Working at HeightSafety Harness Inspection

Compiled by Rudi Nieuwoudt

Working at Heights

Safety Harness Inspections

Safety harnesses and lanyards limit the distance of a fall, but do not eliminate them.

Safety Harnesses are no substitute for effective fall protection measures. This will include a working platform that has been certified safe with guardrails, toe boards, no unprotected openings, etc.

Pre-use inspections must be done by the user before using the safety harness. Identifying by inspection, lanyards that are safe to use could save your life!

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Harness Webbing - Beginning at one end, hold the body side of the harness towards you, grasp the belt with your hands +- 20cm apart and bend the strap into an inverted U. Follow this procedure the entire length of the harness. Watch for frayed edges, broken fibers, pulled stitches, cuts, or chemical damage.

Steel Connectors and Fittings - Special attention should be given to the attachment of buckles and D-rings to webbing. Note any unusual wear, frayed or cut fibers, or distortion of the buckles or D-rings.

Inspection Method - Harness

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Tongue Buckle - Buckle tongues should be free of distortion. The outer bars and center bars must be straight. Pay special attention to corners and attachment points of the center bar.

Friction Buckle - Inspect buckle frame and sliding bar for cracks, distortion, or sharp edges.

Quick-Connect Buckles - Inspect the buckle for distortion. The outer bars and center bars must be straight. Make sure dual-tab release mechanism is free of debris and engages properly

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Inspection Method - Lanyard

Webbing Lanyards - While bending webbing over a pipe or mandrel, observe each side of the webbed lanyard. This will reveal any cuts, snags or breaks. Swelling, discoloration, cracks and charring are obvious signs of chemical or heat damage. Observe closely for any breaks in stitching.

Shock Absorber Pack - The outer portion of the pack should be examined for burn holes and tears. Stitching on areas where the pack is sewn to D-rings, belts or lanyards should be examined for loose strands, rips, deterioration or other signs of activation

Snap hooks - Inspect closely for hook and eye distortions, cracks, corrosion, or pitted surfaces. The keeper (latch) should seat into the nose without binding and should not be distorted or obstructed. The keeper spring should exert sufficient force to firmly close the keeper. Keeper locks must prevent the keeper from opening when the keeper closes

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Abrasion damage adjacent to energy absorber: displaced

protective sleeve over energy absorber

Missing label: damage to protective sleeve

over energy absorber

Damaged webbing and protector to energy absorber

Wear at end of absorber loop at

connection

Heavy paint contamination to

webbing

Severe heat damage

Examples of damaged Safety Harnesses

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Important to Remember!!

Every Safety Harness and Lanyard must have an information label attached to it. This label will display the serial number, date of manufacture, load rating, material composition etc, and all this information can be traced back to the certificate that

was issued by the manufacturer for the particular harness/lanyard. This certificated must be kept for the duration the harness/lanyard is in use.