Patent Publication Number: US-6698026-B2

Title: Safety garment having safety harness

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 10/123,217, filed Apr. 17, 2002, which is related to Ser. No. 09/782,066, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,024 issued to the present inventor, James R. Schweer. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to articles of clothing and more specifically to a safety garment for industrial or construction workers and hunters. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Numerous articles of clothing have been devised for enhancing the safety of their wearers. Over the years, some of the most significant advances in the art have involved safety devices directly incorporated into a piece of clothing. However, none of the techniques described hereinbelow results in a garment which incorporates a safety harness which allows workers or hunters to reliably secure themselves to a support structure or, in the case of a hunter, a tree, particularly when the hunter is positioned at some height above the ground. Moreover, none of the references herein described presents a garment having provision for removable leg loops and/or providing a selectively removable liner in a garment enabling workers or hunters to be able to quickly put on the requisite safety gear when on the job or in the field. 
     For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,046, describes a safety jacket and harness system, including a body harness formed by a pair of torso bands and a pair of shoulder straps. The torso bands form an upper torso band and a lower torso band. Each torso band has a fastening member attached to end portions. The pair of shoulder straps each has a first shoulder strap portion and a second shoulder strap portion. Each shoulder strap portion is coupled together by a fastening member. Included is a center strap that is fixedly attached to the torso bands and has a locking member at a top end. A safety strap has a first safety strap end that can couple with the locking member of the center strap, and a second safety strap end that can be looped and fastened around a tree trunk. An attachment strap is attached to the safety strap. A jacket receives the body harness when worn by a hunter using a tree stand with the center strap of the harness coupled to the attachment strap looped around the trunk. Similarly, in the case of an industrial or construction worker the attachment strap is attached to the safety strap and a structure such as a beam. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,631, issued Aug. 15, 2000, to Ferguson, Jr., describes a full-body harness system which is located between an outer shell and an inner liner and having a back located D-ring extending from the outer shell for attachment to a safety line, the D-ring being covered when not in use by a flap. U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,517, issued to Jordan, describes a harness assembly having an integral support line. The harness assembly includes a harness body having first and second ends that extend from the harness body. The harness is secured within a garment. The garment has a front opening which is normally covered by a releasable flap. The first and second ends of the support line extend through the front opening and are accessible when the flap is moved to an open position. The first end of the support line may be pulled away from the harness to extend the support line therefrom. The second end of the support line is secured to the harness. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,782, issued Oct. 10, 2000, to Young et al. describes a combination clothing/safety harness. The safety harness may be attached to various articles of clothing, such as a jacket, vest, overalls, or coveralls, so that donning the article of clothing automatically positions the harness for use. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,440, issued to Woodyard, discloses a safety vest which incorporates a safety harness between a vest inner lining and a vest outer shell with attachment couplers and rings incorporated in the vest in vest pockets that store the attachment couplers and rings out of sight in communicating between the harness and a lanyard external to the vest. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,979,153, issued to E. J. Hoagland et al., describes a safety suit for supporting a person&#39;s body in an upright manner during hoisting, including a garment arranged to extend around the torso of a body and a plurality of annularly extending straps defining body embracing nooses. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,877, issued to Gallinati, describes a vest adapted to be worn by a workman operating at perilous heights. The vest has straps between the lining and the outer fabric. The straps have crossed sections in the back of the garment and vertical sections in the front panels. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,216, issued to Weissmann, describes a safety jacket adapted to have a line secured thereto for anchoring the wearer of the jacket in the event he loses his footing. The jacket includes a harness having a pair of shoulder straps and a belt made of polypropylene which is threaded through loops at the ends of the shoulder straps. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,847, issued to Miles, describes body protective clothing to be worn over or in place of outer garments for protection while actively participating in various sports. A zippered vest-type garment including a resilient foam insert along the lower portion of the torso includes adjustable front closure straps for maintaining the position of the foam about the lower back and hip bones. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,882, issued to Ekman, discloses a garment that is connectable to a safety line or the like and which includes at least one band, which is intended to take up the weight of a person wearing the garment. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,724, issued to Grilliot et al., relates to a firefighter&#39;s trousers and safety harness combination. At least a portion of the safety harness is positioned and supported within the firefighter&#39;s trousers. 
