When should a safety harness be worn?
One of the biggest causes of injury and fatalities on a building site is unsafe working practices when working at height. We’re always hearing about cases where construction employees have fallen from ladders or through floors or from scaffolding and these incidents almost always result in serious injury. A safety harness can be used to reduce the potential for risk when working at height, but when should a safety harness be worn?
The definition of working at height is carrying out a task, in which there is the possibility of falling and this should be assessed before work is undertaken.
Assessing the risks of working at height includes carrying out an assessment of the amount of time and how often the work at height will be undertaken, as well as considering the structure of the surfaces the work is to be carried out upon. Wherever possible, working at height should always be avoided unless it’s absolutely necessary and in these situations you will often have to wear a safety harness.
Working at height safety systems include the use of safety rails and belts, however a safety harness gives maximum protection (whilst safety belts can in some situations create a risk of spinal injury).
A full safety harness is made up of straps that are brought up over the shoulders and connected to a safety belt around the waist as well as including straps that attach around the legs. The purpose of a safety harness is to equally distribute the force of a fall which protects the user from the fall as well as from the forces the harness puts on sensitive areas of the body.
Before a safety harness is used it should always be inspected for signs of wear and tear. If you are in any doubt about the condition of the safety harness, get a new one. It’s not worth taking the risk of using a safety harness that is worn. In addition to checking the safety harness is in the right condition, you also need to check the anchor point that you’re going to attach the harness (via a lanyard) too.
The kind of anchor point and the life line you choose is going to be determined by the type of work you’re carrying out. For example if the job requires movement between floors it may be best to use a flexible anchor point rather than a fixed anchor point. A flexible anchor point might mean that you’d choose a longer or retractable life line and longer life lines can put additional pressure on the safety harness and may affect the choice of safety harness you go for.
If a safety harness has been used in the prevention of a fall it needs to be inspected before it’s used again. It’s generally advisable to replace a safety harness once it’s been used to its full extent even if it appears to be fully functional.
When thinking about when a safety harness should be warn, it’s probably most advisable to use it in all circumstances where there may be a risk of falling. This will protect the employees from the fall and the business from potential liability claims.
View our range of safety harnesses or alternatively please call 01772 78600 to speak to one of our PPE experts.
Posted in Information By
Simon Dalley
Originally published at www.obas.com.
