How to Use the Strap on a Harness
Becoming familiar with life-saving and life-protecting equipment can help to prevent accidents, near-misses or even fatalities. There are a variety of harness designs, each with their own assortment of buckles, straps and other connectors that will safeguard a piece of equipment or a person wearing the harness. However, if the straps on a harness are not used correctly, their protective rating is drastically reduced. It is also important to inspect the quality of the stitching, webbing and hardware on the life supporting components of a harness before using it for any high impact activity.
Instructions
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Inspect the stitching on the life supporting components of a harness before putting it on. Look for stitching that is becoming unraveled and webbing that is beginning to fray or tear. Inspect hardware for signs of weakness, unusual bending or distortion in the metal that might indicate a weakness in the buckle systems that harnesses rely on for safety.
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Lay the harness out on the ground with leg loops straightened and arranged so that they are placed beside each other, similar to the legs of a pair of pants. Arrange the waist belt of a harness so that it is not folded or wrapped around itself, making a straight, continuous loop of webbing. Make sure that the harness straps are adjusted so that they are as big as possible, allowing you to slide your legs and waist through the appropriate webbing holes.
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Step through the leg loops of the harness and pull the waist strap over your hip bones. If the waist strap of a harness is sitting below your hip bones, then it is possible that a fall will generate enough force to make you slip out of the harness completely.
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Tighten the straps on the leg loops and waist loop by pulling the buckle in the opposite direction as the tail of the webbing, which is already passed through the buckle. The straps should be tightened enough so that there is some wiggle room and the straps are not cutting off circulation. However, if there is more than 1.5 inches of loose material in the waist loop strap, then it is most likely too loose.
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Fold the tail end of the waist strap's tail over the outside edge of the buckle, which is the edge closest to the tail end of the strap. Pass the strap back through the opposite end of the buckle, effectively "doubling-back" the harness. The end result should make the buckle's appearance resemble a "C" rather than an "O." The pneumonic device "C" for "closed" and "O" for "open" may help you or your participants remember the correct appearance of a buckle that is double-backed.
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Inspect the harness for any twisting in the straps or upside down logos, either of which indicate that the harness has not been put on correctly. All life supporting straps should be double-backed while all other straps should be comfortably tightened and adjusted so that they are not in the way of visually inspecting the harness by another person.
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References
Resources
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