     British Patent No. 1,233,761 shows a safety harness having integral seat and jacket portions, the seat portion including couplers whereby the harness can be suspended from wires or ropes and the jacket portion including sufficient buoyancy to keep the wearer of the harness afloat if dropped into water. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,027, issued Sep. 8, 1992, to Petzl et al. describes a sit safety harness with high loops in the form of closed loops fitted on a belt with a central clasp. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,590, issued Mar. 1, 1994, to Larson, describes a combined work trousers and safety harness having leg loops. 
     U.S. Pat. No. RE37,394 E, issued Oct. 2, 2001, to Woodyard describes a safety vest incorporating a safety harness with leg loops. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,379, issued Jun. 12, 2001, to Larson, describes an automatically adjustable safety harness having leg loops. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,704, issued Sep. 24, 1993, to Olsson, describes a climbing loop clipped to harness rings on a harness worn by a climber. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,651, issued Feb. 20, 2001, to Sadeck, describes a harness having a belt and leg loops. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,424,134, issued Jan. 28, 1969, to Rosenblum, describes a safety harness having leg loops. 
     None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The safety garment for industrial and construction workers, hunters, naturalists, and other outdoorsmen provides a garment which incorporates a safety harness into the body of a jacket, coat, or other apparel. The safety garment protects workers when working at dangerous heights or near dangerous machinery from injury from falling and allows hunters using elevated positions such as trees or tree stands to focus on the sport, instead of worrying about falling. The safety garment is made up of a safety harness with a central attachment ring for receiving a safety rope or line for releasably anchoring a wearer to an anchor point such as a beam or the trunk of a tree. The safety harness is preferably sewn or otherwise located within or on the outer surface of an inner liner or vest which is preferably selectively removably attached to an outer shell in the form of an outer vest, jacket, shirt, parka, or other garment. Alternatively, the safety harness may be sewn or otherwise located or secured into the inside surface of the outer shell. In a third embodiment, the safety harness is merely encased between the outer shell and the inner liner, and is free to move relative to both the shell and the liner. In each embodiment the harness is fully covered so that it is essentially invisible from the outside. 
     The harness includes a waist belt and matching belt coupler on the belt ends which may be releasably interlocked as a buckle. The belt ends extend out from under the inner lining of the safety garment, the inner lining in the preferred embodiment being selectively removable. An opening is provided in the upper mid-portion of the safety garment outer shell?s back, defining a pocket which passes through the safety garment&#39;s outer shell and has associated with it a flap, which acts to cover or overlie the opening. A safety strap having an attachment ring securely fastened thereon and being of a length sufficient to pass from the harness through the shell opening to the outside of the safety garment outer shell is also provided as part of the safety harness, the safety strap extending upward from the waist belt. The pocket serves as a cavity in which the ring, as well as its associated strap, is stored when not in use. Removable leg straps may be provided which attach in a variety of alternative ways to the waist belt of the harness. The use of leg straps with the safety harness as included in the garment jacket or vest is preferred in order to distribute the forces over the body during an arrested fall in order to protect the upper body from excessive force applied upon arrest of the fall. Such excessive force may, in some instances, tend to suffocate the wearer or cause bruises or broken ribs. 
     The harness includes a pair of shoulder straps or loops, each having respective ends attached to the waist belt and each forming front and back shoulder loop or strap portions. In one embodiment the back shoulder loop portions converge to intersect in the rear portion of the back to form a juncture connection. Underarm straps may also be provided extending laterally to connect a respective pair of adjacent front and rear shoulder loop portions. Thus, the harness includes crossed back sections and vertical front sections. The crossed back sections may be interconnected intermediate their ends in the juncture connection which is positioned intermediate the neck portion and the lower edge of the vest and medially between the sides. The safety strap is fixedly attached to the harness at this juncture and also at the waist belt at the point of intersection with the midline of the back. 
     In the event the harness is in use, such as during a fall or when dragging a deer carcass, the pulling forces on the harness are equalized in both directions, providing maximally efficient distribution of force on the body harness. In a lighter duty embodiment the back sections end at the juncture in the manner of conventional pants suspenders. In another embodiment, shoulder straps simply extend from the front of the belt, to the rear of the belt. One or more additional belts with buckles spaced upward along the torso may be added to each of the embodiments, the safety strap being fastened to the back thereof as desired. 
     Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a safety garment having a safety harness incorporated therein. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a safety garment whereby the placement of safety harness may be easily and more comfortably worn by a worker or hunter and positioned for maximum positive effect. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a safety garment wherein the harness is designed to work in combination with the inner layer and outer layers of the garment to increase the wearer&#39;s safety. 
     It is yet another object of the invention to provide an inner layer as above in the form of a liner which is selectively removable from the outer layer in the form of an outer shell. 
     Still another object of the invention is to provide a safety garment which safely arrests the fall of the worker or hunter during an accident. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved garment, which restrains the wearer from falling into dangerous machinery or keeps the wearer from falling from vehicles such as fork lifts. 
     It is yet another object of the invention to provide a garment as above having attachments for removable leg loops for attachment to the waist belt of the safety harness. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes. 
     These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a safety garment, according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2A is an exterior front view of the safety garment, according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2B is an exterior front view of an inner lining without mesh as removed from the outer shell of the safety garment of FIG.  2 A. 
     FIG. 3 is an exterior rear view of the safety garment, according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 4A is a front view of the safety garment, showing the front portion of the harness in ghost lines, according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 4B is a front view as in FIG. 4A showing an alternative embodiment wherein the harness has two belts spaced along the torso portion of the safety jacket. 
     FIG. 4C is a front view as in FIG. 4A showing an alternative embodiment wherein a second belt spaced above the first belt extends between the front portions of the shoulder belts. 
     FIG. 5A is a rear view of the safety garment, showing the rear portion of the harness in ghost lines and with the flap removed, according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 5B is a rear view as in FIG. 5A showing an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4A wherein the harness has two belts with buckles spaced along the torso portion of the safety jacket. 
     FIG. 5C is a rear view as in FIG. 5A showing another embodiment wherein the harness shoulder straps end at the junction of the shoulder straps and the safety strap. 
     FIG. 6 is an environmental, perspective view of the safety garment employing removable leg loops, according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 7A is a front elevation view of a safety garment as above with the liner removed showing leg loops attached by buckles to the inner waist belt. 
     FIG. 7B is a rear elevation view of a safety garment as above with leg loops attached by buckles to the inner waist belt. 
     FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of a safety garment as above with the liner removed and the harness stitched to the outer shell and showing attachment rings for attachment of leg loops to the waist belt and for use with climbing rope. 
     FIG. 9A is a detail view of a safety garment as above with snaps for attachment of leg loops to the waist belt. 
     FIG. 9B is a detail view of a safety garment as above with an attachment ring and a snap hook for attachment of leg loops to the waist belt. 
     FIG. 9C is a detail view of a safety garment as above with an attachment buckle shown in an open position for attachment of leg loops to the waist belt. 
     FIG. 9D is a detail view of a safety garment as above with a loop over knot for attachment of leg loops. 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a safety pant with leg loops sewn within the interior of the pant and having threaded rings for attachment to the waist belt of the safety garment as above. 
     FIG. 11 is a front elevation view of the safety pant as above attached to attachment rings of the waist belt of the hunting garment with the liner removed as above. 
     FIG. 12 is a front elevation view of a safety garment jacket with the liner removed for illustration purposes and showing crotch straps attachable at one end to the rear portion of the waist belt of said jacket through slits in the jacket back and at the other end to the front portion of the waist belt, spaced from the first attachment waist which may wrap around the legs or be tightened directly within the crotch. 
     FIG. 13 is a rear elevation view similar to that of FIG. 12 with the safety jacket having the harness sewn between inner and outer layers and buckled leg straps inserted into zippered slits in the back outer layer for attachment to the waist strap inside the garment. 
    
    
     Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention is directed to a safety garment for industrial and construction workers and hunters, naturalists, and other outdoorsmen by providing a combination garment and harness. 
     As diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 1, an environmental view in which a Hunter H is readying himself for the kill is shown. The hunter H, is shown wearing the safety garment  10 . The hunter H is safely suspended from a tree T by a safety line attached to the invention, which provides him with a stable and secure line to keep him from falling from his tree stand X in case of a misstep. The safety garment  10  allows the hunter H to focus on the sport, instead of worrying about falling. Similar scenarios are apparent such as a worker wearing the safety garment  10  working as a tree surgeon or as a construction worker or roofer on tall structures. Every year thousands of deer hunters are crippled, paralyzed, or even killed after falling from trees or elevated tree stands. Some statistics indicate that as many as two thirds of hunters fail to wear safety equipment when climbing or descending, or when entering or exiting their stands. While many hunters are aware of the safety advantages of wearing harnesses during climbing or when descending from a tree, they report that they fail to do so, because the harness gets in the way of the stand as they climb or they simply do not want to spend the time dealing with it. Commentators have observed that this complacency in hunters may come from a lifetime of having climbed trees and ladders without safety restraints, and then carrying over this behavior to the woods, where trees and tree stands are unstable and natural vegetation can provide an unrealistic sense of relative height above ground. 
