Free safety harness inspection checklist

What is a safety harness inspection checklist?

A safety harness inspection checklist is the record that shows a full body harness and its lanyard have been checked and are safe to use before someone relies on them to arrest a fall. It captures the harness or lanyard ID, the type, the date placed in service, the inspection date, the result of each check on the webbing, stitching, D-rings, buckles, connectors and shock absorber, the inspector's name, and the date the next inspection is due. Used across a fleet it lists one item per row so a competent person can run the six-monthly round and log every harness in one pass.

Fall-arrest equipment is life-saving gear that takes a huge load in a fall, so cut or abraded webbing, broken stitching, a distorted D-ring or a deployed shock absorber can mean the difference between a caught fall and a fatality. AS/NZS 1891.4:2025, Personal equipment for work at height, Part 4: Selection, use and maintenance (which superseded the 2009 edition and retitled the series from the old Industrial fall-arrest systems and devices) covers the harness, lanyard and connectors, their use and their inspection. The model WHS Regulations require the risk of falls to be managed and fall-arrest equipment to be maintained. A consistent checklist proves each item was checked before use and formally inspected by a competent person at least every six months, and that any suspect item was withdrawn from service. Anchors and horizontal or vertical lifelines are separate: they are typically inspected and recertified every 12 months.

Learn more about compliance and inspections in MapTrack.

Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack

When you move from paper or static PDFs to digital forms in MapTrack, you get:

• Field users can easily scan a QR code to complete a form on mobile. Unlimited users.
• Automatically get alerts when faults are identified.
• Link every form digitally as a PDF to the relevant asset, location or person.
• Receive a digital PDF copy with every submission to your email.
• Ability to share forms digitally.
• Build conditional logic (show or hide questions based on answers).
• Take pictures or attach photos. Not possible with a paper-based form.
• Electronic signatures.
• Edit forms later without reprinting.
• Restrict permissions (who can view, complete or approve).
• Build forms with AI (describe what you need and MapTrack suggests the form).
• Escalate critical hazards instantly to safety managers via push notification.
• Maintain an auditable safety register that satisfies WHS regulator requests.
• Correlate incident trends across sites with built-in safety analytics.

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What to include in a safety harness inspection checklist

This safety harness inspection checklist covers 10 key areas:

• Harness or lanyard ID and the item type (full body harness, lanyard, shock absorber)
• Date placed in service and manufacture date for service-life tracking
• Inspection date and type (pre-use or six-monthly detailed)
• Webbing free of cuts, fraying, abrasion, chemical or heat damage
• Stitching intact with no pulled, cut or missing threads
• D-rings and attachment points free of distortion, cracks or corrosion
• Buckles and adjusters engage, hold and release correctly
• Snap hooks and connectors lock, and gates and keepers work
• Shock absorber pack intact and not deployed or torn
• Labels legible, result, inspector name, and next inspection due date

How often should you complete this form?

Inspect every harness and lanyard before each use with a hands-on visual check of the webbing, stitching, buckles and connectors, and carry out a formal detailed inspection by a competent person at intervals not exceeding six months as set out in AS/NZS 1891.4:2025. Anchors and horizontal or vertical lifelines are inspected and recertified separately, typically every 12 months. Harsh environments or heavy use may call for more frequent detailed inspections.

Withdraw any item from service immediately if it has arrested a fall, shows damage, or has reached the end of its stated service life, regardless of when its next scheduled inspection is due. Use one checklist per detailed round and add a dated entry for every item so the register builds a traceable six-monthly history for the whole fleet.

Applicable regulatory standards

This template aligns with the following regulations and standards:

• AS/NZS 1891.4:2025 Personal equipment for work at height - Selection, use and maintenance (supersedes AS/NZS 1891.4:2009; series retitled from Industrial fall-arrest systems and devices)
• AS/NZS 1891.1 Personal equipment for work at height - Harnesses and ancillary equipment
• Model WHS Regulations - managing the risk of falls (Victoria: OHS Regulations 2017 (Vic))
• Model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act and Regulations (all states and territories except Victoria - OHS Act 2004 (Vic) and OHS Regulations 2017 (Vic)) - duty to maintain fall-arrest equipment
• Safe Work Australia Managing the risk of falls at workplaces Code of Practice

Related resources

More safety templates and guides:

• Lifting Equipment Inspection Checklist
• Ladder Inspection Tag Template
• Scaffold Inspection Tag Template
• Take 5 Risk Assessment
• Permit To Work Form
• Plant Equipment Register Template
• Asset tracking
• Maintenance management
• Reporting and analytics