A fall protection equipment inspection is the detailed, recorded check of the gear that stops a fall — harnesses, lanyards, self-retracting lifelines, rope grabs, anchors and the connectors between them — by someone competent, on a fixed interval, as distinct from the quick look a user gives their own kit before putting it on. This form is a register: one entry per item, the right checks for each type, and a decision on every one. You can fill it in here and download the register as a PDF without creating an account.
Pre-use check, detailed inspection: two jobs
The person who wears the kit checks it every time they put it on. That pre-use check takes a minute, needs no record in most procedures, and catches the obvious: a cut strap, a gate that will not close, a deployed shock pack.
The detailed inspection is the one this form records. It is done by a competent person — someone trained to the equipment and with the authority to withdraw it — at an interval set by the maker and your procedure. Six-monthly is a common default and the usual references are ANSI Z359 in the US and EN 365 in Europe and the UK; harsh use such as welding, demolition or abrasive blasting justifies a shorter interval. Neither standard is reproduced here, and this form does not certify compliance with either.
One entry per item, because items get separated
A harness and a lanyard bought together will not stay together. A store with twenty harnesses, a box of lanyards and a shelf of SRLs needs to know about each piece on its own: which number, which type, when it was made, when it was last checked, and what was decided.
Choose the type on each entry and only its checks appear. A karabiner is asked about its gate and its body. An SRL is asked about its housing, its line, its brake and its impact indicator. A harness is asked about buckles, rings and its fall indicator. Everything made of webbing is asked about cuts, burns, chemical damage and stitching.
Three outcomes, and the middle one matters
Every entry ends in a decision:
- Keep in service — record the next due date.
- Quarantine — something is doubtful and needs a second opinion or the maker's assessment. It goes in a marked bin and cannot be issued until someone decides.
- Withdraw and destroy — cut through the webbing or deform the hardware so it can never be picked up again, then record that you did.
What gets missed between the items
Some failures are not on any one item. Withdrawn kit that drifts back into the store. Harnesses hung on a nail in a van next to the battery acid. A karabiner too big for the ring it is clipped to, so it can roll and load across its gate. A full set of certified gear with no plan for getting a suspended worker down. The "kit as a whole" section asks about those before you start on the register.
Common questions
How often does fall protection equipment need to be inspected?
By the user before every use, and by a competent person at a fixed interval — six-monthly is a common default, and more often for harsh use. Follow the maker's instructions and your procedure; they set the interval that applies to you. Any item involved in a fall is withdrawn at once, whenever its next inspection was due.
Who is a competent person for fall protection inspection?
Someone trained to inspect the specific equipment, who can recognise defects and has the authority to take kit out of service. Many makers run short courses for their own products. Some items, particularly SRLs, also need periodic servicing by the maker or an authorised centre that a site inspection cannot replace.
Can a harness or lanyard be repaired?
Not by the user or the site. Webbing, stitching and energy absorbers are not field-repairable. Hardware and SRLs may be returned to the maker for assessment. If in doubt, quarantine it and ask the maker.
What should happen to equipment that fails?
It is removed from the store at once, tagged, and either quarantined for a decision or destroyed so it cannot be reused — webbing cut through, hardware deformed. The register should record what was done, not just that it failed.
Does this cover fixed anchors and lifelines on a building?
Portable anchors and horizontal lifelines can be entered here. Permanently installed anchor systems on a roof or structure usually need their own periodic test by the installer or a specialist, with a certificate — record its date in the lifeline entry and keep the certificate with this register.