Fall Arrest Testing & Fall Protection Equipment Inspection

Fall arrest testing and fall protection equipment inspection in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and across the UAE — periodic examination of harnesses, lanyards, inertia reels, fall arresters and anchorage devices by a competent person to EN 365 and ANSI Z359, carried out by an ISO 17020 accredited, ADNOC approved inspection body. Last reviewed: August 2026.

Fall protection equipment is the last defence between a worker and the ground, and it fails without warning. Webbing degrades from UV and chemical exposure long before it looks damaged, energy absorbers that have arrested one fall are immediately retired from service, and a harness stored badly can be unserviceable while appearing new. Independent periodic examination is how those conditions are found before they matter.

Equipment inspected

• Full body safety harnesses
• Work positioning and restraint belts
• Lanyards — webbing, rope and elasticated
• Energy absorbing lanyards
• Fall arrest blocks and self-retracting lifelines (inertia reels)
• Guided type fall arresters on rigid and flexible anchor lines
• Derrick clamp assemblies and anchor lines
• Horizontal and vertical lifeline systems
• Anchorage devices and eyebolts
• Connectors, karabiners and scaffold hooks
• Rescue and evacuation equipment
• Tripods and confined space retrieval systems

What the examination covers

• Identification of the item by manufacturer, serial number and date of manufacture
• Verification that certification and conformity marking is present and legible
• Webbing and stitching examined for cuts, abrasion, fraying, chemical attack, heat damage and UV degradation
• Load indicators and energy absorbers checked for deployment — a deployed energy absorber retires the item immediately
• Metal components examined for corrosion, distortion, cracking and wear
• Connector gates and locking mechanisms function tested
• Retractable blocks (inertia reels) tested for lock-up under sharp pull, retraction and full line extension
• Anchorage devices and structural anchor points examined for security and condition
• Review of the item's service history and previous examination records
• Verification against the manufacturer's stated service life — most textile equipment carries a maximum of 10 years from manufacture

Standards applied

Examination follows EN 365, which sets the general requirements for periodic examination of personal fall protection equipment, together with the product standard applicable to each item: EN 361 for full body harnesses, EN 354 and EN 355 for lanyards and energy absorbers, EN 353 for guided type fall arresters, EN 360 for retractable devices, EN 362 for connectors and EN 795 for anchorage devices. Where equipment is supplied to American standards, ANSI Z359 applies. Manufacturer inspection instructions are applied alongside for item-specific checks and service life limits.

Examination intervals

Fall protection equipment requires pre-use inspection by the user before every use, and periodic examination by a competent person at intervals not exceeding twelve months under EN 365. Harsh conditions shorten this considerably: frequent use, UV exposure, heat, chemicals, salt or abrasive environments all accelerate degradation, and six-monthly or quarterly examination is common in offshore and heavy industrial environments. Equipment must also be examined after any fall arrest event, after prolonged storage, and where its history is unknown.

Most textile equipment carries a manufacturer-set maximum service life — commonly 10 years from date of manufacture — after which it must be withdrawn regardless of condition or apparent serviceability. ITMAD verifies each item against that limit and flags equipment approaching it so that replacement is planned rather than discovered at the point of use.

What you receive

• An inspection certificate for the equipment examined
• A report listing each item by serial number with its individual result
• Clear pass, quarantine or withdraw status for every item, with the reason recorded
• Photographic evidence of defects found
• Colour-coded tagging on site showing examination and due dates
• Your equipment register updated with due dates and service life expiry, where we hold it
• Notification ahead of the next examination becoming due

Equipment found unserviceable

Where an item fails fall arrest testing, it is identified and reported for immediate removal from service. Fall protection equipment that has failed cannot be repaired back into service unless the manufacturer specifically permits it. The report is written to support physical withdrawal and disposal — defective equipment left in a store will find its way back onto a worker.

Accreditation and approvals

ITMAD is accredited to ISO/IEC 17020 as an inspection body, is an ADNOC approved inspection contractor, and is listed on the Abu Dhabi City Municipality register of Approved Third Party Inspection Bodies. Inspection is carried out across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the northern Emirates, at your site, and can be scheduled alongside lifting gear and lifting equipment inspection in a single attendance.