Every month it seems that retractable lifelines become more and more popular. Hell, they've got about fifteen thousand nicknames... retractables, srl's, yo-yos, blocks, man leashes... I made the last one up. Sorry. However, as retractables become more popular in the marketplace, workers pay less attention to the compliance demands of this equipment.
Back in the day, every retractable known to man needed to be inspected by fall protection manufacturers once a year for re-certification. Primarily, to be a pain in your ass. Just kidding. The real reason was to inspect the complex inner gears of a retractable to make sure everything was working properly. Mainly because moving parts and construction have had their differences over the years.
As time passed, companies were able to provide retractables for fall protection that didn't require re-certification. They didn't need to be inspected every year, or two years for that matter. You only needed to worry about them if they were involved in a fall.
The confusing part for you is that all retractables are different. Some retractables no longer need to be re-certified, while others still do. It is up to you to read your instruction manuals or contact us to know if your retractables need to be re-certified by the manufacturer.
So check it out your retractables if you have them, and make sure you're on the up and up. Another quick point, if your yo-yo is involved in a fall, repairing it is going to be cheaper than buying a new one. Save some money.