The HSE has revealed the leading of cause of workplace fatalities for the years 2024/2025, and sadly as in previous years, the main reason why people lose their life at work is due to a fall. Specifically, out of the 152 fatalities that occurred in UK workplaces during this period, 35 deaths were due to falls.
Risks to employee safety and the general public are why every workplace must strive to ensure the proper safety protocols are always followed, and reducing the risk of falls is no exception.
Many types of fall protection equipment exist. However, a full body harness is one of the most highly recognisable types of equipment, especially in terms of personal safety when working at a height.
While every workplace should undertake independent health and safety reviews and guidance in relation to the risk of falls, here is a guide to when full body harnesses should be used to help keep your employees safe at work.
When Is A Full Body Harness Needed?
Full body harnesses are designed to keep the wearer either fixed in position, or limit their movement distance or direction to prevent falls or accidents. Therefore, a full body harness is required when undertaking any activity where there is a risk the individual could fall from a height.
As well as falls being the leading cause of workplace fatalities here in the UK, the World Health Organization states that falls are also the second leading cause of unintentional injury related deaths in the world after road traffic accidents, accounting for approximately 684,000 deaths per year.
While no height is deemed ‘safe’ to fall from, research has shown that the risk of fatality significantly increases past the 10ft threshold, according to the The Center for Construction Research.
How a full body harness keeps wearers safe is down to the design of the harness, as well as the application to which the harness is attached. Harnesses are made up of several straps which secure the user at the shoulders, chest and legs. Each of the straps should be fully adjustable to provide both maximum comfort and safety when worn.
Metreel Fall Protection & Work Access Products
What Should You Consider When Choosing The Type Of Full Body Protection You Use? – Safety Harness Or Other Equipment
As noted above, full body harnesses are a popular form of fall protection equipment, but are also far from the only choice available.
Choosing the right full body protection starts with a thorough risk assessment of the task and environment. Key factors include the type of work at height being carried out, the potential fall distance and available clearance below and whether the hazard calls for fall restraint, fall arrest or work positioning.
You should also consider compatibility with other PPE, the harness sizing and adjustment range for the wearer, and the anchor points available on site. Comfort and freedom of movement matter too, as ill-fitting equipment increases the risk of non-compliance.
All full-body harnesses used in the UK must conform to EN 361, and equipment should be inspected before every use and formally examined by a competent person at least every 12 months.
Applications Where Full Body Harnesses May Be Required For Fall Protection
- Building maintenance
- Confined space entry and retrieval
- Construction sites
- Descent control
- Ladder use
- Recreational or occupational climbing activities
- Search and rescue operations
- Scaffolding
- Tree surgery
- Window cleaning
- Work positioning
Important to note: These are common scenarios but are far from exhaustive. Consult with your appointed competent person to determine the fall protection requirements in your workplace.
What To Consider When Purchasing A Safety Harness
For anyone in need of a safety harness for their occupation or workforce, we would always encourage you to contact us directly on 0115 932 7010, so that we can correctly assess your needs to be able to give tailored product information and recommendations.
That said, here are some of the factors that will mean one type of harness may be more suited to your needs than another:
Attachment points – The number and position of attachment points vary between harness models. Dorsal (rear) attachment points are standard for fall arrest. Sternal (front chest) points are commonly used with self-retracting lifelines or where a forward-facing connection is required. Side and front attachment points support work positioning and rope access applications. Always confirm the attachment point configuration is appropriate for both the task and the system it connects to.
Standard compliance – Full body harnesses must conform to EN 361 for fall arrest use. Where a harness is also used for work positioning (for example, suspending a worker during rope access), EN 358 compliance is additionally required. Never assume a harness certified to one standard automatically meets the requirements of the other.
Usage suitability – The environment and task will influence which harness performs best. Some designs restrict movement in confined spaces; others are built specifically for high-mobility applications like scaffolding or tree surgery.
Adjustability – Every harness should be fully adjustable across the chest, shoulder and leg straps to ensure a secure, comfortable fit for each individual wearer. A poorly fitted harness increases both the risk of non-compliance and the severity of injury in a fall arrest event (suspension trauma risk).
Height and clearance limitations – Where the harness is purchased as part of a complete kit with a lanyard or SRL, confirm the total fall clearance required. Underestimating clearance is one of the most common and serious errors in fall arrest system design.
Certification and trade reputation – All equipment should carry appropriate CE or UKCA marking and be sourced from a reputable supplier. In the event of an incident, the suitability and certification of the harness will be among the first things examined.
Fall Protection Equipment UK – Metreel Personal Safety Innovations
Do you require fall protection equipment for your trade or workforce? Metreel is a leading supplier of personal safety equipment in the UK.
If you would like to find out more about our safety harnesses, or if you’re interested in any other of the services we provide, please give us a call on 0115 932 7010, or send us a message.
Alternatively, check out the Metreel Brochure to discover our full range of products and services.