Welding at height presents a problem most fall protection ignores. Standard polyester webbing melts, and a spark or a spatter of molten metal landing on a harness strap can compromise it without the wearer knowing. The Fire Free range uses aramid webbing, the same family of fibre as fire service clothing, and the manufacturer has tested the harness's static strength *after* exposure to molten metal splashes rather than simply claiming flame resistance. That distinction matters: the question is not whether it catches fire but whether it still holds you afterwards.
Key Features
- Aramid webbing: Inherently flame resistant rather than treated, so the property does not wash out or wear off over the harness's life.
- Strength tested after molten metal exposure: The webbing's static strength has been verified following exposure to small molten metal splashes, which is the test that actually matters for welding work.
- Two point attachment: Dorsal D-ring for fall arrest plus two chest textile loops.
- Automatic buckles on chest and thigh straps: Quicker to don and adjust, and less fiddly with gloves on.
- Maximum user weight 140 kg: Including tools and equipment.
- Positioned sit strap: For comfort during extended wear.
- Rated for frequent use: Everyday equipment rather than occasional issue.
Technical Specifications
| Property |
Value |
| Product Code |
FA 10 110 00 |
| Configuration |
2 point full body harness |
| Attachments |
1 dorsal D-ring, 2 chest textile loops |
| Webbing |
Aramid |
| Fittings |
Alloy steel |
| Buckles |
Automatic, chest and thigh |
| Maximum User Weight |
140 kg including equipment |
| Conformity |
EN 361, ISO 9150, ISO 15025 |
ISO 9150 covers behaviour on contact with small splashes of molten metal. ISO 15025 covers limited flame spread.
EN 361 | ISO 9150 Molten Metal Splash | ISO 15025 Limited Flame Spread | Category III PPE
Conforms to EN 361 for full body harnesses, together with ISO 9150 for behaviour on contact with small splashes of molten metal and ISO 15025 for limited flame spread. Static strength of the webbing has been tested after exposure to molten metal splashes. Category III personal protective equipment under Regulation (EU) 2016/425. Requires inspection by a competent person at intervals not exceeding 12 months and immediate withdrawal after arresting a fall.
Suitable Applications
The Fire Free range is specified wherever hot work and work at height coincide: structural steel welding, shipbuilding and repair, tank and vessel fabrication, pipeline and process welding, foundry maintenance, and cutting or grinding at height where sparks fall on the operative's own equipment. It also suits work near others doing hot work, since spatter does not respect job boundaries. Where no hot work is involved, a standard harness is considerably cheaper and equally safe.
More About This Product
The lanyard is where most fall protection systems are specified wrongly, and almost always in the same direction: a restraint lanyard used where fall arrest was needed.
It happens because the two look alike, cost similarly, hang in the same place in the store and are both described as lanyards. The difference is a folded pack of stitched webbing — the shock absorber — and on some designs it is tucked inside a cover where it is not obvious at a glance. A restraint lanyard is engineered on the assumption that it will never take a fall, and if it does, the forces reaching the body are far beyond what the human frame tolerates.
Fall Clearance: The Calculation Nobody Does
Ask most people how much clearance a 2 metre shock absorbing lanyard needs and they will say two metres. The real figure is a great deal more, and the gap between those two numbers is where people get hurt.
The calculation stacks up as follows. Lanyard length — as marked on the lanyard. Shock absorber deployment — the pack tears progressively and extends significantly. The figure for your specific lanyard is on its own label and must be read from there. The user's height below the attachment point — the dorsal D-ring is at shoulder height, so add roughly 1.5 m to reach the feet. A safety margin — because the calculation assumes ideal conditions and reality rarely provides them.
Added together these come to considerably more than the lanyard length, frequently more than double it. On a low working platform a shock absorbing lanyard may not prevent the ground being reached at all.
Where the clearance is not available, the answer is a retractable block, which arrests in a far shorter distance, or a restraint system where a fall is prevented rather than arrested.
How to Use the Fire Free Harness
- Specify the whole system as flame resistant: A Fire Free harness on a standard polyester lanyard leaves the weakest component unprotected. The lanyard, anchorage sling and any connector textile must match.
- Adjust for a proper fit: Shoulder and thigh straps snug, dorsal D-ring between the shoulder blades.
- Use the dorsal D-ring for fall arrest: The chest loops are for frontal attachment.
- Inspect after every hot work session: Look for burn marks, hardened or glazed webbing and embedded spatter, not just at the annual examination.
- Check the 140 kg limit includes tools: Welding kit adds up quickly.
- Do not treat or coat the webbing: Aramid is inherently flame resistant. Applying anything to it may compromise that.
Warning: Flame resistant does not mean fireproof. The harness withstands sparks and small molten metal splashes; it is not protection against sustained flame or large volumes of molten metal. Inspect after every hot work session and withdraw on any sign of burn damage.
Safety Information
- For use only by trained and competent persons within a safe system of work.
- Maximum user weight 140 kg including tools and equipment.
- All textile components of the system should be flame resistant where hot work is involved.
- Use the dorsal D-ring for fall arrest.
- Inspect for burn damage, glazing and embedded spatter after every hot work session.
- Withdraw immediately after arresting a fall.
- Do not apply treatments, coatings or solvents to the webbing.
- Inspection by a competent person required at intervals not exceeding 12 months.
- Store away from direct sunlight, heat sources and chemicals.
Inspection and Maintenance
Standard harness checks apply, with burn damage as the additional and specific concern. Examine the full length of every strap on both faces for burn marks, charring, glazing where heat has hardened the fibre, and embedded metal spatter. Aramid resists flame but is not immune: a large molten splash can still damage it, and damage may be localised and easy to miss on a dark webbing. Check stitching at every junction and D-ring attachment, and confirm the automatic buckles operate cleanly and hold. This inspection should happen after each hot work session rather than only at the annual examination, because that is when the damage occurs.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is aramid webbing fireproof?
No, flame resistant. It withstands sparks, brief flame contact and small molten metal splashes without losing its strength, which is what welding at height demands. It is not protection against sustained fire or large volumes of molten metal, and it still needs inspecting for damage after exposure.
Q: Why does testing after molten metal exposure matter?
Because the risk is not the harness catching fire, it is the harness quietly losing strength. Testing static strength after exposure answers the question that matters: having taken a spatter of molten metal, will it still arrest a fall.
Q: Do I need flame resistant lanyards too?
Yes. A Fire Free harness paired with a standard polyester lanyard leaves the lanyard as the weak point, and it hangs where spatter lands. The Fire Free range includes matching lanyards and anchorage slings for exactly this reason.
Q: 2 point or 4 point?
The 4 point FA 10 211 00 adds a work positioning belt with two side D-rings, letting the user lean back into the harness and work with both hands. If your welders work from a fixed position at height, that is worth having. For access and fall arrest alone, the 2 point is sufficient.
