Any recommendations on fall protection?

[Newguy]

We were looking at getting some roof fall protection harnesses. specifically This miller ready roofer for $134 (http://www.bigrocksupply.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_prod.html?p_prodid=1090&p_catid=221) not a bad price. anyone here have experiance with these harnesses? are they comfortable?

Have any other recommendations?

Thanks

[mdshunk]

As the resident fat-headed know-it-all, I have an opinion on fall arrest harnesses. A few years back my brother and I thought we'd start a roofing company too. I had a couple of different brands of fall gear. They are all equally (un)comfortable to wear. It's bad enough having the air hose to potetially trip over, but with the fall gear you have a rope to deal with too. The only thing I can point out is to get a good, quality ascender for the rope. The cheap ascenders don't go up and down the rope very well, and get jammed when they shouldn't. It also helps to tie a light weight on the end of the rope to keep it somewhat taught and out of your road.

I know that the sets I bought were many hundreds each. I'm a little worried about what $137 bucks buys. Maybe they've just come down in price that much. I guess so maybe.

[Wgoodrich]

A safety harness is a real pain in the neck while wearing one, UNLESS you have fallen and lost some teeth or jambed your back needing surgery, not to speak of broken legs, arms and hopefully not our fool neck !

AFTER having fallen or AFTER having spent about $3,000 dollars having your front teeth put back in as a permenant bridge then that safety equipment tend to not be noticed and will become much more valued.

Be a MAN take a chance to break your neck in a fall, or be SMART and be safe.

In case you haven't read my posting with pictures I took a fall with no safety equipment being a MAN, ya know. My fall was only when a 5 foot step ladder lost its footing and I went face first into a steel wheel rim laying on concrete. I count myself lucky only losing my teeth and black rib cage, and arm pit. By the way the dollars are accurate but not done yet. Got to go back now to have the bridge put in. That money was to cut out and reconstruct my gums. I lived with the black ribs and arm pit. That happened in October. My armpit still has a blue green color about the size of my fist.

Now that you read this what ya think about the comfort of that safety equipment that makes good sense? I spent 35 years climbing like a monkey in both construction and electrical work. I have fallen about 4 times and remember them all like yesterday. I suggest you consider doing as I should have in the past not what I DID in the past.

LInemen and deer hunters use safety straps some by rules some by having past experience. Some are men?

Definition of a couple of men is, those two men that just jumped off a 100 foot cliff toward the lake water then one asked the other "by the way how deep is this water" Answer " Thought you checked"!!! Woman's discription of men. Suspect they are accurate at times.

Be smart Be safe

Wg

[Newguy]

I'll be sure to see if the ascender are quality made Md.

which ever harness kits we decide to get, I'll post a small review of them here.

Wg, I read that thread a few times now, the pictures didn't show up, but it might be my browser, and I can imagine.
I definatly do not like pain I can avoid so I will remember to be safe, I've never been the type to prove I'm a man lol

[mdshunk]

I havn't been able to confirm it with any online data, but I have been told several times by different people that falls from a height is the #1 occupational injury for an electrician. (You'd think it would be electric related injuries, wouldn't you?) This is why I insist on ladders on my truck that are in top notch shape. I've even purposely destroyed ladders in the past that were getting to wiggley and got new ones. Nothing worse than trusting something that collapses or twists out from under you. Now... those new Werner automatic ladder levelers for extension ladders... NICE! I've got them on all my extension ladders now. Don't know how I ever lived without them.

[xkvator]

i'll add my .02 - i do fall hazard/aerial lift safety training at our plant and have had different harnesses. although none of them are comfortable to wear day in/day out...i like the Miller. there are several versions of the one you showed. they go on like a jacket - mine has the chest d-ring instead of the buckle as we have ladders with glide lock track, so you have to put it on over your head. the READY ROOFER for 134 might not be a bad price.. i've seen it listed for 250. look around online.
i like the leg straps that are like a belt buckle instead of the mating buckles because you can have the belt buckle type 1 notch looser and it will stay buckled. if you don't have the mating buckle pulled tight, the possibility of that buckle coming apart is there, and if you fall, the leg straps take your weight.
we don't use the rope grabs except for training purposes(first man up) but said what MD said is true - some styles are a pain. and for roofing, the rope grab is what you'll need.
when working in a harness - twisting & turning - keep the lanyard from under your arm - if you fall with the lanyard in that position - you'll tear your shoulder apart.
and inspect the harness daily.
look for a dealer in your area... try some on, then look for the best price.