Industrial Hygiene News - November 2009

History Employees today would consider themselves lucky if they knew what workers used for fall protection 25, 50, even 75 years ago. The har- ness was born in the early twentieth century as a body belt that utility linesmen wore loosely around their waists for pole climbing. Unfortunately, the body belt was unreliable for fall arrest; the worker had to fall “correct- ly” for the belt to properly arrest the fall. In the best case scenario, this would leave the worker suspended horizontally. In the worst case scenario, the body belt could be pulled up to the worker’s armpits, or the worker could even fall out of the belt if it was too loose. In all situations, a fall would send dan- gerous impact forces directly to the spine and midsection.

As these dangers were realized, the industry looked for an option that would better distrib- ute fall arrest forces and reduce the chances that a worker could fall out of his or her fall protection system. The first full-body harness, modeled on the military parachute harness, was developed in the 1940s. But like the body belt, this harness wasn’t perfect. Although it better distributed fall arrest forces, it was con- structed of heavy, bulky materials and was not user-friendly. Widespread use remained limit- ed, and manufacturers again sought ways to improve the equipment.

The harness evolved as a result of end-user feedback. One of the complaints was that the harness was difficult to put on. In response, manufacturers developed triangular and X-fit style harnesses, whereby the harness falls into place upon grasping it by the dorsal D-ring, making it easier to put on. The next innova- tion was the introduction of the first comfort harness in 2001, which married features like padding and soft edging, with durable materi- als. With input from ergonomics experts, the comfort harness was modeled after recreation- al harnesses, and was designed to address

Types of Snow/Ice melting materials

Lifting Devices
with Fall Protection
Safety Features

Climbing Devices

Powered lifts
with fall
protection

Consults or Training Materials

Other Fall Protection Devices

Manufacturer

Perforated metal non-skid grates and surfaces

Anti-Slip indoor floor/stair tiles

Anti-slip walkway/stair strips Outdoor non-skid surfaces/stairs

;

Other
Granular materials for snow/ice
traction & melting
Granular absorbents for liquid spills

Outdoor non-skid surfaces/stairs Other

Folding Ladders

Stool and step-stools Wall leaning/extension ladders

;;

Other
Special Purpose ladders

Worker Safety Belts
Fall Arrest Harnesses &
Deceleration Lanyards
Worker body belts

Other Powered Worker Lifts

;;

Scaffolding

Cherry Picker Type Units Other

Training Materials

Workplace Safety Consulting

Confined Space Entry

;;;

Guard Rails/Railing Systems

Skylight Screen Covers

Safety Gates Other

Clamps

Argus-Hazco 800/873-0456 Bashlin Industries Inc. ; ;; 724/458-8340 Bluewater Mfg 866/933-2935 Capital Safety Co. ; ; ; ;;; 651/388-8282 Caulfield Associates Inc. ; FL; ; ;; ; 800/382-3814 Checkers Industrial Sfty Prods CP 800/438-9336 Descent Control Inc. ; ;; 800/643-2539 Deuer Development ; ;; ; ; ; 937/299-1213 Diversified Fall Protection Inc. ; ; ;;; ;;; ; ; ;; 216/265-2862 Dur-A-Flex Inc. ; ; 860/528-9838 Elk River Inc. ; ; ; ;; 256/739-5959 Ellis Fall Safety Solutions ; ; ; ; 302/571-8470 Fibergrate Composite Structures ; ; SL 972/250-1633 FrenchCreek Production Inc. ;; ; ;; ;;; 814/437-1808 Gemtor Inc. 732/583-6200 ;; ; ; Helget Safety Supply ; ; ; ;;; 402/339-1066 Hy-Safe Technology ; ; ; SR ;;; 800/642-0775 ICON Training Materials of Iowa ; ; 800/609-0479, www.icontraining.com I E Monitoring Instruments ; ;; 614/436-4933 International Safety LLC ; ; ;; ; ; ; ; ; ;; ;;; 918/446-4582 Itac Fall Protection Services ;; ; ; ; ; 804/414-1130 Kee Safety Inc. ;;;; ; ; ; ; ;; 800/851-5181 Mezzanine Safeti-Gates Inc. PG ; 978/768-3000 Miller Fall Protection / Sperian ; ; ; ;;; 800/873-5242 Pearlweave Safety Netting Corp. SN SN 800/732-7566 Plasteco Inc 713/453-8696 Premier Safety & Service ; ; ;; ; ;; ;;;; ; ; ; ;;; OS 724/693-8699 HI Protection Products Co. ; ; ; ; ; ;;; ;;; 612/722-7199 Ritz Safety ; ; ;; ; ;;;;;; ; ; ; SR,RL ;;; 800/451-3077 FR Safety Maker 800/804-4741, www.safetyboot.com Safety Rail Source 877/723-3766 Safety Through Engineering ;; ;;; EN 937/964-1900 OS Sellstrom Mfg. Co. ; ; ;;; 847/358-2000 Skedco Inc. ; ; ; ;; ; 503/691-7909 Sulowski Fall Protection ; ; 416/233-2872 Stauffer Glove & Safety ; ;; 215/679-4446 Sur Loc Inc. ; ; 800/223-7517 Tractel Ltd. ; ;; ; 514/493-3332 Web Devices ; ; ;;; 713/928-3936