Posted: May 15 '20
One of the most common questions that are posed in the industry of fall protection is about the life span of the equipment. You should always perform a fall protection equipment inspection before you use it, but when it comes to replacing equipment, that should be done every five years. Contact us to book your inspection.
The first thing you should do is keep in mind the five-year rule, but not follow it as a hard and fast truth. Heavy-duty equipment used to protect you, and that is designed to handle thousands of force pounds isn’t going to stop working because it is day one of year six. Many manufacturers will provide you with lifespan recommendations with their products.
When you conduct your fall protection equipment inspection, you should check for signs of needing to replace your equipment. Therefore, instead of looking for when you should be replacing your equipment, you should be getting familiar with the warning signs and conditions that suggest the replacement of equipment should be done soon.
When you conduct your fall protection equipment inspection, you should look for those warning signs. Any equipment that suggests that there are defects, deterioration, or damage to them should be replaced. Furthermore, fall protection equipment inspection should only be done by an authorized person at the start of every shift. As an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure that there is someone on every shift who can perform an inspection to ensure that no matter how long you have had the equipment that it is ready for use.
Employers should take two primary phases as critical information when it comes to fall protection equipment. The first phase is that there should be a fall equipment inspection every single time it is ready to be used. That is to say, making sure there is no fraying, no damage, no corrosion, and no wear, cuts, burns, or grease on the lifeline of the equipment.
The second phase you shouldn’t forget is getting someone who is competent and trained by a credible source to ensure that the equipment is safe for use on a regular basis.
In addition to the inspection conducted prior to every use, legislation requires a more thorough inspection to be done annually to catch any issues that someone who uses the equipment on a regular basis may not notice or has glazed over. Your employees should have learned the basic inspection guidelines in their fall protection training.
To book your employees for fall protection training, or to book your annual inspection, contact us! We will be happy to answer any questions, and do what we can to make sure your work site is as safe as possible.
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