The traditional answer to working suspended for long periods, and still the most comfortable. A bosun's chair gives a proper seat rather than a strap, supporting the user across the full width of the thighs for ascent, descent and sustained work in one position. Certified to EN 1498 Class B and rated to 140 kg.
The **spreader bar** is worth considering alongside it. Without one, a loaded chair pulls inward at the sides and the seat narrows around the user. The alloy steel bar holds it open at full width, which on a long job is the difference between comfortable and merely tolerable.
Key Features
- Full working seat: Proper seated support rather than a strap, for ascent, descent and static work.
- EN 1498 Class B: Certified rescue loop standard, the same classification as the evacuation triangle.
- Universal size: One chair suits all users.
- Maximum user 140 kg: Including tools and equipment.
- Optional spreader bar: FA 70 007 01, alloy steel, holds the seat open at full width under load.
- 45 mm polyester webbing: Wide enough to distribute load without cutting in.
Technical Specifications
| Product Code |
Item |
Material |
Notes |
| FA 70 007 00 |
Bosun's chair |
Polyester, 45 mm webbing |
Universal size, max 140 kg, EN 1498 Class B |
| FA 70 007 01 |
Spreader bar |
Alloy steel |
Optional accessory, holds the seat open |
EN 1498 Class B | Max User 140 kg | Trained Personnel Only
Conforms to EN 1498 Class B. For use only by trained personnel within a safe system of work. A bosun's chair must be used with an independent fall arrest system; it is a working seat, not fall protection. Inspection by a competent person at intervals not exceeding 12 months.
Suitable Applications
Used for sustained suspended work where comfort over hours is the priority: window and façade cleaning, painting and coating, survey and inspection, shipyard and marine work, and traditional rigging. It suits work where the technician stays broadly in one place for a long period, which is where a chair outperforms a seat harness. For work involving frequent repositioning and rope manoeuvres, a suspension harness with an Easy Seat is more practical.
More About This Product
The anchorage is the part of a fall protection system people think about last and should think about first. Most sites can produce a harness and a lanyard within minutes; producing a certified, assessed anchor point is a different matter, and it is what genuinely determines whether the system works.
The forces involved are the reason. Arresting a fall is a dynamic event, and the load a falling person imposes on an anchor is many times their body weight — which is why BS EN 795 exists as a standard in its own right, and why the structure the anchor attaches to has to be assessed separately by someone competent to do it. The anchor may be certified; the beam, the tube, the roof purlin almost certainly is not.
Anchor Position, Fall Factor and Swing
Where the anchor sits changes the severity of a fall more than any other single decision.
Fall factor is the ratio of fall distance to the length of lanyard available to absorb it. An anchor above the head gives the lowest factor and the gentlest arrest. An anchor at foot level gives a factor 2 fall — the worst case, generating forces a shock absorber may struggle to control, and it is what happens when someone clips onto something convenient at their feet rather than something suitable above them.
Pendulum swing is the second consideration and the one that catches people out. An anchor directly overhead means a fall goes straight down. An anchor off to one side means the faller swings, and the swing can be more dangerous than the drop — into structure, into plant, or across a surface at speed. A swing that ends against a steel column is not survivable simply because the harness held.
The practical rule is to position the anchor as high as practicable and as close to directly overhead as the work allows, and to reassess it every time the work position moves.
How to Use the Bosun's Chair
- Maintain independent fall arrest: A chair is a working seat. Fall protection comes from a separate system with its own anchor.
- Consider the spreader bar: On any job lasting more than a short period, it makes a substantial difference to comfort.
- Check the 140 kg limit includes tools: User plus everything carried.
- Rig to a rated anchor: The suspension point must be rated and independent of the fall arrest anchor.
- Inspect the webbing where it bears: The seat edges take concentrated load and abrade against the user and structure.
- Never work in a chair without a back-up.
Warning: A bosun's chair is a working seat, not fall protection. An independent fall arrest system with its own anchor is required at all times. Maximum user weight 140 kg including tools.
Safety Information
- For use only by trained personnel within a safe system of work.
- Not fall protection. An independent fall arrest system is required.
- Maximum user weight 140 kg including tools and equipment.
- Suspension and fall arrest anchors must be independent of each other.
- Inspect webbing, stitching and fittings before every use.
- Withdraw after any shock loading.
- Inspection by a competent person required at intervals not exceeding 12 months.
- Store away from direct sunlight, heat sources and chemicals.
Inspection and Maintenance
The seat edges and the suspension straps take the load and wear fastest. Examine the full webbing area on both faces for cuts, abrasion, fraying and UV degradation, paying particular attention to the seat edges where the user's weight concentrates and to any point that bears against structure. Check every line of stitching, especially at the suspension attachments. If a spreader bar is fitted, inspect it for bending and check its fixings and the webbing around them. Polyester degrades in sunlight, and a chair used outdoors daily will age faster than the inspection interval suggests.
Downloads
- No documentation supplied by GT for this product. Contact us for the Kratos user instruction manual.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need the spreader bar?
Not essential, but worth it on any sustained job. Without one the chair pulls inward under load and narrows around the user. At around £21 against £74 for the chair, most people who use one regularly fit one.
Q: Is a bosun's chair fall protection?
No. It is a working seat and must be used alongside an independent fall arrest system with its own anchor point. That means a harness and a back-up device on a separate line, in addition to the chair and its suspension.
Q: Chair or suspension harness with a seat?
A chair is more comfortable for long static work in one position. A suspension harness with an Easy Seat is more versatile for work involving rope manoeuvres and repositioning. Window cleaning and painting favour the chair; inspection and maintenance work favour the harness.
