Can order picker operators wear a body harness instead of a body belt?

The industry consensus standard from which 1910.178 was derived, American National Standards Institute (ANSI) B56.1-1969, Powered Industrial Trucks, Part II, explains that the “operator platform should be equipped with guardrails or means for securing an operator tether.” The ANSI B56.1-1969 standard does not further describe the “means for securing an operator’s tether.” However, the 1993 version of the same ANSI standard suggests the use of body belts and lanyards as a means to secure an operator working on elevating platforms. The ANSI standard provides specifications for this usage.

OSHA’s newer standards that address fall hazards call for the use of body harnesses rather than body belts. OSHA has determined in these rulemakings that there are hazards associated with body belts that are greatly reduced by the substitution of body harnesses.

This is not the first time the body belt vs. body harness issue has surfaced. On January 1, 1998, OSHA prohibited body belts as part of a personal fall arrest system for construction workers. An OSHA inspector may cite under the General Duty Clause if, during an inspection, he or she witnesses an employee wearing only a body belt and not a harness on an order picker.