Fall Protection Inspection: What to Check Before Each Use

A harness, or any piece of fall protection equipment, can look ready for work and still be unsafe.

Before each use, always inspect your fall protection equipment for damage, wear, missing or unreadable labels, signs of fall loading, and parts that don’t work correctly. Check your harness, lanyard, Self-Retracting Lifeline (SRL), lifelines, energy absorbers, and connectors as applicable. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for visual, hands-on, and function checks.

If you find a defect or have doubts about the equipment’s condition, remove it from service immediately. Follow your employer’s procedures to tag or isolate it and report the concern. Repair and return-to-service decisions must follow manufacturer instructions and your employer’s fall protection program.

Your pre-use inspection does not replace scheduled Competent Person inspections or appropriate fall protection training.

Key takeaways:

• Inspect equipment before each use, including labels, materials, hardware, and function.
• Remove defective or questionable equipment from service immediately and report it.
• Follow manufacturer instructions and your employer’s inspection procedures.

What is a Pre-Use Fall Protection Inspection?

A pre-use fall protection inspection is a check of your equipment’s condition and function before each use. A trained user performs visual, hands-on, and function checks according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Look for damaged materials, missing or unreadable labels, activated impact indicators, and hardware that doesn’t work correctly. Hands-on checks can reveal unusual stiffness or wear that’s difficult to see. Function checks include confirming that connector gates close and lock, and testing an SRL’s retraction and locking action as directed by its manual.

Why Pre-Use Checks Matter

Equipment that passed its last scheduled inspection can be damaged during the next job. Rough handling, abrasion, heat, and chemicals can affect its condition. Pre-use checks help you identify those changes before you rely on the equipment.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires personal fall arrest systems used in construction to be inspected before each use. For general industry, OSHA personal fall protection systems requirements call for inspection before initial use during each work shift. 

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for any additional inspection requirements.

Equipment condition is one part of safe use. You must also follow the task’s requirements for tie-off, fall clearance, and rescue.

How to Check Fall Protection Equipment Before Use

Inspect equipment in good lighting, using the product manual as your guide. Follow a consistent order so you don’t miss a component. Proper storage and fall protection gear maintenance help limit damage between inspections.

Confirm Labels and Inspection Information

• Confirm required labels are present and readable, including product identification, capacity, warnings, and use limits.
• Check any required inspection records to confirm scheduled inspections are current.
• Do not use equipment with missing or unreadable required labels, overdue required inspections, or unresolved “do not use” tags.

Check the Full-Body Harness

A full-body harness inspection should cover materials, hardware, impact indicators, and fit.

• Inspect both sides of the webbing and sewn connections. Look for cuts, fraying, abrasion, burns, unusual stiffness, chemical damage, and loose, broken, or missing stitches.
• Check D-rings, buckles, and adjusters for cracks, deformation, corrosion, sharp edges, or missing parts. Confirm buckles fasten securely and adjusters hold properly.
• Inspect all impact indicators provided on the harness. Look for torn indicator stitching, exposed warning labels, or other activation signs identified in the manual.

After putting on the harness, confirm straps are untwisted, buckles are secure, and the fit follows the manufacturer’s instructions.

Check Lanyards and Energy Absorbers

• Inspect the full length of the lanyard for cuts, fraying, abrasion, burns, or chemical damage. On cable models, also look for broken wires, kinks, bird-caging, and corrosion.
• Check sewn loops, splices, swages, thimbles, and other end connections for damage, loose stitching, or distortion.
• Examine the energy absorber and its cover for damage or deployment. Warning signs may include torn stitching, exposed warning tabs, or elongation, depending on the design.

Check Snap Hooks and Carabiners

• Inspect connector bodies and gates for cracks, bends, corrosion, sharp edges, and loose or missing parts.
• Operate the gate and locking mechanism. They should move smoothly, and the gate should close and lock automatically without forcing.

Check Self-Retracting Lifelines

A self-retracting lifeline inspection includes the housing, lifeline, connectors, impact indicators, and function.

• Inspect the housing for cracks, distortion, corrosion, loose fasteners, missing parts, or tampering. Check any external energy absorber and impact indicators.
• Extend and inspect the full accessible length of the lifeline as directed by the manual. Look for damaged webbing or rope, broken wires, kinks, corrosion, burns, and contamination.
• Check retraction and locking according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Watch for poor tension, slack, hesitation, or failure to lock.

Keep control of the lifeline as it retracts; don’t let it snap back into the housing. Do not open the housing during a pre-use inspection.

For separate vertical or horizontal lifeline systems, follow the system manufacturer’s inspection instructions for the line, end connections, and any rope grab or traveler.

Check the Approved Connection Point

• Confirm you are using the anchorage designated for the task under your employer’s fall protection plan.
• Look for damage, deformation, corrosion, sharp edges, or loose components that could affect the connection.
• Confirm the connector is compatible with the attachment point, properly seated, and fully closed and locked.

A pre-use inspection does not establish an anchorage’s structural capacity. Engineered anchorage design and capacity calculations require oversight by a Qualified Person.

Pre-Use Checks and Competent Person Inspections

Pre-use checks and scheduled Competent Person inspections work together, with different responsibilities:

 

For SRLs, scheduled inspections must be performed by a Competent Person other than the user. Heavy use or harsh conditions may require more frequent inspections.

Required inspection records should identify the equipment, inspection date, inspector, and results. A scheduled inspection does not replace your check before each use.

What to Do When Equipment Fails Inspection

If equipment fails inspection or its condition is questionable, remove it from service immediately. Equipment that may have arrested a fall must also be removed, even if no damage is visible.

1. Tag or isolate it. Follow your employer’s procedures so another worker cannot accidentally use it.
2. Report the concern. Notify your supervisor, Competent Person, or designated safety contact. Describe what you found.
3. Keep it out of use. Replacement, repair, disposal, and any return to service must follow manufacturer instructions and your employer’s fall protection program.

Do not patch webbing, resew stitching, reset deployed energy absorbers, or attempt unauthorized repairs. SRL repairs must be performed by the manufacturer or a provider authorized in writing by the manufacturer.

A Competent Person inspection does not override the manufacturer’s requirements for retiring or replacing equipment.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should fall protection equipment be inspected?

Inspect equipment before each use. Scheduled Competent Person inspections must also follow manufacturer instructions, applicable standards, and your employer’s program. Heavy use or harsh conditions may require shorter inspection intervals.

Does fall protection equipment expire?

There is no universal expiration date for all fall protection equipment. Follow the product manual’s service-life limits and retirement criteria. Equipment that fails inspection must be removed from service regardless of its age.

Can equipment be reused after a fall?

Remove equipment that has arrested a fall from service immediately, even if it looks undamaged. Follow the manufacturer’s retirement, inspection, and authorized-service requirements before any return to use. Some components must be permanently retired.

Does passing inspection mean equipment suits the task?

No. An inspection checks condition and function. The equipment must also be approved for the application and compatible with the anchorage, connections, and available fall clearance.

Make Inspections Easier to Complete and Document

Download FallTech’s equipment inspection forms for harnesses, lanyards, and SRLs. Use them alongside the product manual and your employer’s procedures to support inspections and record findings.