¿HOW ARE THE SECURITY HARNESSES AND HOW

MANY TYPES ARE THERE?

Work at height requires that the number
one priority is the safety of the worker, and
to this end safety harnesses have been
invented: they are personal protective
elements (or PPE) that allow the operator
to work safely and comfortably, either when
repairing a traffic light on public roads or
when changing a signal lamp in a cell phone
tower. There are different models of safety
harnesses-depending on the work they will
be subjected to-and each manufacturer
offers different configurations for each
model. In this article we will see those
models and a small orientation guide to
choose them correctly.
Safety harnesses for each job
A Little about history:
Articulated design harness.
The harness as an anti-fall element was born at the
end of the 19th century in Holland, and its invention
is attributed to the mountaineer Jeanne Immink; but
it was not until the early 1970s, when the The
Occupational Health Safety Administration (OSHA)
began to regulate work at height, which the use of
anti-fall elements was mandatory in the workplace.
At that time the maximum protection was simply a
leather belt with steel eyebolts, which prevented the
fall, but not the injuries caused by the sudden stop in
the air. Only in 1998, with the prohibition of the use
of these primitive devices, began the true evolution
of the safety harnesses, until arriving at the current
models, based on the military harnesses of the mid-
20th century.
Clasificacion according to the protection
offered
The OSHA defined three scales of
protection for security harnesses: Full body harness/ class 3
• Class 1: are those body belts
designed only to position the worker in a
certain place and prevent its fall, but does
not offer protection against falls of more
than one meter.
• Class 2: pectoral harnesses that
prevent falls in slippery places, but are not
designed to protect the operator from
vertical free fall. They are used to hoist it
from tanks or underground facilities.
• Class 3: full body harnesses, which
protect against the most severe free falls.
Clasificacion according to the protection
offered
CLASS 1 CLASS 2
Components of safety harnesses
HARNESS-COMPONENTS: D-RINGS,
HARNESS-COMPONENTS: ADJUSTMENT POINTS, PILLOW, FITTINGS
• The harness is made up of the safety strips (made
of a polyester compound for greater safety and
resistance) on which the D-rings are located (the
rings where the connectors are attached, or
cables, which link the harness with the anchor
points). They also have adjustment points, which
allow adapting the harness to the body of each
operator. Additionally, at the points of union,
where the harness will receive the greatest
request in case of a fall, the fittings are found.
Finally, at the points where the harness will hold
the operator's body with more pressure, the pads
are found.
• D-Rings are made up of steel or aluminum, and are
properly tested and designed to withstand a
minimum effort of 22.2 kN.
Different models

Within the classification of Class 3

given by OSHA there are dozens of
models, each adapted to a
different work scenario: there are
dirt proof, reflective, with
protection against electric shocks,
with rings to hang fall prevention
tools, and so on.
Commonly used
COMMONLY USED HARNESS
COMMONLY USED HARNESS
They are those safety harnesses
designed for general purposes.
Mainly consist of three D rings for
fastening the connectors to the
anchor, legs, adjustment points,
pads and fittings. Optionally, they
can have a fourth D-ring for
greater safety, although it is not
mandatory.
uses
For dirty environments
• To perform work where it will be
unavoidable to soiled work clothes (in
environments with oils, tars, dust, paints
and others), safety harnesses are used,
covered with a waterproof protective
material, which prevents direct contact of
the substances with the fittings or
polyester, protecting it from corrosion
damage, which would represent a safety
risk. These harnesses should be cleaned
and checked after each work, to rule out
that the protective material has been
damaged, allowing dirt to come into
contact with the body.
For electricity works in height
• They are called dielectric safety harnesses
and have a protective material that
insulates the fittings and D rings to
prevent them from being energized when
working near electric fields (such as
wiring posts), thus protecting the worker
from electric shocks.
• They are usually manufactured with vinyl
covers that completely cover all the
metallic elements, thus guaranteeing
their correct isolation.
USES

DIELECTRIC HARNESS FOR WORK ON THE STREET

• They are safety harnesses with
the addition of reflective
material, which allows to
achieve a high visibility even in
night or fog conditions. For this
reason, they are especially
indicated for work on public
roads, such as maintenance of
street lights and traffic lights on
streets and highways.
USES

FOR WELDING FOR WELDING

• The strips are made with a
material of synthetic fibers burn-
proof; resist splash sparks up to
370 ° C.
CAUTION
• Before executing any work at heights, you must ensure that you have
the proper safety harness.