US3176793A - Garment for holding workmen against falling - Google Patents

Description

Apnl 6, 1965 R. R. HLACIA 3,176,793

GARMENT FOR HOLDING WORKMEN AGAINST FALLING I Filed July 5, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Mum/we p 6, 1965 R. R. HLACIA 3,176,793

GARMENT FOR HOLDING WORKMEN AGAINST FALLING Filed July 5, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 K01 A/vp fioaferA m 6/4 A ril 6, 1965 R. R. HLACIA 3,176,793

GARMENT FOR HOLDING WORKMEN AGAINST FALLING Filed July 5, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Ram/v0 Passer HLAc/A April 1965 R. R. HLAClA 3,176,793

GARMENT FOR HOLDING WORKMEN AGAINST FALLING Filed July 5, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Pom/v0 0aaer Hum/4 United States Patent M 3,176,793 GARMENTFOR HOLDING WORKMEN AGAINST FALLING Roland Robert Hlacia, 36 Rue Chauveau, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France Filed July 5, 1962, Ser. No. 207,737 Claims priority, application France, July 7, 1961,

867,224, Patent 1,301,410

4 Claims. '(Cl. 182-6) Various legal and governmental regulations require, in all countries, contractors and manufacturers to supply their workmen assigned to jobs during which they risk falling, with protecting means and apparatus adapted to prevent serious and even less serious accidents.

Unfortunately, the protecting means proposed hitherto are heavy and bulky and are liable sometimes to injure the workmen, in particular on the spine or by breaking the workmens ribs, and for this reason, even when such apparatus are actually available to the workmen, the latter are reluctant to use -them and even refuse their use.

My invention relates to dungarees, boiler suits or the like garments incorporating a safety working harness com- .prisinga strap of yielding and light material, which is also resistant as in the case of nylon or of any other animal or vegetable fibres,

Said straps or harnesses form, on the one hand, two loops passing around the workmans thighs and extending in proximity with the crotch and, on the other hand, two other loops connected each with one of the preceding loops and passing over the workmans shoulders, while two attaching points at least are provided over the chest of the workman, at which points the harness may be secured to a stationary point by means of a rope.

The harness or strap may be associated with a belt rigid with said harness or otherwise. The harness or strap may also be incorporated with the boiler suit or the like garment and it may be sewn entirely or partly inside the garment, or else, it may engage loops or keepers on the garment. It may also be fitted entirely or partly inside sheaths rigid with said garment.

The Whole arrangement may be associated with a belt rigid with the strap or otherwise and/or further straps surrounding the thighs and secured to the garment, either partly or completely.

The strap is positioned preferably inside the garment so as to form two double loops which do not increase substantially its weight while the garment retains its essential yieldingness and allows thus the workman or the like user to execute, without being hindered, all the movements required for accomplishing the job assigned to him. At certain predetermined points, the strap or harness extends r outside the dungarees, so as to form as many loops for the engagement and securing of a safety member such assplit rings, snap rings, connected with safety ropes and the like.

- The whole arrangement may be finished by a belt-forming strap and a further auxiliary half belt engaging the hips and it is also possible to associate with this arrangement a further loop-forming strap fitted around each thigh, so as to cooperate in holding the garment fast on the body in case of a fall.

The accompanying drawings illustrated, by way of example, a preferred embodiment of my improved safety garment. In said drawings FIG. 1 is a front view of a man wearing such a garment.

FIG. 2 shows him as seen from the back.

FIG. 3 shows the actual harness independently of the garment, as sewn inside the dungarees which are not illustrated for sake of clarity, together with the manner of forming the original strap into two double loops.

3,176,793 Fatented Apr. 6, 1965 FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing a modifica tion in the loops of the harness.

As illustrated, my improved safety garment comprises generally a so-called boiler suit or dungarees which may be made of any desired fabric. 1

Inside the garment is sewn a safety harness 2 formed by a continuous strap sewn together or otherwise and made of any synthetic, animal or vegetable material. Said strap forms loops as illustrated in particular in FIG. 3 and also in FlG. 4 illustrating a modification. The loops G and H are to be fitted over the wearers shoulders and the loopsI and I under his thighs.

Said strap should have a resistance against breaking of at least 1,000 to 1,400 kg. The harness may be associated with a belt 3 made out of a strap of the same type, while a further strap 4 extending preferably in parallel with the belt strap 3 is adapted to engage the hips. It is also possible to resort to two further straps 5 surrounding the thighs above the knees.

The diilerent sections of the harness strap project outwardly beyond the inside of the garment so asto form at the points shown by hatchings A, B, C, D, E, small loops, or keepers through which the strap engages the garment, said keepers serving chiefly for the engagement of safety members at D and E in registry with the pectorals, B and C at the hips and A in the back of the wearer.

