Suspension trauma relief strap assembly for use with a full body harness
A preferred embodiment suspension trauma relief strap assembly for use with a full body harness includes a pair of straps connectable in two configurations. The first configuration is formed by engaging a hook of one strap with one of a plurality of closed loop arrangements of the other strap to form a sling upon which a person donning the full body harness may stand. The second configuration is formed by engaging the hook of the one strap with one of the plurality of closed loop arrangements of the one strap and engaging the hook of the other strap with one of the plurality of closed loop arrangements of the other strap to form two slings upon which a person donning the full body harness may stand.
1 . A full body harness comprising:
(a) a dorsal D-ring operatively connected to the harness; and
(b) a suspension trauma relief strap assembly comprising:
(i) a first strap assembly component operatively connected to one side of the harness; and
(ii) a second strap assembly component operatively connected to the other side of the harness,
wherein the suspension trauma relief strap assembly is configured to be in a stored position in which the first and second strap assembly components are stored in respective first and second housings, and is further configured to be deployable from the stored position into a deployed position in which the first and second strap assembly components connect to provide a single foot-supporting sling, the single foot-supporting sling being configured to support both feet of a worker to transfer weight to the D-ring.
2 . The full body harness of claim 1 wherein the first strap assembly component comprises a first connector that connects the first strap assembly component to the harness and wherein the second strap assembly component comprises a second connector that connects the second strap assembly component to the harness.
3 . The full body harness of claim 2 wherein the first connector of the first strap assembly component comprises a first loop provided at a first end of a first strap of the first strap assembly component.
4 . The full body harness of claim 3 wherein the first connector of the first strap assembly component is connected to a first shoulder strap of the full body harness by wrapping the first loop of the first end of the first strap around the first shoulder strap and inserting the first strap through the first loop of the first strap.
5 . The full body harness of claim 3 wherein the first loop is provided at the first end of the first strap of the first strap assembly component by folding over an end portion of the first end of the first strap and securing the end portion of the first end of the first strap to another portion of the first end of the first strap by stitching.
6 . The full body harness of claim 1 wherein the first and second strap assembly components are connected to the full body harness by sewing.
7 . The full body harness of claim 3 wherein the first connector of the first strap assembly component comprises a hook or buckle.
8 . The full body harness of claim 2 wherein the first strap assembly component resides in the first housing when the first strap assembly component is in the stored position, with the first connector of the first strap assembly component extending from the first housing to connect the first strap assembly component to the full body harness; and, wherein the second strap assembly component resides in the second housing when the second strap assembly component is in a stored position, with the second connector of the second strap assembly component extending from the second housing to connect the second strap assembly component to the full body harness.
9 . The full body harness of claim 8 wherein the first housing comprises at least one first slot through which the first connector of the first strap assembly component extends out of the first housing.
10 . The full body harness of claim 9 wherein the at least one first slot is located in a sidewall of the first housing.
11 . The full body harness of claim 8 wherein a first strap of the first strap assembly component is secured to an inside surface of the first housing by stitching.
12 . The full body harness of claim 1 wherein a first strap of the first strap assembly component is wound into a spiral configuration in a first cavity of the first housing.
13 . The full body harness of claim 1 wherein a first strap of the first strap assembly component is folded into a compact configuration in a first cavity of the first housing.
14 . The full body harness of claim 1 wherein the first housing comprises a first cover that is openable to remove the first strap assembly component from the first housing to deploy the first strap assembly component into the deployed position.
15 . The full body harness of claim 14 wherein the first housing comprises at least one first slot through which a first connector of the first strap assembly component extends out of the first housing to connect the first strap assembly component to the harness, with the at least one first slot and the first cover being located in different portions of the first housing.
16 . The full body harness of claim 1 wherein the suspension trauma relief strap assembly is adjustable to accommodate varying heights of workers.
17 . The full body harness of claim 1 wherein the first strap assembly component is operatively connected to a first lateral side of the harness and the second strap assembly component is operatively connected to a second, opposing lateral side of the harness.
18 . The full body harness of claim 17 wherein the first strap assembly component is operatively connected to a first shoulder strap on the first lateral side of the harness and the second strap assembly component is operatively connected to a second shoulder strap on the second, opposing lateral side of the harness.
19 . The full body harness of claim 18 wherein the first strap assembly component is operatively connected to the first shoulder strap proximate an end of a rear portion of the first shoulder strap, above a juncture of the rear portion of the first shoulder strap with a seat strap of the full body harness, and wherein the second strap assembly component is operatively connected to the second shoulder strap proximate an end of a rear portion of the second shoulder strap, above a juncture of the rear portion of the second shoulder strap with a seat strap of the full body harness.
20 . The full body harness of claim 1 wherein the first strap assembly component comprises a first strap comprising one or more first connecting members and wherein the second strap assembly component comprises a second strap comprising one or more second connecting members, the one or more first connecting members and the one or more second connecting members being configured so that the one or more first connecting members are connectable to the one or more second connecting members to connect the first and second strap assembly components to form the single foot-supporting sling configured to support both feet of the worker.
21 . The full body harness of claim 20 wherein the one or more first connecting members comprises at least one hook.
22 . The full body harness of claim 20 wherein the one or more second connecting members comprises at least one closed loop formed in the second strap.
23 . The full body harness of claim 20 wherein at least one of the one or more first connecting members is located at a second end of the first strap and wherein at least one of the one or more second connecting members is located in an intermediate portion of the second strap, so that the second end of the first strap is connectable to the intermediate portion of the second strap to form the single foot-supporting sling configured to support both feet of the worker.
24 . The full body harness of claim 20 wherein at least one of the one or more first connecting members is located at a second end of the first strap and wherein at least one of the one or more second connecting members is located at a second end of the second strap, so that the second end of the first strap is connectable to the second end of the second strap to form the single foot-supporting sling configured to support both feet of the worker.
25 . A method of using the full body harness of claim 1 , comprising: releasing the first and second strap assembly components from the respective first and second housings; then, connecting the released first and second strap assembly components to each other so that the first and second strap assembly components are in the deployed position in which the first and second strap assembly components are connected to provide the single foot-supporting sling configured to support both feet of the worker.
26 . The method of claim 25 wherein the method includes adjusting the deployed first and second strap assembly components to accommodate a height of the worker.
27 . A full body harness comprising:
(a) a dorsal D-ring operatively connected to the harness; and
(b) a suspension trauma relief strap assembly comprising:
(i) a first strap operatively connected to a first side of the harness; and
(ii) a second strap operatively connected to a second, opposing side of the harness,
wherein the suspension trauma relief strap assembly is configured to be in a stored position in which the first and second straps are stored in respective first and second housings, and is further configured so that the first and second straps are releasable from the respective first and second housings and thence deployable into a deployed position in which the first and second straps are connected to provide a single foot-supporting sling with a first end that is connected to the first side of the harness and with a second end that is connected to the second side of the harness, with the single foot-supporting sling being configured to support both feet of a worker to transfer weight to the D-ring;
with the proviso that the single foot-supporting sling that is provided by the connected first and second straps, and that is configured to support both feet of the worker, is the only foot-supporting sling present in the full body harness.