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9 Steps to putting on a rope access harness correctly

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9 STEPS: TO PUTTING A HARNESS ON CORRECTLY

Putting a harness on is something every rope access technician learns on the first day of their level one training. And even though all technicians will put a harness on most of their working days, many of them do it incorrectly. Doing so can be uncomfortable, make it harder to work, and cause injury.

Let's look at how to put a harness on correctly:

  1. Do a visual inspection of the harness, check the stitching, look for cuts or any other damage. Make sure the harness is the right size for you.
  2. Ensure none of the straps are tangled, and they are loosed sufficiently. Not doing so from the beginning can cause issues later on. 
  3. With the harness laid out on the ground, step into it, between the shoulder straps (Some manufacturers suggest putting the shoulder straps to one side then later lifting them over your head, but this can be challenging for taller people.) *
  4. Pull the harness up above your waist and bend forward so that it rests on your lower back. Tighten the waist belt pulling each strap equally, making sure it sits just above your hip bones.
  5. Tighten the leg loops enough to just be able to slide four fingers between your leg and the strap. If your leg loop has a buckle, ensure it is not twisted. A twisted leg loop buckle can sit in a very uncomfortable position. There have been some horrible accidents, particularly for guys, caused by loose leg loop straps. 
  6. Ask someone to help you adjust the rear of the chest harness. Make sure you do this before adjusting the front. The rear D (Dorsal) ring should be between the shoulder blades, and not too high up the back. This is a very common mistake, even amongst experienced technicians.
  7. Tighten the front of the chest strap, and make sure the rear D ring is still in the correct position.
  8. Do not overtighten the rear leg risers. Doing so will prevent you from being able to move your leg loops to alleviate strap compression while hanging on the ropes.
  9. As soon as you are in the natural sitting position on the rope, tighten your chest strap some more. A slack chest ascender can make climbing very difficult. This is a very common mistake for new technicians to make.

* Always follow manufacturers’ instructions

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Train to Pass: Our Training Guarantee

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TRAIN TO PASS:  OUR TRAINING GUARANTEE

What is Train to Pass, and is it important? Train to Pass is our training guarantee. And what this means is that we will train you until you pass your IRATA assessment at no extra cost to you.

How do we do this? Our trainers know what to expect in an assessment therefore, they can generally tell if someone needs a little more time before they are assessed. If this happens, they can advise you beforehand and arrange for you to be assessed on a different day after a little more training. On the other hand, if you are unsuccessful on assessment day, we can also make arrangements for another assessment. You will not need to pay for the extra training or assessment. We know the IRATA course is a significant investment, and the last thing we want is our technicians worrying about losing their money when they should be focused on how to work safely.

How can we make such a guarantee? Ropeworkz already offers an extra day of training, which means our technicians are even more prepared for their assessments than most. That coupled with our excellent training team and well-equipped training facilities, very few of our technicians do not pass the first time. In fact, last year, less than 10% needed to be assessed a second time. Therefore we are confident in our abilities to prepare you for your assessment.

For more information, please contact Carey, our check out our IRATA course dates.

* Terms and Conditions apply

WHAT'S NEXT...

We discuss the 9 Steps to putting a harness on correctly.

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Announcement: Damian Chatteris joins our team

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ANNOUNCEMENT: DAMIAN CHATTERIS JOINS OUR TEAM

We would like to wish everyone the very best for 2022! The last couple of years have handed all of us new challenges that have knocked many of us down. But we have stood up again, endeavoured, and even grown.

On that note, we are excited to announce that we will have a new full-time rope access trainer joining us, Damian Chatteris. 

For those of you who do not know Damian, for the last 20 years he has worked in a variety of rope access and safety at height roles ranging from corporate team building to search and rescue to rope access team leader. For the last fives years, he has worked as an IRATA instructor in Durban but has decided to make the move down to Cape Town to join Ropeworkz.

He is also a self-confessed gear junkie who is always eager to have a friendly discussion about the pros and cons of various pieces of equipment.

We look forward to Damian joining our team on the next course and meeting our fantastic community.