     The International Hunter Education Association reported 19 deaths from tree stand falls in 1997, the last year for which statistics were available. Currently it is estimated that more than 37 percent of hunters using tree stands have fallen at least once. The present invention presents an excellent solution to this problem by providing a safety strap/harness which is incorporated directly into the body of a safety garment. And, as shown in FIG. 1, this can include any kind of apparel, such as a jacket  12 , and/or a pair of trousers  14 . Furthermore, any kind of harness may be used, though a preferred harness system is herein described. 
     In a recent report published from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, it was shown that volunteers suspended in mid air while wearing safety belts began to become unconscious anywhere from 30 seconds to up to 4.5 minutes, while test subjects wearing chest harnesses began to lose consciousness between one and 13 minutes. The present invention provides an important improvement by incorporating a safety harness directly into the structure of a hunting jacket, creating better distribution of pressure on the subject&#39;s torso in case of accidental fall. 
     Falling injuries may also be sustained by workers in mining, construction, roofing and other industries. The present inventive harness-containing jacket  12  and trousers  14  presents the same advantages to the worker as the hunter H depicted in FIG.  1  and described above. 
     The safety garment  10  of the present invention comprises a safety harness with a central attachment ring for receiving a safety rope or line for releasably anchoring a wearer of the safety garment to an anchor point such as the trunk of a tree or other structure. An important advantage of the safety garment  10 , from both an aesthetic and practical viewpoint, is that it is disposed and preferably sewn directly onto the removable liner of the vest, jacket, or garment outer shell which fully covers the harness so that it is essentially not visible from the outside. By the harness being tightly incorporated into the safety garment, an important advantage is realized in that it may be easily adapted to fit around a wearer&#39;s torso in the manner of putting on and suitably adjusting a conventional jacket to fit. Thus, the combination jacket/safety harness is an important contribution to the art which provides an ideal level of safety and comfort to users. 
     Referring now to FIG. 2A, it can be seen that the jacket  12  includes a waist belt  16  and matching belt couplers  18  on the belt ends which may be releasably interlocked as a buckle. The belt couplers or buckle  18  are part of the harness  20  (partially obscured by the mesh netting indicated by  22 ) and also preferably made of plastic, which is much quieter than metal devices which can create noise and scare game animals. As shown, the belt  16  ends extend out from under the inner liner  24  of the safety garment jacket  12 , the inner liner  24  in the preferred embodiment being selectively removable. 
     As explained in greater detail hereinbelow, the waist belt  16  is connected to the harness  20 , the general arrangement of which, again, can be partially seen folded over itself through the netting  22 . This netting  22  may form a portion of the inner liner  24  of the safety garment jacket  112  or be entirely independent thereof. The netting  22  is preferably made of a mesh having a loosely knit construction to facilitate proper air and moisture ventilation. The outer shell  26  of the jacket  12  preferably has pockets with openings (not shown) in the outer shell  26  through which the ends of the waist belt  16  may pass from inside the safety garment liner  24  to the outside of the safety garment shell to provide a neat appearance. The present invention may also include an adjustable hood (not shown). 
     The conventional worker or hunter&#39;s coat is less than ideal not only for the disruption and inconvenience it provides when having to put a separate safety harness on but also because of the problem which arises when human body odors, the detection of which is the first line of defense for many animals, are released into the environment when opening or taking off a garment, “spooking” game even after a hunter leaves the area. 
     Of course, these problems are not limited to hunters who like to stalk their game. Bird-watchers, who, commonly, want to see a wide array of species on an outing, will sometimes mount tree stands to get a better view. The present device allows a bird-watcher to quickly, safely, and “scentlessly” blend into the background, providing him an enormous advantage. 
