The study was comprised of an in the water test to determine towing characteristics, a static test to determine comfort and ease of use, and a dynamic load test to ascertain compliance with ORC regulations. Harnesses were also evaluated for desirable features such as reflective tape, stitching, quick release capability, and general quality. For comparison, rock climbing and industrial harnesses were also examined.

When used while being towed through the water, most of the harnesses were fairly comfortable. The exception occurred when a Type III PFD was worn underneath a harness. The PFD kept the support straps from riding up under the armpits, which placed the load heavily on the lower back and causing quite a bit of discomfort. The sailing harnesses did a good job of keeping the wearer's head above water, while the rock climbing and industrial harnesses did not show this tendency.

The test results indicated the harnesses had varying levels of comfort while worn without any load. When under a heavy load they varied from mildly uncomfortable to painful, depending on where the straps wrapped around the ribs. Testing by the Tacoma Women's Sailing Association showed that even those harnesses marketed toward women could be extremely uncomfortable under load, depending on the wearer's physique.

The dynamic testing yielded the most noteworthy results. 8% of the harnesses failed the test (one a prototype), while fully 47% of the tethers failed the test.

None of the harnesses met the committee's criteria of an "ideal" harness, although several came close. Likewise we did not find the "ideal" tether, although there are several on the market which come close.

Study Objective
In 1998, The Safety at Sea Committee embarked on a program to evaluate common safety harnesses and tethers used in sailing. We also wanted to examine the area of commercial and rock climbing harnesses to see if there was anything to be learned or applied from them.

There are no standards in the US for recreational yacht harnesses. There is a UL/U.S. Coast Guard standard for inflatable life vests but it does not include a provision for testing the efficacy of a built in harness (other than a statement that the harness must be adequate for its intended use).

The Offshore Racing Council has specifications for yachting harnesses, tethers, and jacklines. These are substantially derived from the old British Standard 4224. US Sailing, the governing body for racing sailors in the U.S., subscribes to these rules and prescriptions. While these rules are aimed at racing sailors, they are equally relevant for cruising sailors. It should also be noted that US Sailing does have separate safety recommendations for cruising sailors, and the requirements for harnesses and tethers are identical between the two.

Most testing for this study was based on the ORC regulations. We tested to the 1996-1997 version of the regulations. In 1998, the ORC changed their requirements and now reference ISO Standard 12401. However, since the ISO standard was not even available to the public or the manufacturers at the time we started the test, we opted to use the older rules.

Our testing consisted of both subjective and objective criteria. The subjective criteria was mostly an evaluation of comfort and ease of use and adjustment, and how well the harnesses worked while the wearer was being dragged through the water. The objective criteria consisted of metrics such as weight, magnetic properties, and a dynamic load test where the harness or tether is attached to a 220 pound weighted dummy and dropped 6.6 feet.

Products Tested
We broke down the harnesses into three different groups. First are the inflatable life vests with built in harnesses. These could be either the manual inflation type (which are approved by UL and the US Coast Guard), or the automatic inflation. We tested only the manual versions, as there is little difference between the two types. Second are the "standard" harnesses, which are simply nylon webbing with a D-ring attachment point on the front for a tether. Last, we tested both commercial OSHA safety harnesses and tethers, and rock climbing harnesses which some foredeck crew use while racing. For tethers, we chose as many manufacturers as we could find, and tried to find a variety of end fittings among those products.

The inflatable harnesses tested include Captain Al's (same as Stearns), Mustang, SOSpenders, Stearns, Stormy Seas, Survival Technologies, and West Marine.

The standard harnesses included Captain Al's (same as Holland Yacht Equipment), Gill (made by Crewsaver), Forespar Passagemaker, Holland Yacht Equipment Model 1278T, Jim Buoy, Lirakis Newport, Musto, Raudaschl, Stormy Seas (Australia) Jacket and Vest, Survival Technologies Deck Pro and Pelican 2, and West Marine Basic, Securite', and Ultimate Harnesses. The Crewsaver harness was tested while in the Gill Southern Cross jacket. In the water testing was also done with a Henri-Lloyd jacket with built in harness. Commercial harnesses were Miller Industrial Model E650, and DBI/Sala Model L2000. The rock climbing harnesses were made by Black Diamond and Arcteryx, along with a chest harness made by Recreational Equipment, Inc.

Tethers tested were Captain Al's Single and 3-point, Forespar Passagemaker, Holland Yacht Equipment, Helly-Hansen 3-point, Jim Buoy, Lirakis, Raudaschl, SOSpenders 3-point, Survival Technologies Single and Shock Arrest, West Marine (four different models), Wichard (two different models), along with Miller Industrial tether models 913RSS and 216M.

All these products were purchased either from floor stock or over the phone. None of the manufacturers were told what the fate of their products would be. See Appendix I for details on each product, as well as the summary in Appendix III.