A Zipline Harness Safety Guide.

Unsure of what kind of harness is best for you? Wondering how to improve the safety of your ziplines and rope courses? Lucky for you, we’re here to help. We’ve been in the harness game for a long time. With over 30 years of experience designing and manufacturing safety harnesses, we’ve seen a lot. In this zipline harness safety guide, we’ll help you learn more about what goes into finding the best zipline harness for you.

When it comes to the recreational side of fall protection, we understand that industry regulations aren’t as clear-cut on what is standard practice. With this in mind, we approach everything from the point of view of fall safety professionals. As far as we’re concerned, user safety is paramount, above all else.

When we consider the needs of zipline course owners, we look at the four main factors that go into selecting a harness for the job. The safety provided, the user experience, the durability of the harness, and the cost.

How Do I Choose A Safety Harness?

Cost

One of the first things many people look at when purchasing anything is the price. As someone running a business, the cost of maintaining an inventory of expensive safety equipment can be tempting to minimize as much as possible. NEVER purchase safety equipment because it is cheap. Remember, it is YOUR job to ensure the safety of staff and guests.

However, don’t think that more money equals more protection. Just because a harness has a load of features on it doesn’t make it universally better. It all comes down to your application. Harnesses made by reputable manufacturers all provide the same level of protection, even over a wide range of prices. It still should go without saying, though, that price alone shouldn’t be the sole factor for choosing one harness over another.

How Do I Know How Safe a Harness IS?

There is no such thing as 100% safe. Everything we do has some risk, which is why a harness should be designed to reduce that risk as close to 0% as humanly possible. When we look at the recreational industry, it is common for ziplines and rope courses to utilize half-body harnesses. These harnesses only attach to the waist and legs, leaving much to be desired from a risk reduction stand point. With this style of harness, the risk of a user being injured is not sufficiently reduced. The possibility for someone to fall from a half-body harness alone makes them a poor choice for fall protection.

Full Body Harnesses

Unlike half-body harnesses, a full body harness secures the user at their legs, chest, arms, and waist. This significantly reduces the odds that someone may come loose from the harness. Not only do they better secure the user, they make rescue and retrieval much easier.

Then there is the primary advantage they hold over waist belts and half-body harnesses. Force dissipation. If something were to go wrong and the wearer took a sudden fall, the full body harness is designed to protect them. A full-body harness can spread impact forces around the entire body, reducing injuries and overall trauma.

Full-body harnesses have more connection points and are designed to keep the wearer upright. In the event that something happens and a user needs to be retrieved, these design features make the process faster and simpler. Whenever possible, we advise choosing a full body harness.

Solid Construction

These harnesses are effectively one piece. Sewn together at every point rather than connected by buckles. There are some harness designs that can be broken down into several parts just by undoing a few buckles. This is a poor choice for those looking for the safest equipment.

Any buckles on the harness should be made from metal such as steel or aluminum. The manufacturer should be able to provide proof of load ratings for the buckles. Avoid plastic buckles as they can easily break from the forces induced by a fall.

Public Technical Specifications

Any reputable manufacturer will provide you with information on how their equipment performs and to what forces they have tested. If they meet standards put in place by organizations such as OSHA and ANSI, that is ideal, as they are the standard for safety in industrial settings.

User Experience

We know that for some users, donning a fall protection harness can be a clumsy experience. Not all harnesses are easy to get into. A full-body harness can be intimidating, especially for younger users. Our standard harness design uses color-coded leg straps to help with harness donning. Another way to make equipping a harness easier is to use a pull-over style harness.

Adjustability can make a big difference. Some harnesses have buckle designs that make fitting into a harness a breeze. These are popular for both their speed and ease of use.

Comfort is also a big part of choosing a harness. Many people prefer a lighter harness that allows full movement. When it comes to padding, it’s generally a plus, but watch out for designs that overdo it. Keep in mind that more padding often means more heat. In hot climates you might want harnesses with less padding.

How To Judge A Harnesses Build Quality?

From a glance at an image online, it can be hard to tell the quality of a harness’s construction. Something to look for that can help determine how well made a harness is are any industry standards the harness meets. Look for harnesses that meet standards set by organizations such as OSHA or ANSI.

These harnesses have been built to meet the standards of industrial settings and are far more likely to be built to a higher degree of quality. They’re typically more expensive, but conform to rules written by decades of hard lessons learned. The harnesses we manufacture fall into this category. All our harnesses have been tested to both OSHA and ANSI standards.

Our harnesses that keep America’s tower builders safe can be found at recreational parks all around the country, we’re just that good. It’s important to remember that this doesn’t make them indestructible. With how often recreational users jump, fall, and swing around in harnesses, there is still going to be wear and tear that is unavoidable and must be looked for.

How To Tell How Long A Harness Will Last?

We get this question a lot. Truth be told, this answer is different for everybody. The first thing we must acknowledge is that there is no industry-wide mandate on fall protection expiration dates. Companies should develop their own policies on when to safely retire harnesses based on the wear and tear of their activities. For a deeper dive into harness life spans, read How Long Does A Safety Harness Last?

Summary

After reading this zipline harness safety guide, you should have a better idea of what to look for when picking a full-body harness. Remember to

Find harnesses that are rated to industry standards such as OSHA and ANSI, as they indicate a product that has been tested for safety.
Lean towards full-body harnesses when possible, as they provide a greater degree of user safety.
Avoid choosing harnesses based solely on cost; choose safety equipment for its reliability.
Don’t purchase from manufacturers that won’t provide detailed product specs upon request.