Fall Protection and Harness Safety Toolbox Talk
A harness only saves your life if it fits, it is clipped to the right anchor, and someone can get you down quickly. A badly fitted harness or a lanyard that is too long can let you hit the ground anyway. This talk is about getting all three right every time.
Takes about 8 minutes, plus a 5-question quiz.
Key points to read out
- Check your harness before every use: webbing, stitching, buckles, D-rings, labels and the fall indicator. If it has arrested a fall, take it out of service.
- Harnesses and lanyards need a formal inspection by a competent person at least every 6 months, or as the manufacturer says. No tag, no use.
- Fit it snug: back D-ring between the shoulder blades, chest strap across the middle of the chest, leg straps flat with a flat hand fitting underneath.
- Only clip to an anchor rated for fall arrest, 15 kN for one person under AS/NZS 1891.4, or designed by an engineer. Pipes, handrails and conduit are not anchors.
- Guardrails come first. A harness is for when a guardrail or a platform cannot be used, not a replacement for them.
- Work out your fall clearance: lanyard length, shock absorber stretch, your height and a safety margin. On low work, a standard lanyard can let you hit the ground. Use a self retracting lifeline.
- Rig it so you cannot free fall more than about 1.8 m (6 feet), and check the system before every use.
- Anchor overhead where you can. Clipping below your feet means a longer fall and a harder stop.
- Watch for swing falls. If your anchor is off to one side, a fall will swing you into walls, columns or the ground.
- Keep lanyards away from sharp edges and use leading edge rated gear where the line runs over an edge.
- Use one connector per anchor point unless it is rated for more, and never tie knots in a lanyard or wrap it around a beam and clip it back on itself.
- Restraint is better than arrest: set it up so you cannot reach the edge at all.
- Someone hanging in a harness can lose consciousness within minutes from suspension trauma. The rescue plan and gear must be on site before work starts.
- A rescue plan is not calling the emergency number and waiting. Have a rescue kit, a lift or a ladder, and people trained to use it, close by.
Questions to ask the crew
- Show me where your D-ring and chest strap should sit.
- What anchor points on this job are rated, and how do we know?
- If someone fell and was hanging right now, what would we do in the first five minutes?
- When was your harness last formally inspected?
- How much clearance is below the work we are doing today, and is it enough for your lanyard?
Reference: WHS Regulation 2011, Part 4.4 (Falls)
How to run this talk
- Bring a real harness, lanyard and self retracting lifeline to the talk, and have someone put the harness on in front of the crew.
- Do a fit check together: D-ring between the shoulder blades, chest strap mid chest, a flat hand under each leg strap.
- Walk to the actual anchor points for today and show the rating or engineer sign-off.
- Work out fall clearance for one real task on a whiteboard or the back of the sign-in sheet.
- Run through the rescue plan step by step and name who does what.
- Record attendance and any harnesses tagged out on the sign-in sheet.
Fall Protection and Harness Safety quiz
Ask these after the talk. Answers are underneath each question.
Where should the back D-ring of a full body harness sit?
- Low on the back near the belt
- Between the shoulder blades
- At the side of the hip
- Anywhere as long as it is clipped
Answer: B. Between the shoulder blades keeps you upright in a fall and spreads the load through the harness as designed.
What can you clip your lanyard to?
- Any handrail or pipe that feels solid
- An anchor rated for fall arrest (15 kN for one person) or designed by an engineer
- Conduit or cable tray
- Your own harness if you wrap the lanyard round a beam
Answer: B. A fall can put several kilonewtons through the anchor, far more than pipes or handrails are built for.
You are working 3 m (10 feet) above a slab with a 2 m (6 foot) shock absorbing lanyard. What is the risk?
- None, the lanyard is shorter than the height
- You could hit the slab before the lanyard stops you
- The harness will be too tight
Answer: B. Lanyard length, shock absorber stretch, your body height and a safety margin often add up to more than 5 m, so use a self retracting lifeline on low work.
A worker falls and is hanging in their harness. What is the target?
- Wait for the emergency services
- Get them down within minutes using the rescue plan on site
- Leave them until the shift ends
- Lower them only once they are unconscious
Answer: B. Suspension trauma can make someone pass out within minutes, so the rescue must be quick and planned before work starts.
Your harness has just arrested a fall but looks fine. What do you do with it?
- Keep using it, it did its job
- Take it out of service
- Use it only for restraint from now on
Answer: B. Webbing and shock absorbers are damaged by a fall even when it does not show, so the harness must be removed from service.
Questions about fall protection and harness safety
When do you need to wear a harness on a construction site?
When the fall risk cannot be controlled with work on the ground, a solid surface, guardrails or a work platform. The WHS Regulations put fall arrest systems below those controls, and workers using them must be trained.
How often should a harness be inspected?
Before every use by the wearer, and formally by a competent person at regular intervals, usually at least every 6 months or as the manufacturer says. Anything that has arrested a fall comes out of service.
What is suspension trauma?
Suspension trauma, also called orthostatic intolerance, is when someone hangs still in a harness and blood pools in their legs. They can feel faint and lose consciousness within minutes, which is why rescue has to be fast and planned before anyone clips on.
What is the difference between fall restraint and fall arrest?
Fall restraint stops you reaching the edge in the first place, using a lanyard short enough that you cannot fall. Fall arrest lets you fall and then stops you, so it needs enough clearance below and a rescue plan. Restraint is always preferred where it works.
Sign-in sheet
Print this page or download the sign-in sheet. Or run it in the app and the crew signs on the phone.
| Name | Company | Signature |
|---|---|---|
Get it signed
Run this talk in the app. The crew signs on your phone and you get a dated attendance record as a PDF.