Safety Systems

It is a legal requirement for all safety equipment, including fall protection systems that have been installed in accordance with the recommendations of BS EN 795: ‘Protection Against Falls From A Height—Anchorage Devices—Requirements And Testing’, to undergo periodic examination by a competent person to certify that they remain compliant and are safe to use. Furthermore, routine inspection ensures that by maintaining the equipment its service life maximised.

The complexity and frequency of certification regimes vary according to legislation, Standards / Norms and / or the manufacturer’s specification. Additionally, it is important that each certification regime takes into account how often the equipment is used and the environment it is used in.
The following is a guideline to the frequency of inspection and / or testing of fall protection equipment

• Personal Protective Equipment – minimum once every 6 months
• Abseil/roped access points – minimum once every 6 months
• Fall arrest/fall restraint systems – minimum once every 12 months
• Ladder restraint anchors - minimum once every 24 months

For peace of mind and for system longevity, we are able to offer our clients a certification and maintenance
service tailored to ensure that their fall protection equipment continues to meet the latest Standards and legislative requirements.

All our technicians are directly employed and specifically trained in both the installation and testing of fall protection systems. With this knowledge the technicians can quickly identify and recommend remedial actions when problems become apparent during inspection or maintenance. Our technicians are also qualified and authorised to re-certify PPE (harnesses, lanyards, travelling devices etc) ensuring that we can satisfy all our clients’ inspection and maintenance requirements in one visit.

HCL maintains a comprehensive database of all HCL installations and previous system inspections thus ensuring that timely reminders for test due dates are issued. By reducing the ‘down-time’ for the systems client’s liability is also reduced.

Database records typically include;

• Type and quantity of fall protection system(s) installed
• Location & access details
• Date of installation and/or date of last test
• Date of next test
• Site contact details/details of the person responsible

HCL works closely with all of its clients to create a quality partnership arrangement offering both parties the opportunity to achieve life-time value.