This part of ISO 10333 specifies the requirements, test methods, instructions for general use, marking, packaging and maintenance for full-body harnesses (FBH).

The main purpose of a FBH is to allow the user to connect into a personal fall-arrest system (PFAS), which will be specified in a future International Standard (see ISO 10333-6 in the Bibliography), such that if an arrest takes place, the arresting force will not exceed 6 kN.

For the purposes of this part of ISO 10333, FBH may have attachment elements that allow the user to connect into other types of safety or access system, for example a work-positioning system, a controlled descent/ascent system or a confined-space access system. This part of ISO 10333 includes requirements for such attachment elements.

This part of ISO 10333 is applicable only to FBH limited to single-person use of a total mass not exceeding 100 kg.

The scope of this part of ISO 10333 does not extend to:

• waist belts or chest harnesses: such equipment is not considered as safe to use in personal fall-arrest systems (PFAS);
• all other types of harnesses that are not designed primarily for use in PFAS;
• other special requirements for FBH, peculiar to use in a controlled descent/ascent system or a confined-space access system;
• any assessment of compatibility or suitability in respect of the performance of FBH in a controlled descent/ascent system or a confined-space access system.

This part of ISO 10333 does not specify those additional requirements that would apply when harnesses are subjected to special conditions of use (where, for example, there exist unusual limitations concerning access to the place of work and/or particular environmental factors). Thus treatments to ensure the durability of the materials of construction (such as heat treatment, anti-corrosion treatment, protection against physical and chemical hazards) are not specified in this part of ISO 10333, but should comply with appropriate International Standards or, failing that, with national standards and other specifications dealing with relevant physical characteristics and/or the safety of users. In particular, when it is considered necessary to test the corrosion resistance of metallic parts of the equipment, reference should be made to ISO 9227.