Safety Harness Safe Work Method Statement

Under the hierarchy of control mandated by Australian WHS legislation, safety harnesses should only be used when higher-order control measures are not reasonably practicable. Guardrails and edge protection are passive fall prevention systems that protect workers without requiring any action or equipment use by individuals, making them inherently more reliable than personal fall arrest systems dependent on correct worker behaviour and equipment maintenance. Regulatory guidance requires first considering elimination of work at height through ground-level assembly or alternative methods, then implementing passive fall protection (guardrails, edge protection, safety mesh) if height work cannot be eliminated, followed by work restraint systems preventing access to fall hazards, with fall arrest harnesses used only when these superior controls are not practicable. Legitimate applications for harnesses include temporary work during edge protection installation before passive barriers are established, scaffolding erection during assembly phase before guardrails are installed, steelwork erection where passive protection cannot precede worker access to positions, brief-duration inspections or maintenance where temporary barrier installation is disproportionate to exposure duration, and access to positions where physical constraints prevent passive protection installation. However, for any work of significant duration where passive protection installation is practicable, guardrails must be implemented rather than relying on harness systems. Inspectors examining fall protection systems expect documented evidence that passive protection was evaluated and reasons why it was deemed impracticable before accepting harness reliance.

Correct harness fit requires balance between straps snug enough to prevent slip-out during fall arrest but not so tight that circulation is restricted or prolonged wearing becomes uncomfortable. Leg loops should be adjusted to fit snugly around upper thighs with just enough clearance to insert a flat hand between strap and thigh—this provides security whilst allowing blood circulation. If leg loops are loose enough to easily slide up and down thighs, they are dangerously loose and create slip-out risk during arrest. Shoulder straps should be adjusted to position the dorsal D-ring correctly between shoulder blades whilst sitting comfortably on shoulders without cutting into neck or sliding off shoulders during movement. Chest strap should be positioned at mid-chest height, secured to prevent shoulder straps separating but not overly tight restricting breathing. After initial adjustment, don all work clothing and tool belts over the harness and re-check fit, as additional layers and equipment can affect how straps sit. Correct adjustment should feel secure and stable during normal movement including bending, squatting, and reaching overhead, without excessive tightness causing discomfort during sustained wearing. Having a second person verify fit provides quality control—they can observe strap positioning and check adjustment cannot be significantly improved. Harness fit should be rechecked periodically during extended work shifts as straps may loosen slightly with movement. Any discomfort beyond initial familiarisation period indicates incorrect adjustment requiring correction rather than simply tolerating discomfort. Workers who cannot achieve comfortable secure fit within harness adjustment range require different sized harness appropriate to their build.

Suspension trauma (also called suspension syndrome or orthostatic intolerance) is a potentially fatal physiological condition that can occur when a person hangs motionless in a fall arrest harness following a fall. The condition results from compression of major blood vessels in the thighs by harness leg straps combined with gravitational pooling of blood in the lower extremities. When suspended vertically and motionless, venous return of blood to the heart is progressively reduced, causing blood pressure to drop and reducing oxygen delivery to the brain and vital organs. Initial symptoms typically appear within 5-15 minutes and include tingling and numbness in legs, light-headedness, nausea, visual disturbances including tunnel vision, and confusion. If suspension continues, symptoms progress to loss of consciousness within 10-30 minutes depending on individual physiology, harness fit, and ability to move while suspended. If the unconscious worker remains suspended, reduced cardiac output can progress to cardiac arrest and death within 30-60 minutes. The timeframe varies significantly between individuals based on fitness, cardiovascular health, harness design and fit, and whether the person can actively move their legs or shift position. Even workers who survive arrest from falls without other injuries face suspension trauma risks if rescue is delayed. The critical message is that rescue must be implemented within minutes, not the hours that emergency service response often requires. Workers who have been suspended should receive immediate medical assessment even if they report feeling well, as delayed complications can occur. The condition explains why fall arrest systems without immediate rescue capability are inadequate—successfully arresting the fall may only delay death rather than preventing it.

