The Need for Fall Protection

To start us off, what is the purpose of a safety harness? In its simplicity, it is to keep you safe when working in an environment that is prone to injuries from a fall. However, different harnesses provide a solution for different needs. There are four classes of fall protection equipment. 

Class 1: Largely composed of body belts their main function is to prevent falls, or arrest them completely within 3 feet by restraining a person in a hazardous work position.

Class 2: Mosty chest-mounted harnesses and they are only to be used when there is limited fall hazard risk.

Class 3: This is where we find the full-body harness. Used to arrest severe free falls.

Class 4: Lastly we have suspension belts for supporting a suspended person without cutting off their circulation. Used when a person is in an elevated position for longer periods.

There are some arguments against using a Class 1 body belt. OSHA will not write a citation for using a body belt unless explicitly specified. OSHA does however strongly recommend rather using a full-body harness when working in elevated areas where fall protection is needed. This is mostly because if you are left hanging from a body belt you are in a race against asphyxiation. A fully grown adult female has around 2 minutes and 30 seconds before she dies of asphyxiation when using a body belt. Compare that to the 19 to 29 minutes when using a full-body harness.