Page 22 - OHS, October 2024

P P E : F A L L P R O T E C T I O N
Put a Ring on It: Selecting the Best Fall Protection Harness
Confi guration for Workers At-Height
Choosing the right fall protection equipment is crucial for protecting workers at-height,
but it is equally important that it is correctly used.
BY PHILIP JACKLIN
thing, but employers must ensure they supply the right
Providing fall protection equipment to employees is one
equipment for their workers and whatever tasks they will
need to accomplish during their shift s. According to a
study conducted by the Center for Construction Research & Training
(CPWR) in 2021, nearly 60% of fatal falls discussed with respondents
involved workers wearing fall protection equipment. Th e same survey
also identifi ed improper use of equipment as the third leading un-
derlying cause of fatal falls, so this data suggests that the severity of a
fall injury can be aff ected by the user’s proper use of their equipment.
While it is important to provide fall protection to workers ex-
posed to fall hazards, it is equally important (arguably more im-
portant) to ensure the correct equipment is provided. Workers
must be trained on the limitations of their equipment, not just
the features & benefi ts the equipment can provide. Let’s focus on
the importance of donning a fall protection harness properly, the
diff erent features available and their benefi ts, and why including
more features does not always equate to a safer harness.
The Importance of Wearing a Fall Protection Harness
(Correctly)
Before discussing the diff erent features and use applications, it
is important to know why wearing a harness is so important for
workers at heights. More importantly, users must don the harness
properly each time to function correctly during fall arrest. An ill-
fi tting or poorly adjusted harness can cause further injury or can
cause the user to be ejected from their harness during a fall. Rou-
tine fi t checks by safety leadership can help keep workers account-
able and off er employers opportunities to retrain employees who
fail to wear their harness according to manufacturer instructions.
Also, OSHA requires workers to perform pre-use inspections
when they don a harness. If a harness does not fi t properly, it would
be eligible to fail the inspection and must be brought to the organi-
zation’s Competent Person for further evaluation or replacement.
When most falls occur, people fall headfi rst towards the ground
or the next lower level beneath them. Wearing a fall protection har-
ness ensures that the victim’s body is reoriented in an upright posi-
tion, which provides two benefi ts: (1) the user is in a safer position
for the body to endure the fall forces incurred from the fall, and (2)
decrease chances of the user’s head hitting the ground during a fall.
Different Rings Mean Different Things
Th e most important d-ring on a fall protection harness is the Dor-
sal D-Ring. Th is is the only d-ring on a harness that is rated for fall
arrest applications with either overhead or foot-level anchorages.
When the harness is properly adjusted, the dorsal d-ring should
be centered just between the user’s shoulder blades. If the dorsal
d-ring is too high, the snaphook of their connection device could
hit the back of their head during fall arrest. If the dorsal d-ring is
too low, the user risks not being reoriented in the safest position.
In recent years Side D-Rings have grown in popularity and are
included on many harnesses. However, many workers fail to use these
d-rings correctly and the consequences can be disastrous. Side d-rings
can never be used for fall arrest. Th ey are intended only for travel re-
straint or work positioning applications. If a user were to fall while be-
ing connected to their side d-ring, the harness could fail to hold them
or, at the very least, could cause severe injury to the worker.
Travel restraint is when a worker is tied off to their anchor-
age with a connection device that is shorter in length than their
distance to the unprotected edge. An example of this would be a
worker connecting their 6ft lanyard to an anchor point that is 10ft
away from the edge of their walking working surface, utilizing one
side d-ring on their harness. Th is is an incredibly safe way of work-
ing because the user’s equipment prevents them from nearing the
edge, thus virtually eliminating the chance of a fall occurring.
Work positioning is when a worker is held in a certain work-
ing position by their fall protection equipment so they can use both
hands to perform a task, instead of using their hands to maintain
their balance. An example of this would be a worker assembling a re-
bar column. Oft en, rebar workers will use a Y-shaped chain lanyard
that connects standard snaphooks to both side d-rings on one end
and the other end is a larger snaphook (oft en referred to as a “Rebar”
or “Pelican” hook) that connects directly to the rebar column. In this
scenario, workers oft en work simultaneously in fall arrest with a self-
retracting lifeline (SRL) connected to an overhead anchorage.
Historically, Chest D-Rings had very limited use applications
and were primarily used to connect workers to winches or other
descension equipment, keeping the dorsal d-ring free for their
fall arrest connection device. Th ese were mainly used in confi ned
space applications. However, with OSHA’s recent update to the
1910.28 standard requiring ladder safety systems on fi xed ladders
24ft or taller, chest d-rings will only become more common in the
future. Ladder safety systems utilize a shuttle device that stays in
line with the ladder climber and must connect into the chest d-
ring. Some manufacturers have placed this front d-ring as low as
the waist level, but those harness styles are waning in occurrence.
Last but not least is the option for Shoulder D-Rings on a harness.
Th eir primary function is to provide an attachment point to facilitate
upright entry into or retrieval from confi ned space areas. Th ese are
commonly used with spreader bar devices to aid in lowering/raising
a worker into/from an area where they do not have the means to
climb up and down with the aid of a ladder. Shoulder d-rings can
also be combined with a Y-shaped rescue lanyard to retrieve fallen
workers, which may be necessary for some facilities’ rescue plans.
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