The thing I always sort of wonder about safety harnesses is - great, you didn't fall 18m (or greater), you're just inconveniently dangling off a structure, possibly totally incapacitated, possibly merely incapable of scrambling back up.  How do you get back to safety from there?  I mean, I know it happens, but is it just as many strong arms as possible, or does a specialist just hook your harness into a descender and sends you down like the wind turbine escape Tom did?,(reply>), you can learn to self rescue out of that situation. its actually required if theres any chance nobody will find you in due time because that harness cuts off blood supply in your legs which can get really serious. still better then falling and if youd need that skill - youll learn it =),(reply>), really depends on the situation.  in that case, the rescue team would most likely take you down to the floor, because you have to get down there for a medical check, anyway.  and down is a lot less effort than up.  and a worker's safety harness is designed to prioritize injury prevention over self rescue; which gives kind of a helpless feeling if you fall - but most falls result in not being in a good position for self rescue, anyway, and there really is a risk of injury while waiting for rescue after a fall in a harness that is designed for working from ropes.,(reply>), I guess we could ask Boris Johnson how that feels after his 2015 London Olympic's Zip Rope hiccup.,(reply>), They will typically hoist the person back up, as you would want to stop the descent as soon as possible. Which leaves you closer to the top than the bottom.