Full Body Harnesses
A full body harness is recommended for all people working at height and in confined spaces environments. There are a variety of full body harness styles available, and selection should be made with care to ensure that the harness meets the requirements of the task, as well as the physiology of the worker. Full body harnesses should meet the requirements of ASNZS 1891.1 Personal equipment for work at height.
There are typically two primary styles of full body harnesses:
Fall Arrest Harness
Work Positioning Harness
Fall arrest harnesses typically focus on ensuring there is a fall arrest d-ring located at the rear of the harness, as this is the safest place to connect for working in general conditions in a fall arrest environment, such as working in an EWP, on scaffolds, roofs or on structures where a free fall is possible.
For workers in suspension, such as rope access technicians or those working in confined spaces, a sternal and/or ventral connection point is often used in practice. For working in locations of limited free-fall and where work activity is better served by sternal connection, this is ideal. Although these same locations are required to be fall-arrest rated, it is highly recommended that these connections be used for work positioning and limited free fall risks due to the higher chance of injury in the event of a fall.