     As seen in FIG. 2A, there is shown a frontal view of the safety jacket  12 . Adjacent and along a line substantially parallel to the seam line is a zipper, generally  30 , for reversibly attaching to mating elements (not shown) approximately located adjacent mating seam line  32 . Portions of liner zippers  25  (hidden lines) are positioned to receive the mating parts of liner zippers  25  (see FIG. 2B) It should be understood that though specific fastening elements are described for the preferred embodiment, fasteners of any kind or combination commonly known in the art and in conventional usage may be substituted. 
     Referring to FIG. 2B, there is shown the removable liner  24  of the safety jacket  12  showing the harness  20  attached thereto such as by stitching  23  and portions of peripheral liner zippers  25  for installation and removal of the liner from the outer shell  26  corresponding to a mating zipper portions  25  in FIG. 2A (not shown) in a well-known manner. The removable liner  24  may be attached to outer shell  26  by alternative means such as hook and loop material (VELCRO) patches, buttons, or snaps. The liner  24  may take the form of a vest for use in warmer weather. 
     Turning now to FIG. 3, an opening  34  is provided in the upper mid-portion of the back of safety garment jacket  12  defining the upper open end of a pocket (not shown). The opening  34  passes through the safety garment&#39;s outer shell  26  and has associated with it a flap  36 , which acts to cover or overlie the opening  34 . A safety strap  38  having an attachment ring  40  securely fastened thereon is of a length sufficient to pass from the harness (not shown) through the opening  34  to the outside of the safety garment outer shell  26 . The pocket serves as a cavity in which the ring  40 , as well as its associated strap  38 , are stored when not in use. The opening  34  is normally covered by the flap  36 , which is preferably releasable. The flap  36  is optional and may be deleted from the jacket outer shell  26  when not necessary, such as when the safety garment is used in industrial applications within buildings. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the outer layer or shell  26  may be laundered separately from the removed inner layer or lining  24  and attached harness  22 , allowing the outer layer  26  to be infrequently cleaned, thereby protecting the clarity of any particular camouflage patterns or other markings from washout. This attribute responds to the long felt problem in the art of camouflage patterns becoming less distinct and more blurry after being cleaned, sometimes even after just a few washes, making them significantly less effective. 
     Some importance should be ascribed to the material out of which the outer layer  26  is made. Preferable materials, thus, would be synthetic textiles, such as polyester or polyamide materials. Alternatively, more conventional materials may be used having synthetic filaments incorporated therein for strength and flexibility. 
     Ideally, the material out of which the entire suit  10  is made would be quiet upon movement to allow for efficient stalking of game or bird watching. The inner layer or shell  24  may be made of any suitably durable substance, including cotton, wool, polymeric material, a synthetic blend or even a lightweight polyester fabric for easy carrying and storage. In alternative embodiments, the outer shell  26  may also have draw cords for a more snug fit, as well as elastic throughout. The entire garment  10  should be machine washable and may include different sized mesh backing  22  to allow for air flow while preventing the ingress of insects. 
     Turning now to FIGS. 4A-4C and  5 A- 5 C, there are shown front and rear views of differing embodiments of the safety jacket  12  portions of safety garment  10  without the flap  36  with the respective front and rear portions of differing embodiments of the harness  20  shown in ghost lines. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 5A it can be seen that the harness  20  includes a pair of shoulder straps, each generally  55  and having strap ends attached to the waist belt  16 , and each forming a front shoulder loop portion  42  and a back shoulder loop portion  44 , disposed over the wearer&#39;s shoulders. In a preferred embodiment the back shoulder loop portions  44  converge to intersect in the rear portion of the back, substantially as shown. Underarm straps  46  are also provided extending laterally to connect a respective pair of adjacent front  42  and rear  44  loop portions, substantially as shown. Thus, the harness  20  includes crossed back sections and vertical front sections. The crossed back sections are interconnected intermediate their ends in a juncture connection  50  which is positioned intermediate the neck portion and the lower edge of the inner liner  24  and medially between the sides. The safety strap  38  is fixedly attached to the harness  20  at this juncture  50  and also at the waist belt  16  at the point of intersection with the midline of the back. 
