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.

Studies of Acceleration of the Human Body during Overturning and Falling from a Height Protected by a Self-Locking Device

“…Therefore, the energies and displacements occurring in such situations are the greatest. In addition, prolonged stay in suspension in safety harnesses after the fall arrest carries a number of health risks associated with partial impairment of circulation, among other concerns [7]. For this reason, it is very important that the evacuation should take place in the shortest possible time from the occurrence of the accident.…”