Harnesses are an essential part of safety gear. They should be worn when undertaking any task that presents risk of injury by falling from a great height. From window cleaners to tree surgeons, safety harnesses are the first point of call for effective fall protection.
There are different types of harnesses, each with their own purpose. We have listed the two most common of these down for you below and how they are used.
Work Positioning Belt
Work positioning belts are used as a method of fall protection that prevent you from falling through means of restriction.
Work positioning belts tend to be used in conjunction with restraint lanyards, which together create a height safety system. This prevents a person from reaching the point of a potential fall, either through tension or suspension.
They can either be made to fit around the waist only, or to fit around your waist and legs - leaving your arms with free movement to work.
Full Body Harness
These types of harnesses are as the name suggests - they are worn over your shoulders, legs and chest/waist to provide full body support. Because of this, these harnesses offer maximum fall protection, as your weight is distributed evenly within the harness and there is no risk of slipping out - whether you are upright or upside down.
There are different types of full body harnesses available.
1 Point Harness
1 point harnesses are full body harnesses that have one attachment point. Attachment points are the part of a harness that is attached to an anchor point, which secures the user to the structure upon which they are working on.
These harnesses tend to use a dorsal attachment, which is located at the back of a harness.
2 Point Harness
2 point harnesses are full body harnesses that - yep, you guessed it - have two attachment points on them.
The purpose of a 2 point harness is to offer more security than that of a 1 point harness. They feature both a dorsal attachment and a sternal attachment (located at the front of the harness) - usually in the form of a D-ring or webbing loops.
Unlike 1 point harnesses, 2 point harnesses allow for the option to be connected to a vertical lifeline or controlled ascent/descent systems. This offers an extra level of fall arrest protection.
Extra Attachments
There are other harnesses available with extra attachments (known as 4 point and 5 point harnesses). These have extra attachment points on either side of the hips and on the abdomen. These harnesses tend to be used when maximum protection is needed, often for jobs where workers are suspended for long periods of time, require rope access, and/or require work positioning.
Your Lifting and Safety Gear Supplier
When buying lifting and safety gear, it is important that you are receiving high-quality and trustworthy products that comply with British Standards.
Here at Lifting & Safety Gear Ltd, we supply a great range of such products. With over 9 decades of industry excellence behind our belt (pun intended!), we are confident that you are getting the best products the region has to offer.
Although based in Barry, we ship nationwide to the rest of the UK, selling to both commercial and domestic clients. Where possible, we always aim to deliver your order within 24 hours.
If you wish to learn more about the products we sell or have any queries regarding lifting and safety gear or what we do, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today! We are always happy to help.