Tom-
I have been using a fall arrest harness which I purchased from
Tower Tech about a month ago. Tower Tech is owned/operated by Steve,
K7LXC, master of ceremonies of this reflector.
Tower Tech offers several styles of belts and harnesses. Initially I
purchased a fall arrest harness which is designed to go over another
belt - such as one you might already own. When I received it, I
decided that I would prefer one with the belt as an integral part
of the setup. Steve gladly exchanged it for a different model.
The main feature of the fall arrest harness is that it has a big
D ring in between the shoulder blades, which is meant to be attached
to your tower with a lanyard. In case of a fall, your descent is
arrested by the lanyard, and you are held in an upright position.
This is oreferrable, in my opinion, to a fall while wearing only
a belt, which might result in your becoming inverted and possibly
slipping out of the belt. The harness has shoulder and leg straps
so that you can't slip out of it, conscious or not.
I find that using the harness adds to my peace of mind while
working on the tower. I have found that while climbing and
descending, it is very cumbersome to use the fall arrest
lanyard and stay connected to the tower, so I continue to
climb the way I did with the belt alone, which is to stay
attached to the tower with two short positioning lanyards attached
to a belt D ring. Once I reach the target altitude, I attach the
fall arrest lanyard.
I did some experimenting to determine just what position I would
be in if I were unconscious and hanging from the lanyard. With the
fall arrest lanyard in position between the shoulder blades, I find
I tend to hang head-forward. In my opinion this makes it even more
important to wear proper head gear, as I think if you were to fall
while facing the tower, there would be a good likelihood of hitting
your head on the tower when the fall is arrested. Still, this is preferrabe
to flipping over!
I would receommend checking out Steve's product. He tries very hard
to make sure you are satisfied with the fit and performance of his
products. I have no connection to Tower Tech other than as a satisfied
customer.
We can compare notes further 'simplex'. If you're going to Boxboro
this weekend, I could bring the harness to show you.
-Tony, K1KP, fisher@hp-and2.an.hp.com
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