How Often Should Safety Harnesses Be Inspected?

Inspecting a safety harness

Safety harnesses are essential for keeping you and your colleagues safe when working at height. You'll want to get the best out of this key bit of kit, and the best way to do that is through regular inspections and some careful (but quite straightforward) maintenance.

Maintaining your safety harness

Before we talk about how often you should be checking your safety harness, let's have a quick look at how best to take care of your equipment to maximise its condition and lifespan.

Storage

It's essential to store your safety harness kit properly, like you would any other tools. The harness itself should be kept away from damp, heat, corrosive substances and direct sunlight.

All of these things can break down the webbing and materials, which may weaken the harness and make it less effective at keeping you safe.

Cleaning and care

Inevitably, your safety harness will get dirty on the job. Removing any dirt and keeping the harness clean will help you to carry out those inspections we'll be getting to in a moment. Some warm soapy water will do the trick.

To clean your safety harness, wipe down the straps gently before rinsing them with clean water. Wipe away the excess moisture and hang the harness somewhere away from heat and direct sunlight, allowing it to drip dry.

Regular checks

Finally, regular checks are required to catch any potential damage early and avoid a situation where your harness fails on the job. Catching potential problems early on will help to minimise your risk of severe injuries or even a fatal accident.

Checking your safety harness

There are several types of safety harness inspection, and each is critical in its own way. Following the manufacturer guidelines is a good starting point, as the people who made the harness will be intimately familiar with the materials and safety testing that went into it. But beyond that, the following functions as a helpful guide:

Pre-use checks

A short visual and tactile check should be carried out prior to every use of the safety harness.

Here's what you're looking for:

Tears in the fabric
Changes in the material (e.g. hardening, thinning, frayed webbing or stitching)
Chemical changes (such as fading)

These pre-use checks shouldn't take more than a few minutes and are well worth the precaution. Be sure to undertake the visual check in good lighting conditions so that you can see the harness clearly.

Detailed checks

More detailed inspections should be carried out every six months at a minimum.

If the harness is subject to particularly heavy use and/or use in harsh conditions, a detailed check should be conducted every three months.

Interim checks

These may be required if there's been a change in work conditions—for example, if a change in the work environment would expose the harness to high UV radiation, grit blasting operations, or anything else that may speed up its deterioration.

In such cases, a thorough inspection should be carried out before the next detailed check (see above) is due.

The results of all detailed checks and interim inspections should be recorded.

When should I replace my safety harness?

A safety harness must be immediately taken out of use and replaced if:

The harness fails an inspection (i.e. if signs of damage or deterioration are found)
Important information—such as the harness's serial number, manufacturing date or last inspection date—goes missing. Without these details, you can't know how old the harness is or whether it's safe to use.
The harness has arrested a fall.

When it's time to replace your trusted safety harness, SafetyLiftinGear has a wide range of safety harnesses of all types at excellent prices available to buy or hire to suit your requirements.

Buy or Hire Safety Harnesses