall. The fall arrest system allows much more freedom to move about than the fall restraint system.

A retractable fall arrestor is a self-adjusting safety line to constantly keep the line under tension and enable the user to work at variable distances from the anchor point. Rescue blocks are similar but designed to allow another person to rescue the fallen worker.

All safety harnesses designed to keep the wearer in an upright position if they fall, to allow quicker release, this can be vital because the force of a fall places much stress around the top of the legs where the straps are and can cause loss of blood circulation to legs which may have grave consequences if not removed from the harness quickly.

Remember to frequently inspect your safety harness for any wear or damage and if noticed, do not use and replace a.s.a.p.

It is prudent for anyone who works from heights and uses a safety harness to undertake a training session to understand how they work, and why they should always be worn. You should also be aware of the force factor applied during a fall, this is transmitted through a deceleration rate during a fall and so the height safety system used will need some deceleration distance built in by using an energy absorbing shock lanyard/safety line.

It is crucial to calculate the fall factor to prevent contact with the lower level as accurately as possible, this may by calculated by the following method;

Twice the length of the lanyard (to allow for the length of the lanyard and the height of the worker).
+1.75mtrs deceleration distance to allow for elongation of the shock absorber and any give in the lanyard.
+1mtr safety margin.
TOTAL=6.75mtr clearance required using a 2 meter lanyard.

Tagged as: safety harness, height safety

Latest News

Ratchet Lashings

Posted : Thursday 17th May 2012

Generally, a lashing is selected for its minimum break strength, with the length and the type of end

Trolley's Our popular models

Posted : Thursday 10th May 2012

TROLLEYS At lifting gear direct we are able to supply you with a wide range of trolleys for use on Jib

Lifting Gear specialists for all industrial areas.

Posted : Thursday 3rd May 2012

Any good company is aware that the quality of the project they are working on depends on a blend of skilled

Lifting Gantry Systems

Posted : Thursday 26th April 2012

This post will discuss lifting gantry systems, why and where they are used. Lifting gantry systems

Safe Slinging Practices

Posted : Thursday 19th April 2012

Slinging is the term used for lifting loads with the use of a sling, a slinger is the term used for the

Web Slings

Posted : Thursday 12th April 2012

This news page examines the web sling. Web slings are utilized in a huge array of operations, from large

Steel Plate Lifting Devices

Posted : Thursday 5th April 2012

This news page looks at the types of lifting devices available which are suitable for lifting all kinds

Hydraulic Cylinders

Posted : Thursday 29th March 2012

This News page talks about hydraulic cylinders, how they work and their uses throughout many industries

Load Moving Skates

Posted : Thursday 22nd March 2012

During this news page we are going to take a brief look at load moving skates, the different varieties

Horizontal Plate Lifting Clamps

Posted : Thursday 15th March 2012

This post looks at horizontal plate clamps, and also includes some guidelines for maintenance and inspections

Vertical Plate Lifting Clamps

Posted : Thursday 8th March 2012

During this news page we will be looking at vertical plate lifting clamps, what they are mostly used

Manual chain Hoists - Questions Answered

Posted : Thursday 1st March 2012

First of all I believe it is wise to say a manual chain hoist is often referred to as a variety of other

Scaffold Hoists

Posted : Thursday 23rd February 2012

This post will talk about some great benefits of having a scaffold hoist, incorporating how and where

Electric Hoists, What; Where; How; Why; When

Posted : Thursday 16th February 2012

Electric hoists, their uses and advantages, what they are and how they work. So what is an electric

The Safe Use Of Ratchet Lever Hoists

Posted : Thursday 9th February 2012

Ratchet Lever Hoists Safe use Here are some guidelines for the safe usage of a ratchet lever hoist in

Ratchet Lever Hoists

Posted : Thursday 2nd February 2012

This post examines how a lever hoist works and their best uses. A ratchet lever hoist can be used to

Beam Clamps - Safe Usage

Posted : Thursday 26th January 2012

This post provides some useful guidelines regarding the safe use of beam clamps, in accordance with section

BEAM CLAMPS

Posted : Thursday 19th January 2012

This news page looks at beam clamps, what they are, and how they are used. A beam clamp does exactly

Why Use An Electric Hoist?

Posted : Thursday 12th January 2012

Here we look at the benefits of using an electric hoist. So why should you choose to use an electric

Electric Hoists, What are They, How Do They Work and Where are they used.

Posted : Thursday 5th January 2012

This news page answers a few basic questions about electric hoists. So what is an electric hoist, An

Chain blocks

Posted : Thursday 22nd December 2011

This post looks at some properties and uses of a chain block A chain block may also be referred to as

Jib Crane Safety

Posted : Thursday 15th December 2011

Lifting Gear Direct offers complete testing and inspection services for all your lifting equipment, which

Jib Crane; What; How; Why and Where

Posted : Thursday 8th December 2011

During this news page we discuss what a jib crane actually is, how they work, why you should use one,