Posted By Neil Pearson Hi All. I've searched the forums and found various standards relating to fall prevention and arrest systems, but I'm still struggling a bit. BS 8437 seems to give the clearest guidance but it's still not quite specific enough for me, and I know there are some specialists in work at height on this forum who might help me with more specific answers to 2 questions. First, if you have fixed eyebolts or a cable system for attaching harnesses on a roof, how often should it have a thorough examination? BS 8437 says every 6 months. INDG 422 says 6 months for lifting equipment for lifting people. But most people I've asked say it's normally annual. Assuming this equipment is not used very often, what would people here say? The other question is training. Is there a standard course that's normally accepted? Or is it acceptable for a simple in-house briefing to be given? And how often? BS 8437 calls for a formal training with refreshers but the age-old question is how often to refresh, because external training is expensive? What's the norm out there? Do people normally expect an annual formal training or is informal training common? These cable and eyebolt solutions are in use alot and the training and inspection requirements are costly. I'd like to understand the requirements and the costs to maybe justify other solutions. I'd be grateful for any pointers.

Posted By Luke. Firstly Neil.. Not teaching you to suck eggs, but have you exhausted all options to ensure that harnesses are the best option? (they are WAY down the list in terms of fall prevention in the HSE view)... 1. Inspections Where appropriate, fall arrest equipment(including accessories) should be thoroughly examined before it is used for the first time and at least six-monthly or at intervals laid down in an examination schedule set by a competent person. All examination work should be performed by a competent person; and following a thorough inspection, a report is submitted by the competent person to the employer to take the appropriate action. British Standard, BS 8437:2005 provides detailed guidance on the selection, use and maintenance of personal fall arrest equipment 2. Training Yes yes yes.. get formal training! You need to prove competence and provide adequate training. Companies tend not to specify a specific course that needs to be carried out as long as its a formal course carried out by a COMPETENT person. Hope that helps a bit.

Posted By Luke. Also remember that any safety harness system is ultimately only as effective as the security of the anchor point. Anchor points should be regularly tested. Visual check is not sufficient Courtesy of the HSE. http://webcommunities.hs...ight/view?objectId=14419

Posted By Dave Merchant What I said in my reply is what you'll see across 90% of the UK sector - BS8437 says 6 months because (and I'm saying this carefully) it took advice from certain interested parties. The only anchors that I see with a 6-month ticket are those used for suspension or rescue (under LOLER) or where the environment is very corrosive (offshore, chemical plants, etc.) so there's a particular need to check more frequently. Apart from corrosion or collapse of the building it's fitted to, a roof anchor in the UK is basically just going to sit there between uses and won't be damaged by use (as is a harness or rope) so the "wear and tear" argument really doesn't figure.

Posted By andymak Hi Neil, Try this from the Work at Height Safety Association. http://www.wahsa.co.uk/c...ownload/gid,10/Itemid,8/ They provide advice and guidance to manufacturers, installers and users of work at height and fall arrest equipment.