Harnesses & Belts

Fall arrest harness: the essential protection for work at height

The fall arrest harness is the essential and indispensable personal protective equipment (PPE) on a construction site, when working on a roof or on metal structures, or during any work at height. A safety harness must be correctly selected and maintained to make the difference. It helps to prevent an incident or a serious accident. At Kratos Safety, our range of safety harnesses for work at height covers every professional situation, from the most common to the most demanding.
Choosing the right professional safety harness for your activity
Not all work at height exposes you to the same level of risk or requires the same equipment configurations. A professional safety harness is chosen above all according to the task to be carried out:
• Roofing work: a fall arrest harness for working on roofs must offer great freedom of movement while ensuring reliable anchorage on sloping surfaces. It combines a dorsal attachment point and lateral work-positioning points to guarantee maximum safety.
• Construction sites: a robust safety harness with automatic buckles makes it easy to put on quickly and repeatedly throughout the day.
• Suspension work: a suspension harness incorporates a ventral attachment point suited to work on double rope and to difficult-access situations.
The user's build also comes into play: our models are available in different sizes and offer independent adjustment of the shoulders, thighs and waist belt for a precise fit, whatever the body size.
Standards and regulations: what a fall arrest harness must comply with
The reference standard for fall arrest harnesses in Europe is EN 361:2002, which defines the performance requirements for full body fall arrest harnesses. Depending on the features, other standards may apply:
• EN 358:2018 for work positioning and restraint components,
• EN 813:2008 for harnesses used in suspension.
Any fall arrest harness placed on the market in the European Union must be CE certified in accordance with PPE Regulation 2016/425. For each product, Kratos Safety provides complete documentation (instructions for use, technical data sheets, type examination certificates, declarations of conformity) to make your compliance procedures easier. Also remember to check the maximum load supported: our entire range is approved for users up to 140 kg (equipment included) - be careful, you must also ensure that the fall arrest system used is certified for the corresponding users.
Completing your equipment: from the harness to the complete fall arrest kit
A fall arrest harness alone does not constitute a fall protection system. To be fully effective, it forms part of a coherent assembly comprising:
• An energy-absorbing lanyard, a retractable type fall arrester, or a guided type fall arrester on rope, cable or rail, which limits the impact force in the event of a fall,
• Connectors (karabiners, safety hooks) providing the link between the harness and the lifeline,
• A fixed or temporary anchor point sized for the load.
To simplify your equipment process, Kratos Safety offers ready-to-use fall arrest kits, designed for specific uses (work restraint, fall arrest on an aerial work platform, roofing work, etc.). Each kit is made up of compatible components, tested together, which guarantees the consistency of the system and makes periodic inspection easier.
Maintenance, inspection and service life of the safety harness for work at height
A safety harness for work at height is only effective if it is kept in good condition. Several rules apply:
• Inspection before each use: check the condition of the webbing (no cuts, fraying or burns), the correct operation of the buckles and the integrity of the stitching.
• Annual periodic examination by a competent person, in accordance with French regulations (article R. 4323-99 of the French Labour Code).
• Immediate disposal after an arrested fall, even in the absence of visible damage, because the webbing absorbs part of the energy and may be weakened.
The indicative service life of a Kratos Safety harness is specified in each product manual and is around 10 years from the date of first use, but it may be increased or reduced depending on the intensity of use and/or the results of periodic inspections.
To go further in securing your work stations at height, discover also our ranges of fall arresters and lanyards as well as our anchors and lifelines.