Before climbing a ladder, personnel must wear the safety harness and fall-catch and hook it up to the steel cable located adjacent to the ladder. The fall-catch is a braking device that closes like a clamp around the safety cable. The safety harness is in turn attached to the braking lever of the device and, if the person falls, the braking device will stop the fall. A shock-absorber is mounted between the harness and the fallcatch. It is possible to work / relax on the ladder by attaching a shorter rope from the harness to the ladder.