[TowerTalk] Fall Arrest Harness arrest experience

[jimlux]

Drax Felton wrote:
> As I was working on my tower today I was thinking these questions:
> 
> Has anyone ever fallen and been "arrested" by their harness?
> If so, what was the outcome?  
> 
> This is a serious question:
> Did the harness crush your male anatomy? Or did it grab around your thighs?
> 
> Did you smack into the side of the tower?
> How painful was it?
> 
> 
While not on a tower, I've fallen in a variety of situations wearing a 
variety of fall restraints, ranging from a 70s era "swami belt" to a 
modern harness.

No, the harness does not castrate you. (I did take a leader fall when 
rock climbing and landed straddling the exceedingly taut  rope from my 
belayer, and that was mighty painful)

Yes, you smack into stuff, and depending on how far you fall, this can 
be inconvenient, to a pretty good whack.

Unless  you're on one of those nifty spring loaded/hydraulic things like 
they use on climbing walls, falling any distance and then stopping is 
going to either pendulum you into something, or bring you up short.

The idea of fall protection isn't to make it totally painless and hassle 
free, but to avoid you being killed or injured.