We often get asked the question "When do I need to get rid of my harness"?

If you've got some funny little tags hanging off your harness, that's a good thing. Now, what the heck do they mean? Are they inspection tags or manufacturer's tags?

As I'm sure you're aware. It is important to inspect all of your equipment before each use. Hey, it's your life. So one of the things commonly asked from us is how do you properly inspect your retractable.

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.

The Olympics are over. Records were set and recorded. Which reminds me... Have you been keeping track of your fall protection records? Did you know that OSHA can fine you for not keeping track of inspection records? Well, they can, and they will.

For some reason, OSHA doesn't buy the... "Oh yeah, we inspect these all the time" bit without documentation. And in most cases, it is not something you can fake. When they ask you for your records you better have them... quickly (cocktail napkins don't count).

Look, I trust that you're taking the time to inspect your gear on a daily basis, and something a bit more formal twice a year, but if you don't keep up with it... it never happened.

Don't make your inspections a waste of time. Make sure you're recording them.

Today, on some weird-o's calendar it says "Old Stuff Day". What does that mean? It means to break out of your daily routine. Break from the norm and stop doing the same old things. Can this apply to fall protection? Good question.

Today is the day Harry Houdini, the magician, died. So what in the blue hell does this have to do with fall protection? Well, I came across some recent OSHA data about lanyard damage that I wanted to pass along... Still not getting it? I'd like to give you some pointers on what to look for when your fall protection lanyard has the ILLUSION of passing inspection.

Well, on evaluate your life day (today), we thought it would be a good idea to teach you how to make a salami sandwich and inspect your lanyards before use. After much soul-searching we decided to drop the lanyard portion of this training... I mean the salami sandwich portion. We dropped the salami sandwich part. Now, let's learn the basics of inspecting a fall protection lanyard. Shall we?

One of the most important parts of putting on a harness every day, besides actually wearing it, is inspecting it. (Actually demanded by OSHA) Wearing a damaged or worn out harness can be just as dangerous as going without a harness. Today we'll be teaching you some basic techniques for inspecting your harness.