Posted By Mark Simpson Anyone know if safety harnesses have an ultimate lifespan. My thoughts would be that as long as it passes the required inspection & testing regime then no reason to remove from service. MS

Posted By Ken Chappell Mark, I recently attended a harness inspection course which was put together by harness manufacturer Bacou Dalloz, there harness equipment has a life span of 5 years. As Richard said in a previous thread this will be effected the working conditions of the harness and the amount of usage, an inspection regime must be in place and carried out by competent persons. Hope this helps, Regards, Ken Chappell

Posted By Derek Holt Richard, This a common but understandable misconception. The 5 years is derived from the testing of the materials from which the products are made. Different materials are 'weakened' by a multitude of factors, inculding Ultra-Violet light, properties of the chemical dyes used to colour, cleaning materials, general wear etc. Therefore it is very difficult to give an exact lifespan and as manufacturers are required to issue recommendations the 5ys has been generally adopted. As per my previous post on a similar thread, it is sometimes possible at the 5yr point to have one of a batch of items (worst one)tested. This will be to destruction, but will be an indicator as to whether or not the rest of the batch are servicable for another defined period. Always remember though that any product may be damaged at any time following an examination which would make it unservicable.