Understanding the Importance of Safety Harnesses
The OSHA or Occupational Safety and Health Agency has come up with strict rules and regulations when it comes to protecting workers from accidents in workplaces. The use of protective equipment and gear is listed down as one of their requirements. For several years, falls are still listed as the most common cause of accidents, injuries, and death in the workplace. In order for fall accidents in the workplace to be prevented, the use of proper fall protection gear is a must. One of the most common fall protection systems used is a safety harness. When jobs require being 4 to 5 feet or higher off the ground, it is required for workers to use a fall arrest harness. Safety harnesses are used across occupations like construction sites and other jobs that require being high in the air on a regular basis. With safety harnesses, serious injuries as a result of falls are prevented and more lives are saved. Here is a beginner’s guide to safety harnesses that you ought to know.
When it comes to safety harnesses, you can expect them to have at least three main parts. These three include the safety harness, the safety lanyard, and the anchor point. When it comes to safety harnesses, they are divided into four classes. Your choice will depend on your safety needs. The first type of safety harness is the more basic one. They are often used when little support is only needed. When there is not that much falling risk in your surroundings, then this is the kind of safety harness that is best for you. Despite not having any falling risks, wearing the basic one can let you be safer.
For safety harnesses belonging to the second class, they have a chest device that ensures to keep the whole upper body of the person secure. Situations that often require the use of this kind of safety harness is that which involves lowering workers in an enclosure or any other building and then be removed at a low speed. A full-body safety harness is what you refer to the third class of safety harness. For this type of safety harness, your lower and upper torso will be strapped accordingly. This ensures that workers are protected from more dangerous falls at heights of 25 feet and more. Lastly, the fourth type of safety harness is akin to a catch-all. It has a belt that is the same as the first one. However, this fourth type of safety harness offers the most protection of them all. This is the best kind of safety harness that you should use if you are working in difficult areas or require to be lowered in an unsafe environment. The safety lanyards that are used with the safety harness are the ropes that serve as a connection from the harness to the anchor point.