Sizing and fit of fall-protection harnesses

Area of Science:

• Occupational Safety and Health
• Ergonomics
• Biomechanical Engineering

Background:

• Full-body fall-protection harnesses are essential safety equipment for construction workers.
• Limited data exists on the fit and sizing efficacy of these harnesses within the user population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the fit and sizing efficacy of a specific fall-protection harness system.
• To identify potential improvements in harness design and sizing based on user anthropometrics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 3-D full-body laser scanning and traditional anthropometry to collect body size-and-shape data from 98 construction workers (72 male, 26 female).
• Measurements were taken while subjects were standing and suspended in a harness.
• Fisher's discriminant analysis and multivariate accommodation analysis were employed.

Main Results:

• Current sizing schemes based on body height and weight were deemed adequate.
• However, 40% of participants failed to meet fit-performance criteria in either standing or suspended positions.
• Fifteen representative body models were identified for standard-size harness design testing.

Conclusions:

• An integrated redesign of harness components is necessary to improve fit and performance.
• Existing point-to-point anthropometric data may be insufficient for optimal harness design.
• Further development in 3-D shape quantification methods is recommended for future harness design processes.