www.mrca.org  —  Midwest Roofer
24
W
hen it comes to personal 
protective 
equipment 
(PPE), most pieces of 
equipment are designed to protect 
a worker right out of the packaging. 
When a worker faces potential hand 
injuries, simply providing them with appropriate safety 
gloves immediately reduces the risk factor for an 
employee without changing how they perform their 
task. Similarly, if a worker faces eye injuries from a 
task like grinding or cutting, simply donning safety 
glasses can protect the worker’s eyes from debris 
or other hazardous material. Gloves and glasses are 
not necessarily technical pieces of safety equipment; 
therefore, most workers will naturally don them 
correctly or with minimal training. But when it comes 
to fall protection equipment, it’s common for workers 
to improperly don the equipment, which can potentially 
allow them to work while still being exposed to the 
risk of injury or worse.
Here are some strategies to encourage engagement:
The importance of proper harness fit 
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration 
(OSHA) mandates that manufacturer’s instructions 
be followed for safety equipment. If workers do not 
fit their PPE according to its design, they prevent 
the equipment from doing its job. Besides the risk 
of violating OSHA requirements that can lead to 
citations and potential injury, this practice leads to 
the worker being less protected by their equipment.
Fall protection harnesses are designed to fit tight 
and ensure the body remains as stationary as 
possible during a fall incident. This allows the 
harness to absorb as much force of the fall as 
possible. A loose-fitting harness allows the body 
to move around too much, and the user will feel 
more force during a fall, furthering the risk of 
injury. One must remember that during a fall, the 
victim is simultaneously being pulled down by the 
forces of gravity and up by the equipment trying 
By Philip Jacklin, Diversified Fall Protection
SAFETY
FIT FOR PROTECTION:  
PROPERLY FITTING FALL PROTECTION 
HARNESSES PROTECT WORKERS

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