What must workers wear to prevent falls?

To prevent falls, workers must wear a safety harness and a belt that is securely tied off. This equipment is specifically designed to protect individuals working at heights or in environments where there is a risk of falling. The safety harness is worn around the body and is attached to a secure anchor point, ensuring that if a worker slips or stumbles, the harness will catch their fall, minimizing the risk of serious injury.

The use of a tie-off belt in conjunction with a safety harness provides an additional layer of safety. It allows workers to secure themselves to a fixed structure, which can be crucial when working on ladders, scaffolding, or elevated platforms. This preventive measure is essential in maintaining safety standards in surface mining operations, where fall hazards are prevalent due to the nature of the work environment.

While other options may offer protective gear relevant to different hazards in the workplace, they do not specifically address fall protection. For example, helmets and gloves, steel-toed boots and reflective vests, and hard hats with safety goggles do not provide the necessary support and restraint in case of a fall. Thus, wearing a safety harness and associated tie-off equipment is critical for ensuring worker safety against falls in environments like surface mining.