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Safety harness and lanyard inspection checklist: sources and guidance

A before-use inspection record for a full body harness, lanyard or self-retracting device and connectors in US construction. Personal fall arrest systems are inspected before each use for wear, damage and other deterioration, and defective components are removed from service [21].

How often: Before each use. Also after any fall or impact: equipment that has arrested a fall stays out of service until a competent person inspects it and decides it can be reused.[21][17][18]

Purpose

Use this safety harness and lanyard inspection checklist before each use of a personal fall arrest system on a construction site. The federal construction standard says personal fall arrest systems are inspected prior to each use for wear, damage and other deterioration, and defective components are removed from service [21]. The checklist gives that inspection a fixed order (harness, lanyard or self-retracting device, connectors, then the planned tie-off) and records who inspected which equipment and what they decided.

Who should use it

The worker who will wear the harness, before putting it on, or the person your company assigns to issue and check fall protection equipment. Foremen and competent persons use the completed records to see which equipment was removed from service and why. It is written for construction; in general industry, personal fall protection systems are covered by a separate rule, 29 CFR 1910.140 [2].

How often

Before each use [21]. Inspect again after any fall or impact: equipment that has been subjected to impact loading is removed from service immediately [17] until a competent person determines it is undamaged and suitable for reuse [18]. Your company and the manufacturer may also call for periodic inspections by a competent person; record those separately.

How to use this checklist

  1. Record the harness and lanyard ID numbers so the record can be traced to the equipment.
  2. Inspect the harness in good light. Run each strap through your hands and bend the webbing gently to show cuts, burns and broken fibers.
  3. Inspect the lanyard or self-retracting device, then every snaphook, carabiner and D-ring.
  4. Check the planned anchor, clearance and rescue arrangement before connecting.
  5. Compare each check with the manufacturer's instructions for that component. The rule sets the duty to inspect for wear, damage and deterioration before each use [21]; the manufacturer sets the rejection criteria, wear limits and how to test a self-retracting device.
  6. If any critical check fails, choose "removed from service", tag the equipment and hand it to your supervisor.

Checks on the harness, lanyard and connectors are marked critical because the standard removes defective components from service [21] and removes equipment that has arrested a fall until a competent person clears it [17]. Using a body belt for fall arrest is also marked critical because body belts are not acceptable in a personal fall arrest system [6].

What the rules say

  • Inspect before each use and remove defective components from service [21].
  • The body harness attachment point is in the center of the wearer's back near shoulder level, or above the head [15].
  • Connectors have a corrosion-resistant finish with smooth surfaces and edges [19], and only locking type snaphooks are used [23].
  • Lanyards and vertical lifelines have a minimum breaking strength of 5,000 pounds (22.2 kN) [28], and rope and webbing in lanyards, lifelines and harnesses are synthetic fiber [9].
  • The system is rigged so the worker can neither free fall more than 6 feet (1.8 m) nor contact any lower level [14], and is not attached to guardrail systems or hoists [22].
  • Harnesses and components are used only for employee protection, not to hoist materials [16].
  • The employer provides for prompt rescue after a fall or makes sure workers can rescue themselves [20].

What this checklist does not cover

  • Rejection criteria, wear limits, service life and periodic inspection intervals for each component; the rule sets the before-use inspection for wear, damage and deterioration, and the manufacturer's instructions and your company program set these details.
  • Design, testing and selection of anchors and horizontal lifelines, which need a qualified person.
  • Writing a rescue plan; this checklist only confirms one is arranged.
  • Positioning device systems used without fall arrest, and body belts used for restraint.
  • General industry work, where personal fall protection systems fall under 29 CFR 1910.140 instead of the construction rules.
  • Rules of State Plan states that differ from federal OSHA.

Questions

How often should a safety harness and lanyard be inspected?

Before each use, for wear, damage and other deterioration [21]. The federal rule does not set a separate periodic interval; follow the manufacturer's instructions and your company program for that.

What happens to a harness or lanyard after it stops a fall?

It is removed from service immediately and not used again for employee protection [17] until a competent person inspects it and determines it is undamaged and suitable for reuse [18]. An opened energy absorber pack or an activated impact indicator is a sign the equipment has taken a fall.

Can a body belt be used instead of a full body harness?

Not for fall arrest. Body belts have not been acceptable as part of a personal fall arrest system since January 1, 1998 [6]. A body harness spreads fall arrest forces over at least the thighs, pelvis, waist, chest and shoulders [3].

Are non-locking snaphooks allowed?

No. Only locking type snaphooks are used [23]. Unless a locking snaphook is designed for the connection, it is not clipped directly to webbing, rope or wire rope [25], to another snaphook [26], or to a D-ring that already holds another connector [27].

How strong does a tie-off anchor need to be?

Anchors for personal fall arrest are independent of any anchor supporting a platform [10] and can support at least 5,000 pounds (22.2 kN) per employee attached [11], or are designed, installed and used as part of a complete personal fall arrest system that maintains a safety factor of at least two [12] and under the supervision of a qualified person [13].

Does this checklist follow ANSI/ASSP Z359?

No. Z359 is the ASSP's series of fall protection and fall restraint standards [1]; it is a paid standard and this page does not reproduce it. The checks here come from the OSHA construction rule for personal fall arrest systems [21] and from manufacturers' instructions.

Sources

Each cited excerpt was found word for word in the official text on the date shown.

  1. [1]ANSI/ASSP Z359 Fall Protection and Fall Restraint standards, ASSP standards topic page (named only) — American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  2. [2]29 CFR 1910.140 Personal fall protection systems (a) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  3. [3]29 CFR 1926.500 Scope, application, and definitions applicable to this subpart definition of body harness — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  4. [4]29 CFR 1926.500 Scope, application, and definitions applicable to this subpart definition of personal fall arrest system — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  5. [5]29 CFR 1926.500 Scope, application, and definitions applicable to this subpart definition of snaphook (2) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  6. [6]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  7. [7]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(10)(i) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  8. [8]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(11) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  9. [9]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(14) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  10. [10]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(15) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  11. [11]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(15) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  12. [12]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(15)(i) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  13. [13]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(15)(ii) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  14. [14]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(16)(iii) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  15. [15]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(17) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  16. [16]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(18) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  17. [17]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(19) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  18. [18]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(19) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  19. [19]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(2) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  20. [20]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(20) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  21. [21]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(21) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  22. [22]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(23) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  23. [23]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(5) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  24. [24]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(6) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  25. [25]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(6)(i) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  26. [26]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(6)(ii) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  27. [27]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(6)(iii) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  28. [28]29 CFR 1926.502 Fall protection systems criteria and practices (d)(9) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  29. [29]29 CFR 1926.503 Training requirements (a)(2)(ii) — eCFR (Office of the Federal Register). Retrieved September 24, 2026.

Guidance, not legal advice. It does not replace the law, the manufacturer's instructions or your organization's competent people.