Harness Awareness Course

The aim of this course is to apply awareness to any personnel required to use safety harnesses in suspension and work positioning tasks. The safety harness forms the ergonomic link or interface between the human body and the attachment system. As such the harness is probably the most important item of a workers PPE Harnesses are category III PPE and designed to protect against imminent mortal danger, therefore the safe use, selection and inspection of harnesses and accessories is of paramount importance.

Course Objectives

On successful completion of the course delegates should be capable of correctly and safely:

• Demonstrate the assembling, fitting and checking of his/ her personal safety harness by way of following
• Webbing: look for any cuts, burns or areas of severe abrasions. Check for any areas where the webbing has become brittle due to exposure to chemicals etc. check for any foreign bodies such as grit, cement, chemicals, paints and oil based substances
• Stitching: check for abrasions and unthreading of stitches
• Metal parts / Karabiners/ Hooks: check all metal components for cracks, dents and discoloration. Check karabiners to ensure that the locking system is functioning correctly and that the gate closes automatically when released, without catching.
• Identifying marks: the label on the inside of the harness and lanyard must bear the CE mark, serial number etc must be in place and clearly legible
• Shock Absorber: check if the lanyard has been used, inspect the shock absorber very closely – if the webbing inside appears very loose or damaged in anyway DO NOT USE.
• If unsure as to whether the lanyard is suitable for use, seek a second opinion preferably the manufacturer