Two Fundamental Aspects of the Height Safety Equipment Inspection Process
The height safety equipment that workers use when operating machinery such as scissor lifts and cherry pickers must undergo periodic inspection. Here are two fundamental aspects of this height safety equipment inspection process.
Visual inspection
The first thing an inspector will usually do is visually inspect the height safety equipment. When doing this, they will look for signs of deterioration, damage and defects. For example, when examining the harness, they will check its webbing for abrasions, cuts or frayed edges. They'll also look at the harness' hardware and see if its D-rings and buckles are in good condition, and do not have cracks or other forms of damage. Additionally, the inspector will check the lanyard's cables or ropes, to ensure they're not frayed and that there are no damaged strands. They'll also examine its connectors to see that they're free of corrosion and cracks.
If this visual inspection results in the inspector identifying a serious defect or form of damage on a piece of height safety equipment, they might not even need to do a functional test on that particular piece of equipment before making the recommendation that it be immediately replaced. For example, if the inspector sees some torn webbing right beside the safety harness' D-ring, and that the D-ring itself has a crack in it, they might immediately advise those who own the equipment to stop using it. The reason for this is that this D-ring and the webbing that surrounds plays a crucial role in keeping the lanyard and other fall protection components of the equipment connected. As such, if a person on a cherry picker fell whilst wearing this type of damaged equipment, they might not be as fully protected from falling as they would if it were in good condition.
Functional inspection
The inspector will also usually do a functional inspection of the height safety equipment. For example, they may test the retractable lifeline, to see that it moves smoothly and retracts fully. If the lifeline gets jammed during this test, the inspector might recommend that it be replaced. The reason for this is that if this device were, for example, to jam when a person using it fell from a scissor lift, they could end up suspended halfway towards the ground and unable to get back up onto the elevated platform.
The inspector may also do a load capacity test on the height safety equipment's anchor points. During this test, the inspector will usually subject the anchor points (such as the above-mentioned D-ring) to a controlled load that has a specific weight, to check that the anchor points can withstand that particular amount of weight without breaking. This is important because if any of these anchor points aren't able to withstand the weight of the person who wears them, they could fail during a fall and put the person at risk of injury.
To learn more about height safety equipment inspections, contact a service provider.