When lanyards are no longer safe to use

When working at height, particularly with overhead lines, safety must be paramount. The correct health and safety equipment needs to be used and this includes safety harnesses and lanyards. However, like with most things lanyards will suffer wear and tear and become deemed no longer safe to use.

Lanyards are energy-absorbing lines used for connecting a full body harness to an anchorage point with an inbuilt device that reduces the impact of the fall. However, a number of factors cause the degradation of synthetic fibres that are used in webbing and rope lanyards. Contributory factors include – abuse, general wear and tear, edge-surface damage, dirt, grit and exposure to chemicals.

The Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 1992 (PPE) have set standards that require all employers to ensure their fall protection equipment is suitable for use. In addition, any lanyards that are exposed to conditions where deterioration of the lanyard can occur should be inspected at regular intervals. Lanyards should be thoroughly inspected to decide whether they can continue to be used or destroyed.

Employers should establish a system for the inspection of lanyards and this should be drawn up by a competent person. The system for inspecting lanyards should include:

• The lanyards that need to be inspected with their unique identification
• The frequency and type of inspection, for example pre-use checks, detailed inspections as well as interim inspection (if required).
• Designated competent persons only to carry out the inspections.
• Action that needs to be taken on finding defective lanyards
• Procedures for recording the inspections
• Training of users and
• Procedures for monitoring the inspection system to ensure that inspections are carried out accordingly.

Lanyards should be withdrawn from use and passed to a competent person for a detailed inspection to decide whether they should continue to be used, destroyed or returned to the Manufacturer. A lanyard that has been used to arrest a fall should never be reused. It should be withdrawn from service immediately and destroyed or returned to the manufacturer.