     Referring to the embodiment of FIGS. 4B and 5B there is shown an alternative embodiment wherein the harness  20  includes a second belt  47  extending around the upper part of the torso and spaced upward from waist belt  16 . As seen in FIG. 5B, a cross strap  48  extends between shoulder belts  55  and is spaced above second belt  47 , intersecting with and attached to safety strap  38  at a junction  50 . Second belt  47  also intersects with and is attached to safety strap  38  at a junction  50 . The harness  20  may include additional belts along the torso as desired. In another embodiment, as seen in FIG. 4C, an additional front belt  48  and buckle may be spaced above waist belt  16  and extended between the front portions of shoulder belts  55 . For lighter duty, second belt  47  may be deleted from the harness  20  leaving waist belt  16  and cross strap  48  joined with safety strap  38 . 
     Referring to FIG. 5C a lighter duty harness for uses where the entire weight of the wearer would not be arrested during a fall is shown. This embodiment is identical to that of FIGS. 4A and 4B except that the shoulder straps  55  end at the junction  50  with safety strap  38 . Additional torso belts may be added to the harness  20  as desired. 
     In the event the harness  20  is in use, such as during a fall or when dragging a deer carcass, the pulling forces on the harness  20  are equalized in both directions, providing maximally efficient distribution of force on the body harness  20 . The structure of the safety garment  10  together with the structure of the harness  20  assures a proper positioning of the straps  55  during wear. Thus, when the safety garment  10  is in use, the safety system is also initiated (once the front buckle or clasp is closed) in contrast to the conventionally used systems, that use two separate pieces—a safety harness and a garment alone. However, it should be understood that although the structure of the harness  20  is particularly well suited for the physical requirements described herein, this specification embraces any structural design for the harness  20  wherein an article of clothing has a harness incorporated within between an outer shell and a removable liner. 
     In addition to the above mentioned structural characteristics, the safety garment may also be provided with pockets, or any other conventional accouterment typically associated with apparel, especially that used for hunting or for tools or gloves. The various pockets include the front waist pockets with openings in the outer shell  26  through which the waist belt ends  18  may pass from the interstices of the safety garment to the outside of the safety garment shell  26 . The outer shell also includes any and all variations in size and design, such as parkas, heavy coats, rain jackets, wind breakers, vests and the like, for both portly men and women, and children. And so in alternative embodiments, the safety garment  10  may be in the form of overalls or a one piece jacket and trousers, as well as other conventionally known garments, such as a hoodless jacket, vest, shirts, pants, and headgear or any combination thereof. 
     Now it may be understood how a user would implement the safety garment  10  in the field; whenever a hunter H would wish to use the invention to support himself, he would need only to casually reach over his back, lifting the flap  36 , to pull out the ring  40 , neatly stored just inside the safety garment  10  and manually accessible. The ring  40 , which is preferably made of steel coated with rubber, can then be easily attached to a safety line. The safety garment  10  could then be easily engaged before mounting a tree stand, the nylon straps of the harness  20  being sufficiently strong and the safety strap  38  being of sufficient length to allow for maximum convenience for the wearer. The industrial user may employ the safety garment in a similar way, attaching the ring  40  of safety strap  38  which is secured to a support member. 
     Although camouflage garment patterns are preferred for hunting, the inventive garment may include any color and color pattern, e.g., solid color such as blaze orange, etc. in hunting and industrial settings. 
     The harness is preferably sewn inside the jacket, i.e., between the liner and the outer shell, but alternative arrangements are contemplated by the present invention, such as attachment of the harness inside the jacket to the inner liner using hook and loop material (VELCRO), adhesive or stitching, or allowing the harness to be free of connection to either garment portion. The harness may be attached in a similar manner to the inner liner as interchanged among other garments as mentioned above. 
     It is further contemplated by the invention that a pre-existing safety harness system may be inserted between the jacket and the liner in any manner described above. 
     Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown an environmental perspective view of a safety garment with removable leg loops  110 . Safety garment  110  comprises jacket  12  and pants  14 , jacket  12  having leg loops  112  removably attached to the safety harness waist belt  16  (see FIG.  7 A). Hunter H is suspended on tree T by platform X in a position to acquire game. 
     Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, there is shown a front elevation and a rear elevation view of safety garment jacket  12  without the liner and having inner disposed harness waist belt  16 . Leg loop assemblies  112  each have leg loop portion  114  having adjustment buckles  116  and leg loop straps  118  attached as by sewing at attachment point  119 . Leg loop attachment straps  118  are attached to waist belt  16  by means of attachment buckles  120  and waist strap attachment belts  122 . Waist strap attachment belts  122  are attached as by sewing to waist belt  16  at attachment points  124  and  125 . Leg loops  112 , and waist strap attachment belt  122  are preferably of the same material and have the same width and thickness as waist belt  16 . The leg loops may be worn either inside or outside trousers or even shorts in hot weather. 
     Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown a front elevation view of a safety garment jacket as above with attachment rings  126  attached to waist belt  16  by means of waist strap attachment belts  122 . It is noted that waist strap attachment belts  122  may be a sewn single layer strap, a free loop looping waist belt  16 , or a sewn loop sewn in place as desired in all the embodiments described herein and may be moved along waist belt  16  to the sides in order to attach to safety pants described below. 
     Attachment rings  126  (shown as D-rings) or any equivalent attachment means disclosed herein may be attached to waist belt  16 , waist strap attachment belts  122 , or any other strap originating in the upper garment and attached to harness  20 . A climbing strap of ordinary construction may be attached to attachment rings  26  by clips or other means to aid in climbing a tree or pole. One or more of the attachment rings  26  may be a relatively large ring for attaching a climbing strap. Also, stitching  23  is shown attaching the harness  20  to the inner surface of the outer shell of the safety jacket  12  as an alternative to stitching to the inner liner and may be employed in any of the embodiments described herein. Stitching to the outer shell may result in leaks during rainstorms and thus its use is preferred for interior work. 
     Referring to FIG. 9A, there is shown a detail view of a hunting garment as above with leg loop strap  118  looped around waist belt  16  and secured by attachment snaps  128  secured by snap receivers  130  mounted on loop strap  118 . 
     Referring to FIG. 9B, there is shown a detail view of a hunting garment as above with leg loop strap  118  having snap hook  132  for attachment to attachment ring  126 . 
     Referring to FIG. 9C, there is shown a detail view of a hunting garment as above with leg loop strap  118  for attachment to waist belt  16  by means of buckle  120 , buckle  120  being shown separated into leg loop-strap attachment buckle receiver  134  and leg loop-strap attachment buckle snap insert  136 . 
     Referring to FIG. 9D, there is shown a detail view of a hunting garment as above with leg loop strap  118  looped over waist belt  16  with a loop-over knot  140 . A loop is formed on the attachment end of leg loop strap  118  such as by sewing which is of such size as to allow the entire leg loop assembly to be threaded through and around waist strap  118 . Any other means of forming the loop is contemplated by the invention. The leg loop strap  118  may, alternatively, be knotted over the waist belt  16  such as by a cinch knot. 
     Referring to FIG. 10, there is shown a perspective view of a hunting pant  142  with leg loop portions  114  attached to the interior of the pant  142  as by sewing. Attachment threaded rings  144  having ring-securing collars  145  are shown for attachment of leg loop straps  118  to a hunting jacket such as previously described. Alternatives to sewing to secure leg loop portions  114  and leg loop straps  118  to the inner side of pant  142  includes hook and loop material (VELCRO), adhesive, and heat sealing, snaps, loops, etc., depending on materials used. A climbing strap of well-known design for climbing trees or poles may be attached to one or more of the attachment rings  144  as desired to assist the user in climbing to the desire perch or workplace. 
     Referring to FIG. 11, there is shown a front elevation view of the safety pant  142  as above attached to attachment rings  126  of waist belt  16  of the safety jacket  12 . 
     Referring to FIG. 12, there is shown a front elevation view of the safety garment jacket  12  with crotch straps  148  acting as leg loop straps  118 . Crotch straps  148  are attachable at one end to the rear portion of the waist belt  16  through jacket through-holes  152  in the jacket back. Crotch straps  148  are shown permanently attached at the other end at crotch strap belt attachment  150 , the front portion of the waist belt, which is spaced from the rear portion of the waist belt  16 . The straps  148  may alternatively be removably attached at attachment  150  by any of the several attachment means discussed above. Crotch straps  148  may be wrapped around the wearer&#39;s respective legs to act as leg loop portions  114  or may be tightened directly within the crotch of the wearer. Crotch straps  148  may be of such length as to fit the user or may include adjustment buckles (not shown). 
     Referring to FIG. 13, there is shown a rear elevation view similar to that of FIG. 12 with the safety jacket  12  having the harness sewn between the inner lining and outer shell and buckled leg straps  118  inserted into slits  154  having zippers  156  in the back outer shell of jacket  12  for attachment to the waist strap inside the garment. Equivalent attachment means as described above may be substituted for buckles  120 . 
     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.