|  | Public Health Safety | Work Safety

OSHA Safety Harness Uses

Safety harnesses and fall protection systems are used in a variety of industrial applications. In general industry, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration requires that workers be protected by a safety harness and fall protection system any time a worker could fall from a height of 4 feet or more. In construction, this requirement is increased to 6 feet or more. Other safety requirements mandate the use of safety harnesses in confined-space entry operations.

  1. Standard Fall Protection

    • When a worker is performing tasks where he can fall a distance of 4 to 6 feet or more, it is essential for his personal safety that a full-body harness be used in combination with a fall protection system equipment to protect against the fall. Full-body safety harnesses are made by many manufacturers but the differences between products are negligible. This harness is designed to distribute impact forces from the abrupt stoppage of free fall through a shock-absorbing lanyard or other fall protection system component. In standard use, a harness is connected to a short lanyard, which is then connected to a stationary tie-off point. This system is designed for stationary tasks or tasks that require only a limited amount of employee mobility.

    Lifeline Systems

    • Lifeline systems use the same standard type of full-body safety harness, but the fall protection system operates in a different way. In a lifeline system, a worker is still working at a height of 4 to 6 feet or more, but the harness is connected to a short lanyard, which is then connected to a lifeline or rope-grab type of fall protection device. When a lifeline system is used with rope-grab technology, it allows the worker free movement along the length of the lifeline, as long as the tension on the lifeline is slack. If a fall occurs, tension on the lifeline triggers the rope grab and stops the worker's free fall. This type of system is used in applications where vertical climbing may be necessary, such as on a long industrial ladder.

    Confined-Space Entry

    • OSHA standards dictate that an entrance into a permit-required confined space have a system in place for rescue in case a hazard, injury or illness occurs in the entry process and the entrant cannot exit the confined space on his own. In many cases, a full-body harness in combination with a lanyard is used with a tripod and extraction winch to pull the worker out of the confined space. In this case, the harness is not used for fall protection, but instead for the rescue of the worker. The limitation of this system is that is only practical in a vertical confined-space entry scenario.

    Positioning Belt

    • A positioning belt is related to a full-body harnesses in that each is combined with a lanyard to protect the worker. However, a positioning belt differs significantly from a safety harness in that it is only meant to restrain the worker in the abdomen. It is because of this difference that OSHA has prohibited the use of a positioning belt for fall protection, citing that it can create greater injury than a full-body harness and has the potential for the worker to slip out of the system and fall to his death. This system is approved only to restrain a worker in place and cannot used for any type of fall protection.

Work Safety - Related Articles