Fall arrest equipment needs two kinds of inspection: a check by the user before every use, and a more thorough documented inspection by a competent person at regular intervals. Anything damaged, altered, missing its label or involved in a fall must be removed from service. A harness or lanyard that looks fine at a glance can still fail when it is needed most.
Inspection requirements
Provincial rules, manufacturers' instructions and the CSA Z259 series of standards all address inspection of fall protection equipment. Requirements and intervals vary, so your program should follow whichever is most demanding. In general:
- Pre-use inspection. The worker inspects their own equipment every time before use.
- Periodic inspection. A competent person inspects equipment at the interval set by the manufacturer, the applicable standard and your province, and records the result. Equipment used heavily or in harsh conditions may need more frequent inspection.
- Post-incident inspection. Any equipment that has arrested a fall, or has been subjected to similar forces, is removed from service until a competent person or the manufacturer confirms it is fit for use, and many items must simply be destroyed.
Check the current editions of the standards and your province's legislation.
What to look for
Each part of a personal fall arrest system fails in its own way, so the inspection follows the load path from the anchor connection down to the harness.
Full-body harness
- Label present and readable, showing standard, model, size and date of manufacture
- Webbing free of cuts, fraying, burns, melted fibres, chemical damage, discolouration and hardness
- Stitching intact, with no pulled or broken threads
- D-rings, buckles and adjusters free of cracks, distortion, sharp edges and corrosion, and working smoothly
- Fall indicators, where fitted, not deployed
- No alterations, extra holes or repairs not made by the manufacturer
Lanyards and energy absorbers
- Webbing or rope free of cuts, abrasion, kinks, knots and burns
- Energy absorber pack intact, with its cover undamaged and no sign of partial deployment
- Terminations and splices secure
- Length correct for the clearance available
Self-retracting devices
- Housing free of cracks and damage, with fasteners in place
- Line extends and retracts smoothly over its full length
- Brake locks firmly when the line is pulled sharply
- Cable or webbing free of kinks, broken strands, cuts and corrosion
- Impact indicator not activated
- Service date within the manufacturer's required interval
Connectors
- Snap hooks and carabiners self-close and self-lock properly
- Gates, springs and locking mechanisms free of damage, debris and corrosion
- No cracks, distortion, sharp edges or excessive wear
When in doubt, take it out. If a user or inspector is unsure whether a piece of equipment is safe, it is removed from service and tagged until a competent person has assessed it. Equipment is far cheaper than an injury.
Removing equipment from service
Remove equipment from service, and destroy it or return it to the manufacturer as appropriate, when it:
- Has arrested a fall or shows that an impact indicator has deployed
- Fails any part of the inspection
- Has a missing or unreadable label
- Has been altered or repaired by anyone other than the manufacturer or an authorized service centre
- Has reached the end of its service life set by the manufacturer
- Has been exposed to heat, chemicals or conditions that could weaken it
Tag removed equipment clearly and store it apart from equipment in use so it cannot be picked up by mistake. Self-retracting devices typically need periodic servicing by the manufacturer or an authorized service centre, and should not be opened by users.
Running a periodic inspection
The periodic inspection is more than a longer pre-use check. It is done by a competent person, in good light, with the equipment cleaned enough to see the webbing, and it produces a record. A practical sequence:
- Gather the inventory. Collect every item due, including spares and equipment kept on trucks or at other sites. Record anything that cannot be found.
- Identify each item. Match the serial or assigned number to the record, and note the manufacture date and any service life limit.
- Inspect hands-on. Bend webbing in small sections to expose cuts and burns, work every buckle, gate and lock, and extend and retract self-retracting lines over their full length.
- Decide and tag. Mark each item as passed, removed from service, or sent for manufacturer service, and tag it accordingly.
- Record and report. Note the date, inspector, result and reason for any removal, and give the supervisor a list of items that need replacing so crews are not left short.
A typical finding
An inspection of a contractor's harness bin finds most items in good condition, but several lanyards have energy absorber covers that are torn, and one harness has a label that has faded to the point of being unreadable. A self-retracting device extends smoothly but the record shows it is past the manufacturer's service interval. All of these are removed from service even though none has obviously failed: the torn covers may hide partial deployment, the harness can no longer be identified against its standard and limits, and the device has not had the internal checks it needs.
Care, storage and records
Equipment lasts longer and stays safer when it is cleaned according to the manufacturer's instructions, dried away from direct heat, and stored hanging in a clean, dry place away from sunlight, chemicals and sharp objects. Do not leave harnesses in truck boxes with tools and fuel.
Keep an inspection record for each item, identified by serial number or an assigned number, showing the date, inspector and result of each periodic inspection and when the item was retired. Records let you track equipment age, find items due for inspection and show that your program is working during audits.
Training users
Workers should be trained to inspect, fit and use the specific equipment they are issued, and to understand why each check matters. A worker who knows what a deployed energy absorber or a sticking snap hook looks like is far more likely to catch it. Equipment inspection is one part of a wider plan built around the fall protection hierarchy, suitable anchor points and the selection of the right PPE.
How ehZee can help
We carry out independent inspections of fall arrest equipment, identify items that should be retired, and help you set up inspection schedules and records. See our lift safety and fall arrest service.
Common questions
Can a harness be reused after a fall?
Not without assessment, and in most cases it must be destroyed. Follow the manufacturer's instructions and your province's rules. Never put equipment that has arrested a fall back into service on the user's own judgement.
Who counts as a competent person for periodic inspections?
Someone with the knowledge, training and experience to inspect the specific equipment, as your province defines the term. Many manufacturers offer competent person training for their products. The employer should be able to show why the inspector is competent.
Does fall arrest equipment expire?
Some manufacturers set a maximum service life, and others rely on inspection to decide when to retire equipment. Check the instructions for each product and record dates of manufacture and first use.