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