Inspections of Safety Harnesses/Lanyards Inspections of Safety Harnesses/Lanyards

Pre-Use Checks
These checks are essential and shall be carried out by the wearer before each use.
Pre-use checks are tactile and visual covering the webbing, stitching and hardware.
The whole harness and lanyard must be checked, by passing it slowly through the
hands (eg to detect small cuts of 1 mm in the edges, softening or hardening of fbres,
ingress of contaminants. ! visual check must be undertaken in good light and will
normally only take a few minutes.
!ny defects to be reported to the designated person and the e"uipment withdrawn
from use.
Detailed Inspections (Every 6 onths!
These formal, in-depth inspections shall be carried out by a designated person every #
months and recorded on the attached sheet.
$n addition to the pre-use checks above the following defects must be looked for%
cuts of 1 mm or more at the edges of webbing lanyards (eg where the lanyard
may have been choke-hitched around steelwork&
surface abrasion across the face of the webbing and at the webbing loops,
particularly if localised&
abrasion at the edges, particularly if localised&
damage to stitching (eg cuts or abrasion&
a knot in the lanyard, other than those intended by the manufacturer&
chemical attack which can result in local weakening and softening - often
indicated by 'aking of the surface. There may also be a change to the colour of
the fbres&
heat or friction damage indicated by fbres with a gla(ed appearance which may
feel harder than surrounding fbres&
)*-degradation which is di+cult to identify, particularly visually, but there may
be some loss of colour (if dyed and a powdery surface&
partially deployed energy absorber (eg short pull-out of tear webbing&
contamination (eg with dirt, grit, sand etc which may result in internal or
e,ternal abrasion&
damaged or deformed fttings (eg karabiners, screwlink connectors, sca-old
hooks&
damage to the sheath and core of a kernmantel rope (eg rucking of the core
detected during tactile inspection&
internal damage to a cable-laid rope.
."uipment with defects must be withdrawn from use and replaced.
(/or further details see 01. lea'et $nspecting /all !rrest ."uipment made /rom
2ebbing or 3ope $456 7#8, available on the 01. website
www.hse.gov.uk9pubns9indg7#8.pdf
$/: 0 ; 1 7< 3eviewed =1-=>-?=1= !PP3@*.5 :95
Page 1 of ?
"ecord of Safety Harnesses/Lanyards Detailed Inspections "ecord of Safety Harnesses/Lanyards Detailed Inspections
Site ######################## Site ########################
List of Safety Harnesses/Lanyards on the site
$
o
Description
"ecord of 6 %onthly Detailed Inspections
Date Coents Carried o&t 'y(
$/: 0 ; 1 7< 3eviewed =1-=>-?=1= !PP3@*.5 :95
Page ? of ?