Who Can Inspect Fall Protection Equipment? The Competence Rules
- Nexus Examination
- Jun 26
- 3 min read
It is easy to assume anyone sensible can check a harness or lanyard, or that the wearer's daily glance is enough. With kit that is the only thing stopping a fall, the rules are tighter than that. Here is who can inspect fall protection equipment, what the law means by competent, and the equipment that only the manufacturer is allowed to touch.
Who Can Inspect Fall Protection Equipment?
Fall protection equipment must be inspected by a competent person, someone with the training, knowledge and experience to spot defects and judge how serious they are. The wearer carries out pre-use checks, but the formal detailed inspections need a competent person who is independent enough to withdraw faulty equipment.
So it is not a job for just anyone on site. We handle fall protection equipment inspection across Berkshire and the surrounding counties, and the competence of the inspector is the part businesses most often underestimate.
What Does "Competent Person" Mean?
A competent person is someone with enough theoretical and practical knowledge of the equipment to identify defects and assess whether it is safe to keep using. There is no single qualification, but they need genuine experience of fall protection equipment, not just a general health and safety background.
The HSE's guidance, INDG367, sets out this principle clearly. Competence is specific to the kit, so someone who knows harnesses inside out is not automatically the right person to sign off a complex retractable fall arrester. Our WAHR examinations are built around that kind of equipment-specific knowledge.
Who Does Each Type of Check
Inspection of fall protection equipment runs on different levels, and a different person is responsible for each.
Pre-Use Checks
These are done by the wearer, before every use. The user passes the webbing through their hands, checks the stitching, buckles and connectors, and looks for any obvious damage. They do not need recording, but the user must be trained to know what a defect looks like.
Interim and Detailed Inspections
These are the formal, recorded inspections, and they are the competent person's job. A detailed harness inspection, for example, goes far deeper than a pre-use check and produces the documented record the regulations expect.
Why Independence Matters
The HSE is clear that the competent person should be sufficiently independent and impartial to make objective decisions, and should have the authority to discard defective equipment. They can be someone from the same workplace, but not someone involved in the work-at-height jobs themselves.
In our experience, that independence is what makes the inspection worth anything. A person under pressure to keep a job moving, or checking kit they themselves rely on, is far less likely to condemn a borderline harness than someone with no stake in the outcome.
Equipment Only the Manufacturer Can Inspect
Some fall protection equipment cannot be signed off by a general competent person at all. Retractable fall arresters and controlled descent devices often have to be serviced, inspected and re-certified by the manufacturer, or a manufacturer-approved company, at least every 12 months.
This is set out in the standards and the manufacturer's instructions, and it catches people out. A competent person can carry out the interim checks, but the formal re-certification of these items has to go back to the right place.
What to Look for in an Inspector
If you are choosing someone to inspect your fall protection equipment, these are the things worth checking:
Genuine training and experience with fall protection equipment specifically
Independence from the work at height itself, so they can make an objective call
The authority and willingness to withdraw faulty kit
Knowledge of the relevant standards, such as EN 361 and EN 365
Clear, recorded inspection reports you can show an inspector or insurer
A process for routing manufacturer-only items to the right place
Get those right and the inspection holds up. Get them wrong and you have a signature on a report that does not mean very much.
The Bottom Line on Who Can Inspect
The short answer is a competent person, trained and experienced on the specific equipment, and independent enough to fail it when needed. The wearer handles pre-use checks, and certain items go back to the manufacturer.
What you cannot do is treat the inspection as a formality for whoever happens to be free. With fall protection, the inspection is the last line of defence, which is why we keep our thorough examination work independent of the jobs the equipment is used on.
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