7 Benefits from Wearing a Safety Harness That Fits Properly

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A worker whose harness offers both safety and comfort is a productive worker. To avoid harmful practices and safety risks, you should provide harnesses that fit well and aren't a pain to wear. Doing so will protect your team from preventable injuries and help your company avoid legal woes.

1. Get more work done

Discomfort is a distraction. Workers who are overheated, in pain, or annoyed can’t give as much attention to the work they’re doing.

Workers are less productive when they’re worried about the effectiveness of their safety gear as well. A harness that is comfortable and fits correctly is easy to ignore. It’s also easier to trust. Your team will be more attentive to the tasks they’re doing, making fewer mistakes that threaten their safety

2. Stay safer on the job

Fall protection body harnesses are designed to keep workers connected to their lifelines and positioned upright after a fall. When worn correctly, this equipment stops falls, prevents secondary injuries, and enables quick rescues. Additionally, workers who have properly fitting harnesses with comfortable designs are more likely to wear them as the manufacturer intended. Their gear will offer maximum protection, even in the most dangerous situations. 

3. Extend rescue time

If a harness is worn incorrectly, the straps may be too tight or move into the wrong place after a fall. Suspension trauma may then affect the victim sooner, shrinking their already small rescue window. A poor fit may also cause injuries during or after the fall, further complicating rescue efforts.  A properly fitting harness will give your worker more control over their position and movement, giving you more time to reach them before their health suffers.

Users who wear ill-fitting gear, however, might slip out of the harness during a fall, making the equipment useless. Even worse, their harness may have given them a false sense of security. They may have used less caution, which resulted in the fall, as a result.

4. Avoid additional health concerns

Tools and extra equipment are often connected to the body harness. Proper positioning ensures that this gear doesn’t get in the way. It also prevents discomfort from the extra weight. For workers, this means they can work for longer periods of time without issues. Those with physical impairments, such as chronic injuries or age, will face fewer problems as well.

5. Improve workplace morale

It’s hard to have a positive outlook when your equipment is too heavy, hot, and tight. Prioritizing your team’s comfort can lift spirits. And, since people can often get more done with a positive attitude, efficiency will improve too. 

6. Preserve your fall protection equipment 

If a worker’s legs are too small or large for their leg straps, they might create extra holes to buckle the harness more comfortably. They might also cut off excess strap length or add duct tape to the chest strap for greater comfort.  

These modifications, and others like them, are unacceptable for obvious safety reasons. Body harness modifications weaken the integrity of the product, but they also mask a bigger problem: The harness doesn’t fit and may not perform as expected during a fall. Plus, when an employee modifies their harness to make it more comfortable, you have to remove it from use. You lose both the money you invested in that product and the cost of a new harness. 

7. Build trust with your team 

Your employees know that you have to supply fall protection gear to stay compliant. They also know that ill-fitting, uncomfortable harnesses would technically satisfy your legal safety requirements. Taking the time to find a harness that fits each worker shows that you care about their comfort. You want your team to be safe and at ease as they work, a quality that many employers may lack. 

Show your workers that you’re worthy of their trust. Make sure their body harnesses are a reason to love, not resent, your company. 

Don't compromise safety: Find the best full body harness for you and your team. FallTech full body harnesses are designed by specialists to the highest standard and made proudly in the USA. For help choosing the right full body harnesses for your team, reach out to FallTech's fall protection experts at 800-719-4619 or use the "Contact Us" form on the right.