Anchor points can be shared between multiple workers only if the anchor is specifically designed and certified for multi-person use with load rating clearly indicating the maximum number of persons. Standard single-person anchor points are rated to 15kN which provides adequate safety factor for one person's fall arrest loads but is inadequate for simultaneous use by multiple workers. Multi-person anchor points must be rated to 15kN multiplied by the maximum number of intended users—for example, three-person anchor points require 45kN minimum rating. Load ratings must be clearly marked on anchor points and documented in anchor certification. Workers must count and verify that the number of persons attached to any shared anchor does not exceed its rated capacity. Beyond load capacity concerns, shared anchor points create practical complications if falls occur, as multiple workers arrested simultaneously on one anchor creates complex rescue scenarios and potential for worker interaction during arrest. Best practice is to provide individual dedicated anchor points for each worker, eliminating capacity confusion and providing clearest rescue scenarios. When shared anchors are necessary due to site constraints, daily briefings must confirm understanding of capacity limits and coordination to ensure limits are never exceeded. Anchor point registers should document which anchors are certified for multi-person use and their specific capacity limits. Any uncertainty about anchor rating requires assumption of single-person capacity until engineering verification provides higher rating. Common structural elements used as improvised anchors are almost never adequate for multi-person loads, even if they appear robust—only purpose-designed and certified multi-person anchor systems should be used for multiple workers.

Any safety harness, lanyard, or anchor component that has been subjected to fall arrest forces must be immediately removed from service and quarantined pending detailed inspection by a competent person before any consideration of future use. Fall arrest events generate substantial forces—even falls from modest heights create forces exceeding 6kN (600kg) during deceleration—which can damage equipment in ways not immediately visible. Harness webbing may suffer internal fibre damage without obvious external signs, stitching may be partially separated, D-ring attachment points may be stressed, and metal components may be deformed. Shock-absorbing lanyards are specifically designed to deploy during falls, tearing energy-absorbing webbing or deforming energy-absorbing elements—once deployed, they cannot provide full protection for subsequent falls and must be retired regardless of visual appearance. Self-retracting lifelines subjected to arrest forces may have internal mechanism damage affecting future locking performance. Anchor points may have suffered structural damage, loosening of fixings, or deformation. The immediate procedure following any fall arrest event is: ensure the fallen worker receives appropriate medical assessment regardless of apparent injury status, quarantine all equipment involved in the arrest including harness, lanyard or SRL, and anchor components using red tags indicating 'DO NOT USE - Fall Arrest Event', document the incident including fall height, circumstances, equipment involved, and apparent damage observed, notify supervision and safety personnel immediately for incident investigation, arrange detailed inspection of all involved equipment by competent person with fall protection equipment expertise, and retire equipment if inspection identifies damage or if manufacturer specifications require retirement following arrest events (many manufacturers specify automatic retirement after any arrest). Never make personal judgment that equipment 'looks OK' and resume use—competent inspection is mandatory and equipment should be considered unserviceable until inspection confirms otherwise.

Yes—rescue capability is absolutely mandatory whenever fall arrest systems are implemented. This is not optional but a fundamental regulatory requirement under WHS legislation and a practical necessity to prevent suspension trauma fatalities. Australian WHS regulations and Safe Work Australia guidance explicitly state that where workers use personal fall arrest equipment, documented rescue procedures must be established and rescue equipment must be immediately available to retrieve suspended workers within critical time constraints. The reasoning is straightforward: when a fall arrest system functions correctly, the worker is left suspended in the harness potentially hundreds of feet above ground. Without rescue, suspension trauma can cause unconsciousness within 10-20 minutes and death within 30-60 minutes even if the worker was uninjured by the initial fall. Rescue requirements include: documented site-specific rescue plan addressing how suspended workers will be rescued from specific work locations, rescue equipment appropriate to rescue method including descent devices for lowering, hauling systems for raising, additional ropes and hardware, trauma shears, and first aid supplies, rescue-trained personnel present on site during all work where fall arrest systems are used, pre-positioned rescue equipment immediately accessible rather than requiring procurement during emergencies, communication systems enabling immediate rescue activation if falls occur, and regular rescue drills validating that procedures can be implemented within the 5-15 minute window required to prevent suspension trauma. Relying on emergency services (calling 000) is inadequate as rescue—response times typically exceed suspension trauma thresholds and emergency personnel may lack equipment or training for technical rope rescue at height. The obligation is on the PCBU to provide immediate rescue capability as part of the fall protection system. Implementing harness use without rescue capability constitutes incomplete and non-compliant fall protection likely to result in enforcement action if identified during workplace inspection, and potentially criminal prosecution if suspension trauma casualties occur.