Safety Harness

Call me ignorant, dumb, whatever you want. But requiring me to wear a nasty, dirty, ill fitting harness when I am on MY equipment, is bs. I fully understand the possibility of falling off the top of the load, I accept that risk. If the place wants to provide fall protection, fine. Making it mandatory to use is not. If you dont want me tarping without it on, then I will leave and tarp somewhere else.

Edit: And anyone who thinks companies that require the use of that equipment is doing it for safety is dead wrong. Its simply to reduce their risk of a lawsuit in the event of an incident and is monetarily driven.

 

They probably wouldn’t be able to afford their liability insurance without it or at the very least they probably get a price break if they require you to use it.

A friend of mine runs a hopper company and three things that make his work comp premium cheaper are: electric tarp, electric hoppers, and no ladders on the back of the trailers. If that saves him money think what a multimillion dollar company saves by requiring fall protection when you’re 13ft in the air.

 

Thing is where I'm located, OH&S requires all workers to be tied off at 10 feet above ground. OH&S will actually write fines against the worker and the company for failure to tie off. Then there are some companies that want you tied off at 6 feet. Company rules can be stricter than OH&S legislation but not the other way around.

 

I carry one. I have for years. Got it all adjusted for me. Taped back all of the dangly straps. As old as that tape is, it's obvious it wasn't installed that day while trying to steal their harness. I have had a couple of places refuse to let me use mine. They said their safety dept couldn't inspect mine. That was at an Alcoa Aluminum plant if memory serves. I took the one they issued at the guard shack. It was identical to mine, except for the filth and funk. When I got back to the loading bay, I put on mine anyway, and turned theirs back in when I left. At a siding plant in Roaring River, NC they lock theirs on the lanyard. So I can't remove theirs and install mine. So, I didn't use it. A guy stopped to chastise me and insist I wear the fall protection. I said "We are in the middle of a deadly global pandemic. You all can't provide a portapotty for health and safety reasons, but I'm supposed to wear that scuzzy harness?". He just walked away.

 

Unrelated, but that wouldn't happen to be that big lumber yard on the edge of Colville WA, would it? The scenery and that tarp racking looks mighty familiar...

 

I fallen off the deck 2 times this year... changes my perspective on safety harness ... wish every place had them

 

Those were at Idaho Forest Group (used to be Riley Creek) in Laclede ID.

 

Classic!

 

I've gotta get my own.All the harnesses at shippers are for medium sized guys...im extra large frame.

 

I have no problem at all wearing one. As long as it's mine!