WHAT'S NEXT...

We take a look at the Quick Roll.

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A Meeting With: Taz

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OUR MEETING WITH: TAZ

Another highlight from APLUSA was meeting Pascal and Benedicte, from Taz, who have most recently brought us the Lov3. Many of you would have heard about it, but most would not have had a chance to test it out. The device was initially designed to be easily and safely installed and removed from a tensioned line but now seems to have infinite possibilities. Essentially, the Lov3 is certified as a fall arrest, descender, backup, rescues, and adjustable lanyard, an all in one device.

We were looking forward to meeting the team behind this device. Although the stand appeared humble, there was a buzz of interest that shadowed some of the fancier setups. People were clearly impressed by the demonstrations performed by the technicians and waiting for an opportunity to talk to Pascal, the creator of the Lov. Fortunately, Pascal and Benedicte had agreed to set aside time for us beforehand.

It was fascinating to hear what drove Pascal to design the original Lov and the long journey he has been on to get it to where it is today with the Lov3. His passion for the community and desire to keep things simple is undeniable.

We are very excited and honoured that they have given us the privilege to be the distributor for Taz in South Africa. Many of you have not had the opportunity to try out the Lov3, so feel free to pop in and give it a go, or book your next rope access course with us and give it a try then. Alternatively, contact us for prices.

Taz rope access equipment
WHAT'S NEXT...

A new year, a new team member.

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The World’s Largest Health and Safety Trade Show: What We Saw

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THE WORLD’S LARGEST HEALTH AND SAFETY TRADE SHOW: WHAT WE SAW

A PLUS A Working at height

We had the privilege of attending A PLUS A trade show in Germany. With 1200 exhibits across nine halls showcasing the latest trends in health, safety, and security in the workplace, it is the world’s largest health and safety event. The show was incredibly impressive, but our favourite was hall six, which mostly covered working at height, including companies and equipment manufacturers like Petzl, Singing Rock, Skylotec and, CT.

Skylotec

One of the most impressive stands belonged to Skylotec, a german company that has been a part of the working at height industry for more than 70 years. They specialise in manufacturing PPE for fall protection, installing permanent fall protection systems, and training for safety at height. They are particularly prominent in the wind turbine industry.

We particularly liked the Skyvest, a high visibility vest fitted with a sensor-controlled airbag that aims to mitigate injury from low-level falls. The vest detects the wearer is falling and instantly inflates the airbags protecting the vital organs, head, and neck.

But Skylotec’s star was undoubtedly the Actsafe ACX Powerascender for industrial use. The power ascender by Actsafe (now owned by Skylotec) has been around for a few years, but not many of us have had to opportunity to see it in action, or better yet, give it a try. This lightweight (weighing only 13kg) battery-powered ascender can lift and lower people and loads effortlessly on a climbing rope.

Skylotec stand at A PLUS A

Skylotec and CT (a member of Skylotec) have a range of new and improved products that we are reviewing soon.

Kong

Another exciting product we got to test was Kong’s new I-Connector range of carabiners. These carabiners are equipped with NFC (Near Field Communication) chip. These chips allow anyone with the app to scan the carabiner with their phone and view its complete history. This system will significantly simplify equipment inspection and access to records anywhere.

 

These chips are also available on a range of other equipment manufactured by Kong.

Etienne Tredoux at A PLUS A
Kong equipment inspection

Never Let Go

The guys from Never Let Go manufacture a range of great tool lanyards, bags and tether points, including their new Space Net, which is connected below the technician and catches any falling debris.

 

 

But the most fascinating yet straightforward product was their Tether Tape. It is a self-fusing silicone tape with fibreglass reinforcement used to create a permanent attachment point on tools that do not have one. Tether points are vital yet undersupplied pieces of equipment needed for working at height. 

 

So often, we are issued tools like knives, hammers, and drills on site that don’t have attachment points, and we are left to rely on non-rated materials to create one.

Never Let Go Tether Tape
WHAT'S NEXT...

We meet up with the duo from Taz.

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