Buyers often ask us for “EN certified harnesses”. It is a reasonable request, but the certification does not work quite like that. In the European system each component is certified against the standard for that component, and the system only works when the parts are compatible with each other and with the way the work is done.
Here is what the common numbers cover.
The standards you will meet most often
EN 361 — Full body harnesses. The only body-holding device permitted for fall arrest. Defines the attachment points that may be used to arrest a fall, marked with a capital A. If a point is not marked A, it is not a fall arrest point.
EN 355 — Energy absorbers. The part that limits the force transmitted to the body during an arrest. This is the standard that caps arrest force at a maximum of 6 kN.
EN 360 — Retractable type fall arresters. Self-retracting lifelines that pay out and retract as the worker moves and lock when a fall begins.
EN 362 — Connectors. Karabiners, snap hooks and scaffold hooks, including gate strength and locking requirements.
EN 795 — Anchor devices. The certified point the whole system connects to.
EN 358 — Work positioning systems. Belts and lanyards that hold a worker in position at the work face. Not fall arrest. A positioning system supports a worker so their hands are free; it is not designed or certified to arrest a fall, and it must be backed by a separate fall arrest system where a fall is possible.
EN 341 — Descender devices. Controlled descent for rescue.
EN 1496 — Rescue lifting devices. For raising or lowering a person during rescue.
Why a harness on its own is not a system
A compliant fall arrest system needs four things, and the acronym ABCD is the easiest way to remember it:
- A — Anchorage. A certified point of adequate strength, correctly positioned.
- B — Body support. A full body harness to EN 361.
- C — Connection. The lanyard, energy absorber or retractable block that joins the two, and the connectors at each end.
- D — Descent and rescue. The plan and equipment to get a suspended person down.
Miss any of the four and you do not have a system, however good the individual parts are. The last one is the one most often missing, and it is the subject of its own article.
Reading a label properly
A compliant label should let you answer all of these:
- Which standard, and which year? “EN 361:2002” is a specific edition, not a generic claim.
- Who made it, and when? Manufacturer and date of manufacture, which starts the service-life clock.
- Which serial or batch? This is what ties the item to your inspection records.
- Where are the A points? On a harness, the fall arrest attachments must be identifiable.
- Is there a CE or UKCA mark, with the notified body number where the category requires it? Fall protection is PPE Category III, which requires ongoing involvement of a notified body — not a self-declaration.
If a supplier offers a “CE certificate” but cannot produce the type-examination documentation behind it, treat that as unresolved rather than settled.
Compatibility is your responsibility, not the standard’s
Two certified components can still make an unsafe combination. The classic examples:
- A snap hook clipped to a wide anchor bar or a D-ring it does not fit can be loaded across the gate rather than along the spine. Gate-face loading is far weaker than the rated axial strength.
- Connecting two lanyards together to gain length adds an uncertified link and changes the fall distance the system was designed around.
- Using a positioning lanyard as a fall arrest lanyard because it happened to be on the belt.
The standards certify parts. Assembling those parts into a system that suits the actual task, the actual anchor and the actual clearance available is an engineering decision on site.
What this means when you are buying
Ask for the standard and the edition, the type-examination documentation, and the manufacturer’s instructions for use — the instructions are where compatibility limits and inspection intervals live. A supplier who manufactures rather than resells should be able to produce all three without hunting.
Standards are revised over time and requirements differ between jurisdictions — EN in Europe, ANSI/OSHA in the United States, IS in India. This article is an orientation, not a compliance document. Confirm the current requirements that apply to your site and always follow the manufacturer’s instructions supplied with the equipment.
