SAFETY HARNESSES: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

If you're in an industry that requires working at great heights, then you have likely heard of, and used at some point, safety harnesses. Even if you're not entirely sure what this piece of equipment is or how they work, you've likely seen them in operation, just not paid attention to it.

In this article, we will look at what this safety gear is, how it can be used and the advantages having one or several can have for you and your workers.

If by the end of the article you have any further queries, please contact a member of our LES team and we will be more than happy to help guide you through your options.

WHAT ARE SAFETY HARNESSES?
In a short and sweet form, they are a form of protective gear that is designed to protect a person or worker from falling and getting injured. You can expect to find them being used, and you should use them when you are working at great heights as they give you that layer of security and support if you were to fall.

By wearing one the risk of injury from a fall is greatly reduced- making you safer on your tasks. The harness allows you to attach to a stationary object which stops you from hitting the floor.

You can find this safety equipment being commonly used during recreational activities such as rock climbing, mountaineering, and at indoor or outdoor activity centres.

However, don't think safety harnesses are just for recreational use as there are plenty of commercial situations where you will find them in use. Some of which you've likely seen in action many times before. Activities such as window cleaning at height, doing maintenance work at height, construction of a building at height, and much more. 

You've now got an understanding of what this piece of safety equipment is and how it works. This will give you a basic understanding of if you need one for your business. 

When you're considering purchasing one or several pieces of this safety equipment, you need to consider the different variations and the job you have on hand. This brings us nicely into our next point which is all about the different types that are available to you. 

DIFFERENT TYPES
If you're experienced in using this safety gear, you will likely already have an idea of what variation(s) of this safety equipment you need. However, you may be relatively new to using them and all of a sudden need to get your hands on a number of them while not knowing exactly what you need. 

Thanks to the great feedback from our valued customers, we're aware that it's sometimes easier to show you a number of example products to give you an idea of how they might be used and in what situations they will be used. 

Below you can see a number of examples of the safety harness available to you and the different benefits they can bring you. If you are at any point unsure about what vari

BENEFITS OF WEARING 
The main benefit of a safety harness, and it's a bit of an obvious one, is the fact that it keeps you safe while working at heights that might be unstable or unsafe to do so without this piece of safety equipment supporting you.

By you using this piece of equipment, it makes the possibility of hurting yourself at heights more preventable. You may want to add a fall arrest system since you should use one when you are working at a height of six feet or more. Even if you end up falling at height or missing your footing, this will keep you secure and stop you from going into a freefall. 

A full-body harness with a shock-absorbing lanyard or retractable lifeline is the preferred type of fall arrest system because it distributes the force of the fall throughout the whole body.

By equipping yourself with one, not only improves your own or your team members protection but also allows them to use their hands freely whilst working. You can see this in action when skyscrapers are getting the windows cleaned. 

Most jobs at height will require the wear of this safety equipment for the team as a law to ensure not only the safety of the operator at height, but also the team and personnel around them. 

DO YOU NEED A SAFETY HARNESS?
If you are working from an elevated height and on unstable secured platforms, it's usually good idea to use one and have them at the ready. If you're a business that deals with these types of projects, you'll have a better idea of how many you need and what variation.

If you're a new or existing business and have taken on work that involves operating at heights on unsafe and insecure platforms, you will need to consider various points before you make a singular or multiple purchases. 

You can always contact an experienced member of the LES team for more information on the variations avalable to you. We will be more than happy to help find you the most suitable safety wear, gear, and equipment for your sector of work.