Posted By Anthony Morrison
I am presently engaged on a contract where there is extensive works carried out at height. This has resulted in a number of activities necessitating the use of safety harnesses. Can anybody confirm how often written inspections should be carried out and what is considered a suitable life span barring any obvious defects.
Presently I have requested a 3 monthly thorough test and weekly written inspections with visual inspections prior to use. I have further barred the use of any harness over 5 years of age. It has been suggested to me that this is too strict an inspection regime and exceeds the scope of present legislation. All comments appreciated positive & negative.

Posted By Gilly Margrave
I am sure you have a copy of the HSE Guidance but if not check out:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg367.pdf
which suggests 3 monthly testing if equipment is in frequent use and 6 monthly if less frequently used. Needless to say like all HSE Guidance it doesn't actually define frequent use.

Posted By Gilly Margrave
Should be detailed examination rather than test although if you find anything dodgy or the identification is missing should be arrange for testing by the manufacturer

Posted By Robert K Lewis
Anthony
All good advice thus far but there is an assumption in your email- Has there been a rush to safety harnesses rather than looking for alternative methods of work or the provision of proper fixed fall protection ? I accept that the early days of a project with steel frame erection, and the use of cherry pickers make them a necessity. But if harnesses are used in most other places they should be as a fall restraint not as a fall arrest system.

Can I urge you to look closely at the situations where they are being used. As an example during concrete stair erection in a building I often see method statements requiring safety harnesses to be fixed to the structure with a fixed length 2 or 3m lanyard. Inertia reel lanyards are available and limit the fall to a minimum or alternatively a Fall rope can be erected for each operative and they can be attached with a short lanyard and a climbers Camlock Ascender type fitting. am afraid contractors all too readily drop into the use of harnesses. Just as an aside to make you smile (perhaps) I recently stopped an electrician working in a riser. He had a safety harness on with a 4m lanyard, don't ask where he got it. The fall height to the deck below him was 3.8 metres. He could not see what the problem was as the method statement said "Safety Harness will be worn and used in riser work" -

ob