Attachment_3_Minimum_Salient_Characteristics.pdf

Minimum Salient Characteristics

All harnesses must comply with ANSI Z359.11, and here is what that means:

Used in accordance with an ANSI Z359.2 fall protection program.

Must come in a variety of sizes (to accommodate the different size personnel, one size does not fit all) Must have a weight rating that meets the needs of the larger personnel required to use it (310 lbs.).

All harnesses must be marked as ANSI Z359 compliant.

Full body harnesses are intended to be used with other components of a system that limits maximum arrest force to 1,800 pounds (8 kN) or less.

All harnesses shall permanently incorporate a dorsal attachment element (the fall arrest attachment, unless the application allows the use of an alternate attachment.)

All harnesses shall permanently include a load bearing sub-pelvic strap.

All shoulder straps on harnesses shall come together at the dorsal location and either cross, be connected by webbing that meets the requirements of Section 3 or attach with a connector meeting the requirements of Z359.12.

All harnesses shall permanently incorporate a waist belt or back strap, or other means of controlling the separation of the shoulder straps on the back of the harnesses. When the harnesses is mounted per manufacturer’s instructions onto the test torso, some portion of the back strap or waist belt shall be located between datum levels G and K.

Modular components or assemblies for harness designed for the removal of different attachment elements (such as suspension seats or belts) shall meet the specific attachment element requirements of Section 3 while attached to a compatible harness.

Modular components shall be attached to the harness using connections that meet Section 3, and those connections shall have a minimum breaking strength of 5,000 pounds (22.2 kN).

Connections may be a single choked connection as in an attachment element extender. If buckles are used, they must meet ANSI/ASSE Z359.12 and at least be used in pairs.

When attached to the harness, an attachment element extender shall be no longer than 24 inches (610 mm). This distance shall be measured from the new bearing point of the extended attachment element, along the extender’s length to a point on the main body of the harness which would be adjacent to the user’s body when donned.

For harnesses integrated into a vest or other garment, the design of the garment shall allow visual inspection of the harness.

All harnesses shall be equipped with a fall arrest indicator that will deploy during dynamic testing defined in Section 3.2, when attached to the dorsal attachment element. All indicators shall be located where they can be visually inspected.

If fall arrest indicators are present on other attachment elements of the harness, they must activate when tested.

Harnesses with attached connecting subsystem combinations shall meet the requirements of ANSI/ASSE Z359.11 for the harness and the appropriate Z359 component standard for the attached subsystem(s) when tested respectfully. All elements that are included in the combination shall be qualified with either the harness or the connecting subsystem in the same configuration as they would be when integrated. Any combinations that cannot be separated and tested individually are outside the scope of this standard and cannot be marked as meeting

ANSI/ASSE Z359.11.

All harnesses shall include strap retainers (keepers) or other components which serve to control the loose ends of straps.

All harnesses shall include at least one lanyard parking attachment element having a disengagement load of not more than 120 pounds (0.5 kN) when tested.

It shall not be possible to remove elements of the harnesses that support the shoulders/upper torso from those that support the legs/lower torso.

All single point attachment elements shall be located laterally within 2 inches (51 mm) of the vertical centerline of the harness.

Sternal attachments that consist of two elements intended to be connected at a single point for use shall be fixed and not adjustable vertically. Both elements shall be clearly marked to only be used together.

Harnesses that do not include a sub-pelvic strap shall incorporate both frontal and sternal attachment elements, an integral waist belt and leg loop suspension straps, two at the front and two at the rear, all integrally attached to the waist belt.