Effects of Safety Harnesses Protecting against Falls from a Height on the User’s Body in Suspension

Abstract

The present work concerns the impact of safety harnesses on the human body in the context of suspension trauma. Phenomena at the man/harness interface were studied on a group of men professionally working at a height and using personal protective equipment (PPE). In the study, subjects wearing a safety harness were suspended for 3 min in controlled conditions. Three types of safety harnesses of different design were used. The harnesses were evaluated on the basis of the subjects’ opinions expressed in a questionnaire administered following trials. The most important phenomena observed were the compression exerted by textile straps, inconvenient body position, as well as straps tightening around the neck and torso. The results of trials involving human subjects were convergent and complementary with tests using an anthropomorphic dummy, enabling an evaluation of the basic designs of safety harnesses.