Similarly, each of the thigh straps 5 may be provided with an outer keeper F. p

The points of crossing of the strapsections at A, B, C

v are carefully constructed, so as to ensure a constant relarope to the interconnected sections A in the back of the wearer,

An anchoring attachment obtained by securing the anchoring rope to the crossing points registering with the hips at B and C;

A safety attachment preventing falls over considerabl heights as provided by inserting a safety rope underneath the pectoral loo-p section D, E.

It should be mentioned that the working implements may also be easily secured to the crossing of the sections on the hips at B and C.

The garment disclosed cannot. disturb in any manner the movements of the wearer and it is not necessary to fasten the belt 3 or to close the garment for working, although it cooperates in the safety obtained.

The pressures to which the wearer may be subjected when falling are reduced by the presence of the fabric forming the garment which is, in principle, secured to the actual harness, whatever may be the manner of securing such a harness to the garment.

Experience has shown that the strap or harness may be used on an almost completely bare body, but it is then preferable to resort to a sheathed strap which, in case of a fall, allows a slight shifting of the strap, while the sheath remains adherent to the wearers body. This reduces the possible ecchymoses on the body of the wearer when fall ing fortuitously.

Lastly, instead of resorting to a boiler suit, the garment may be reduced to mere overalls with long or short legs, or even to breeches.

The applications of my improved garment are manifold and only a few of them may be mentioned hereinafter by way of a mere exemplification and in a non-exhaustive manner: public works, buildings, various plants, timbering, quarries, wells, laying of pipes, digging of pits, construction of vats, roofs, window-framing, general upkeep, bridge building.

It may also serve for orcharding and wood cutting and also in certain sports such as Alpinism, speieology and the like.

left shoulder, downwardly over the left portion of his chest, rearwardly about his left buttocks, downwardly and forwardly through the wearers crotch, then upwardly and rearwardly crossing, on the wearers left side above the hip, the portion extending downwardly on the left chest, then continuing upwardly and rearwardly about the \vearers body to said crossing point at the wearers back, forming loops embracing the shoulders and thighs of the wearer.

2. A safety harness according to claim 1 encased in a body-embracing garment and having portions extending through to the exterior of the garment at the crossing oints of the stra at the wearers back, above the wearers P hi s and each side of the wearers chest to rovide re ions P P c for attachment to one end of a flexible safety member.

'3. A safety harness comprising a first strap passing successively from a crossing point on the wearers back Wardly over the right side of his chest, rearwardly about his right buttocks, downwardly and forwardly through his crotch, upwardly about the wearers left thigh, rearwardly above the wearers left hip to said crossing point, and a second strap passing successively from said crossing point up over the wearers left shoulder, downwardly over the left side of his chest, rearwardly about his left buttocks, downwardly and forwardly through his crotch, about the wearers right thigh, rearwardly above the wearers right hip to said crossing point, said straps crossing at said crossing point at the Wearers back and above each hip, and forming loops embracing the wearers shoulders and thighs.

4. A safety harness according to claim 3 encased in a body-embracing garment and having portions extending through to the exterior of the garment at the crossing points of the strap at the wearers back, above the wearers hips and each side of the wearers chest to provide regions for attachment to one end of a flexible safety member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNlTED STATES PATENTS 1,574,529 2/26 Abraham 182-6 1,849,628 3/32 Lemercier 244-443 2,448,066 8/48 Wilson 182- 3 2,647,293 8/53 Wintercorn 182-6 2,887,286 5/59 Moran 244-143 2,979,153 4/61 Hoagland 182-8 ARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A SAFETY HARNESS COMPRISING A STRAP PASSING SUCCESSIVELY FROM A CROSSING POINT ON THE WEARER''S BACK BETWEEN HIS SHOULDERS UP OVE HIS RIGHT SHOULDER, DOWNWARDLY OVER THE RIGHT SIDE OF HIS CHEST, REARWARDLY ABOUT HIS RIGHT BUTTOCKS, DOWNWARDLY AND FORWARDLY THROUGH HIS CROTCH, UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY CROSSING, ON THE WEARER''S RIGHT SIDE ABOVE THE HIP, THE PORTION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY ON THE RIGHT CHEST, THEN CONTINUING UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY ABOUT THE WEARER''S BODY TO SAID CROSSING POINT, SAID STRAP CONTINUING FROM THE CROSSING POINT UP OVER THE WEARER''S LEFT SHOULDER, DOWNWARDLY OVER THE LEFT PORTION OF HIS CHEST, REARWARDLY ABOUT HIS LEFT BUTTOCKS, DOWNWARDLY AND FORWARDLY THROUGH THE WEARER''S CROTCH, THEN UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY CROSSING, ON THE WEARER''S LEFT SIDE ABOVE THE HIP, THE PORTION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY ON THE LEFT CHEST, THEN CONTINUING UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY ABOUT THE WEARER''S BODY TO SAID CROSSING POINT AT THE WEARER''S BACK, FORMING LOOPS EMBRACING THE SHOULDERS AND THIGHS OF THE WEARER.

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