Posted By riskybizz Following recent IPAF training our operatives have been 'advised' that they need to be issued with their own personal harness. I have failed to find any reference to this from the PUWER/LOLER regs. Does anyone have any information regarding this? Thanks in advance........

Posted By C.J. I doubt if you would find any reference in law regarding this, but it is standard for users to be issued their own harness' etc. if they are likely to use them regulary. I personally would not want to be issued with a 'pool' harness as I would not know whether the privious user had misused it or even taken a fall in it, and not reported it. When you have to use PPE, which might have to rely on to save your life, you want to be 100% certain that it is in a good condition and the only way to be sure is if you're the only person who has used it.

Posted By riskybizz So an 'in date' inspected, and rarely used harness would be deemed adequate?

Posted By riskybizz Thanks Elizabeth, i think it was a case of 'lets catch out the safety guy' based on what they were told by the IPAF trainer, although i agree with the best practice policy, i wanted to ensure i'd not missed new legislation.

Posted By Malcolm Fryer Whilst the original post and replies address the specific issue of a personal harness it may be a good idea for other readers to get back to which part of the related risk assessment (Management Regulations ) identified the need to use a harness and or lanyard. A couple of standard hazards are: - As a means of tethering or restraining an operative to prevent them for putting themselves at unnecessary risk from leaning out or standing on guard rails. - As a means of preventing operators being ejected in the case of overturning or in the case of boom type units over zealous use of hydraulic controls. If we then go to the The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 in reg 4 having identified that PPE is still required to control the risk then Provision of personal protective equipment 4. Reg 4 (3) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraphs (1) and (2), personal protective equipment shall not be suitable unless— (a) it is appropriate for the risk or risks involved and the conditions at the place where exposure to the risk may occur; (b) it takes account of ergonomic requirements and the state of health of the person or persons who may wear it; (c) it is capable of fitting the wearer correctly, if necessary, after adjustments within the range for which it is designed; (d) so far as is practicable, it is effective to prevent or adequately control the risk or risks involved without increasing overall risk; Then Assessment of personal protective equipment 6.—(1) Before choosing any personal protective equipment which by virtue of regulation 4 he is required to ensure is provided, an employer or self-employed person shall ensure that an assessment is made to determine whether the personal protective equipment he intends will be provided is suitable. (2) The assessment required by paragraph (1) shall include— (a) an assessment of any risk or risks to health or safety which have not been avoided by other means; (b) the definition of the characteristics which personal protective equipment must have in order to be effective against the risks referred to in sub-paragraph (a) of this paragraph, taking into account any risks which the equipment itself may create; (c) comparison of the characteristics of the personal protective equipment available with the characteristics referred to in sub-paragraph (b) of this paragraph. Truncated text. Take care to check out the anchor points on the platform are suitable for the PPE and any lanyard is right in terms of type and length. Then Maintenance and replacement of personal protective equipment 7.—(1) Every employer shall ensure that any personal protective equipment provided to his employees is maintained (including replaced or cleaned as appropriate) in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair. Then Reporting loss or defect 11. Every employee who has been provided with personal protective equipment by virtue of regulation 4(1) shall forthwith report to his employer any loss of or obvious defect in that personal protective equipment. Having looked at the above I would say that it is probably a very good idea for an operator to have a personal harness that has been assessed for their needs. They would also be responsible for maintaining, storing it and of course reporting loss or defect. In my experience operatives can show little regard to the care of shared PPE. It is of course possible to use a system where by equipment is booked into and out of a stores area having been inspected but this may not be RP especially if you have a user with specific equipment needs. The combination of a full body harness and an adjustable restraint lanyard is recommended by IPAF for use in boom-type mobile elevating work platforms. Don’t forget to think about harness training and suspension trauma. In conclusion it would seem to be a good idea to issue operators with their own personal harness and lanyard.

Posted By Tony Page Can anyone tell me what te British or European Standartd is harnesses or point me to a reference site Thanks

Posted By Phil Rose I wonder if they are taking the PPE R4(4) too literally R4(4) says 'Where it is necessary to ensure that personal protective equipment is hygienic and otherwise free of risk to health, every employer and every self-employed person shall ensure that personal protective equipment provided under this regulation is provided to a person for use only by him.' I don't think most of us would argue that we would NORMALLY issue certain PPE on a 'personal' basis e.g. eye wear, hearing protection etc where there is a clear issue with 'personal hygiene' and the kit is relatively low cost but I think that a personal harness is not necessary from a hygiene point of view and personal issue in this case seems a bit 'extravagant'. As with other posts, it is important that workers are trained to ensure that they can adjust the kit properly etc etc. Phil