Standard explainer · Fall protection
Fall-arrest equipment is the one PPE family we'd tell you not to buy casually: it's employer-provided, formally inspected, training-dependent kit whose standards are worth understanding even though the procurement belongs to competent hands. Here's the honest map — including where ordinary workwear fits into it.
The family
EN 361 is the full-body harness — the only body-holding device permitted for fall arrest. EN 355 covers energy-absorbing lanyards: the tearing element that limits arrest force to survivable levels. EN 360 is retractable fall arresters (the 'blocks'). EN 358 covers work-positioning and restraint — belts and lanyards that stop you reaching the edge at all, which is always the preferred design. EN 362 is connectors, EN 353 guided arresters on rails and lines, EN 341 descent and rescue devices. Every item is Category III PPE: certified with ongoing production oversight, used only with training, and subject to pre-use checks plus formal periodic inspection — at least annually, recorded, by a competent person (our inspection guide covers the paperwork side).
Where workwear fits: clothing is the interface between body and harness. Slim, fitted layers keep the harness geometry right; bulky padding under leg straps changes fit dangerously; loose hoods foul dorsal points; and trouser kit must not cover or catch the leg buckles. That's the practical guidance in our scaffolder and height-trade pages — and it's why we talk about fall protection at all despite not being the people to sell it to you.
The map
| Standard | Covers | One honest note |
|---|---|---|
| EN 361 | Full-body harnesses | The only arrest-rated body device — belts alone are restraint kit |
| EN 355 | Energy-absorbing lanyards | Needs fall clearance below — do the maths before the anchor |
| EN 360 | Retractable arresters | Shorter arrest, less clearance — but anchor-position rules apply |
| EN 358 | Positioning & restraint | Restraint beats arrest: never reach the fall in the first place |
| EN 397 + strap | Helmets with chinstraps for height | A falling helmet protects nobody — the strap is part of height work |
The duties
Questions
EN 361 for full-body fall-arrest harnesses — the only body-holding device rated for arresting a fall. Work-positioning belts and restraint systems fall under EN 358, energy-absorbing lanyards under EN 355, and retractable blocks under EN 360. All are Category III PPE with formal inspection duties.
Pre-use checks every use, plus formal recorded inspection by a competent person at intervals the manufacturer and risk assessment set — at least every 12 months, and more often in harsh use. Anything that has arrested a fall is withdrawn immediately.
Slim, fitted workwear layers that keep the harness geometry as designed: no bulky padding under leg straps, no loose hoods around the dorsal attachment, nothing covering or catching the buckles. The harness is set up over the clothing you'll actually work in — refit it when the season changes the layers.
Everything decoded here is stocked as certified garments and PPE, embroidered where it makes sense.