Inspection & Certification of a Fall Arrest System Cheat Sheet (DRAFT) by [deleted]

Regular inspection and certif­ication of height safety systems and PPE is not only a legal requir­ement but is essential. The primary role of a fall arrest system is to save your life in the event of a fall.

In height safety, we measure force in kilo newtons or kN. The average person falling 2m can produce over 1.5 tonne or 15kN of force. Therefore the forces exerted onto a system in the event of a fall can be extreme. The force generated during a fall is distri­buted through the fall arrest system as well as the person’s body. Forces this high will cause serious injury and have even been known to cause death.

There are three main parts to a fall arrest system:
1. The anchorage point
2. The connection – this is typically a rope or lanyard
3. The harness

To summarize, to inspect and certify a fall arrest system you must have:
 Undergone training by the manufa­cturer
 Sufficient experience within the industry
 Current public liability and profes­sional indemnity insurance for height safety

Fall protection systems are also required to have:
 System plan
 Mainte­nance manual
 User manual
 Rescue plan

It is important to choose the right type of harness and attachment equipment for your fall protection equipment. All PPE must be inspected and certified by a competent person at least every 12 months.

If PPE is used in harsh conditions and often becomes wet and dirty during use it is vital that they are properly cleaned and dried before being stored away. Failure to do this could cause the webbing to quickly deteri­orate and become unsafe.

It is a requir­ement that a shock absorber be used as part of the harness and attachment system. The shock absorber is designed to reduce the force of a fall. Each piece of PPE must have an inspection tag.