A fall arrest system stops you hitting the ground. It does not stop what happens next.
A person hanging motionless in a harness develops **suspension trauma**: blood pools in the legs, circulation is impaired, and the condition can become life threatening within minutes — even when the fall itself caused no injury at all. The harness that saved them is what is causing it, because the leg straps restrict the return of blood.
This strap addresses that directly. It deploys as a foot loop so the suspended person can **stand up in their harness**, taking their weight off the leg straps and restoring circulation. That converts a situation measured in minutes into one measured in a much more comfortable stretch of time, which is usually the difference between a rescue and a recovery.
It costs £7.63. There is no version of the argument where that is not worth it.
Key Features
- Allows the suspended worker to stand: Takes weight off the leg straps and restores leg circulation, which is the entire mechanism of suspension trauma.
- Foolproof deployment: Designed to be released and used by someone who is suspended, frightened and possibly injured. Simplicity is the specification.
- Compact and lightweight: Does not hamper normal work, which matters because equipment that gets in the way gets left behind.
- Fits any harness: Attaches with the textile loop and velcro provided.
- Buys time for rescue: Does not replace a rescue plan, but extends the window in which one can work.
Technical Specifications
| Property |
Value |
| Product Code |
FA 10 901 00 |
| Attachment |
Textile loop and velcro |
| Compatibility |
Fits any harness |
| Deployment |
Manual release, foot loop |
| Cost |
£7.63 |
Included as standard in FA KIT 4. Available separately for every other harness.
Suspension Trauma Relief | Does NOT Replace a Rescue Plan
Designed to relieve the effects of suspension trauma by allowing a suspended person to stand and restore leg circulation. This strap buys time; it does not constitute a rescue plan. Under the Work at Height Regulations a documented and actionable rescue plan is required before work begins. Inspect before every use and after any deployment.
Suitable Applications
Every harness, on every job. That is not a sales position — suspension trauma is a recognised hazard of fall arrest, and the strap is the only piece of equipment that addresses it from the casualty's side. It matters most where rescue may be delayed: lone working, remote sites, confined spaces, tower and mast work, and anywhere access is difficult. It is included as standard in the FA KIT 4 premium kit and should be considered standard issue with any harness.
More About This Product
Equipment storage is the least glamorous line on a PPE order and one of the more consequential ones. Textile PPE has a finite life governed largely by UV exposure, and UV works on a harness sitting on a van dashboard just as effectively as on one being worn.
The practical case is simpler still. Kit kept together in a bag stays together as a certifiable set. Kit tipped into a locker becomes a drawer of loose components, and a lanyard whose certificate cannot be matched to it is a lanyard that has to be scrapped.
What Actually Destroys PPE in Storage
UV is the main agent and the least visible. Polyester and polyamide webbing lose strength steadily under sunlight, and the damage is cumulative and irreversible. A harness that has spent two summers on a dashboard may look serviceable and test poorly. Nothing about UV damage is apparent to the eye until it is severe.
Damp does two things. It corrodes the metal components — buckles, D-rings, connector gates — and it encourages mould growth in textile that permanently stains and can weaken it. Kit put away wet after a rainy shift is kit deteriorating overnight.
Grit and dust work into every mechanism: connector gates, self-locking hook mechanisms, retractable block housings and buckle adjusters. A connector gate that has become stiff is nearly always grit in the pivot, and a self-locking hook that has become vague usually the same.
Chemicals are the fast route to failure. Fuel, solvents, battery acid and many cleaning products attack textile aggressively, and a harness stored next to an open fuel can in a van is at genuine risk. Some chemical damage is visible as staining or hardening; some is not.
A bag addresses all four for a fraction of the cost of the equipment inside it.
How to Use the Trauma Strap
- Fit it to the harness before the shift: Attach with the textile loop and velcro, positioned so it can be reached while suspended.
- Brief the wearer on deployment: A strap nobody knows how to release is decoration. Cover it in the toolbox talk.
- Deploy after a fall: Release the strap, form the foot loop, stand up in the harness.
- Take weight off the leg straps: Standing restores circulation and relieves the pressure causing the trauma.
- Signal for rescue: The strap buys time; it does not get you down.
- Withdraw after deployment: Inspect thoroughly before any further use.
Warning: This strap buys time and does not constitute a rescue plan. Suspension trauma can develop within minutes of a fall being arrested. A documented, rehearsed and actionable rescue plan is required before work at height begins.
Safety Information
- Buys time for rescue. Does not replace a rescue plan.
- Must be fitted before the shift and the wearer briefed on deployment.
- Position where it can be reached while suspended.
- Signal for rescue immediately after any fall.
- Inspect webbing, stitching and attachment before every use.
- Withdraw and inspect after any deployment.
- Store away from direct sunlight, heat sources and chemicals.
Inspection and Maintenance
The risk with a trauma strap is that it lives folded on a harness for years and nobody ever looks at it. Deploy it fully at each inspection rather than checking it packed, and confirm it releases cleanly — a strap that has become stuck to itself or whose velcro has clogged with dust will not deploy when it matters. Inspect the webbing on both faces for cuts, abrasion, fraying and UV degradation, check all stitching, and confirm the attachment loop and velcro still grip. Refold correctly afterwards.
Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is suspension trauma?
When someone hangs motionless in a harness, the leg straps restrict blood returning from the legs. Blood pools, circulation is impaired, and the condition can become life threatening within minutes — even when the fall caused no injury. It is a recognised hazard of fall arrest and this strap is the only equipment that addresses it from the casualty's side.
Q: Does it replace a rescue plan?
No, and that matters. It extends the time available, which can be the difference between a rescue succeeding and not. But a documented, rehearsed rescue plan is required before work at height begins and this does not substitute for one.
Q: Will it fit my harness?
Yes. It attaches to any harness using the textile loop and velcro supplied, and is compact enough not to get in the way during normal work.
Q: Is £7.63 really all it costs?
Yes. It is included as standard in the FA KIT 4 premium kit and available separately for every other harness. Given what it addresses, it is difficult to justify not fitting one to every harness in the fleet.
