Maintenance
Repairs and remedial work across the life of a system, so a failed inspection has a route back to compliant.
Inspection & servicing
Fall Protection Inspection, Testing & Recertification
Fall protection only works if it is in good working order, and UK law expects you to prove it. Harnesses, lanyards, anchor points, lifelines, guardrails and davit arms all need inspection and testing by a competent person on a fixed cycle, with documentation ready for an auditor. Mantech inspects, tests and recertifies fall protection equipment and fall protection systems across the UK, whatever their manufacturer and whoever installed them. When did yours last pass a documented inspection? If you have to check, book the visit now.
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A Mantech engineer inspecting an installed fall arrest system on site.
What a fall protection inspection involves
A fall protection inspection is a formal, recorded examination of safety equipment against the relevant regulations and the manufacturer's instructions. A compliant regime uses four types of inspection: pre-use checks by the worker before each shift, interim inspections where fall arrest equipment works hard or in harsh conditions, detailed periodic inspections by a competent person, and post-incident inspections after any fall. The detailed inspection is the legal baseline. Fall protection systems must be inspected every 12 months as a minimum, and any equipment involved in a fall comes out of service immediately until it has been inspected and cleared.
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PPE and fall arrest equipment from any manufacturer
Any manufacturer, any installer
The inspection, testing and certification service is supplier-agnostic, because the examination is tied to the regulations. We inspect PPE and fall arrest systems from any UK or European manufacturer, including Honeywell Miller, MSA, 3M Protecta, Petzl and Tractel, and installed fall protection systems from any company. Taking over a site includes a baseline survey that brings the documentation up to the current standard.
Inspection and testing frequencies by equipment type
- Harnesses, lanyards, fall arrest blocks and PPE
- detailed inspection at least every 12 months under BS EN 365, and six-monthly for hard-worked webbing and rope kit per HSE guidance INDG367, with visual inspection and tactile checks before every use.
- Horizontal lifelines
- inspected every 12 months, including cable condition, terminations and tension testing.
- Eyebolts and anchor devices
- inspected every 12 months in line with BS 7883:2019 for fall arrest use.
- Abseil posts and anchors that suspend a person, including rope access and window cleaning eyebolts
- thorough examination every 6 months under LOLER.
- Mobile anchors
- inspected and certified at least every 12 months.
- Freestanding guardrails and walkways
- structural inspection at least every 12 months.
- Davit arms and lifting equipment
- examined under LOLER 1998, every 6 months when lifting operations involve people.
Different fall protection systems run on different cycles, and missing any one of them creates a compliance gap: Mantech schedules the whole programme in one contract and books the next visit while completing the current one, so no cycle is missed.
Standards
Every certificate maps to the standard it was graded against
So an HSE inspector or insurer can trace every verdict back to the rule it was measured by.
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Work at Height Regulations 2005
The duty to inspect, and the annual minimum
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BS EN 365
Periodic examination and repair of PPE against falls
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BS 7883:2019
Anchor devices — installation, inspection and testing
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LOLER 1998
Davit arms and any equipment used to lift people
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Harness, lanyard and connectors are examined item by item, with serial numbers and service history recorded.
What we inspect and test
A Mantech visit covers complete fall protection systems and every item of equipment attached to them. Harnesses are checked for cuts, fraying, UV damage and stitching wear. Fall arrest blocks and self-retracting lifelines get functional testing for retraction and braking, with serial numbers and service history recorded. Energy absorbing lanyards, connectors and rope access equipment are examined against the manufacturer's instructions. Anchor points are inspected for structural integrity and corrosion, with load testing and pull testing on lifelines and on new or altered anchors where the specification requires it. Davit arms are examined under lifting rules, and documentation, tags and logs are checked for continuity. Every item of equipment receives a verdict: pass, remedial or fail. Failed fall arrest equipment is withdrawn immediately, photographed, tagged out of service and covered in a written inspection report, and we can source replacements so fall protection continues without a gap.
Overdue an inspection?
Tell us what you have installed and we will survey it, inspect it and keep it certified — whoever supplied it.
How it works
From booking to certificate
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01 · BOOK
Scheduled to your due date
Tell us what is installed and when it was last examined. The visit is scheduled to land before the next inspection falls due, across as many sites as the contract covers.
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02 · SURVEY
Baseline survey on takeover
Taking over a site from another provider starts with a baseline survey, which brings the documentation up to the current standard whatever the original installer recorded.
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03 · INSPECT
Systems and equipment examined
Installed systems and every item of attached equipment are examined and functionally tested against the regulations and the manufacturer instructions.
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04 · CERTIFY
Certificates and the register
You receive a certificate per item mapped to the standard it was graded against, a pass, remedial or fail grading, and the date the next inspection falls due.
One contract, every site, nothing lapsing
Inspection, maintenance and training under a single agreement, scheduled so certification never runs out — across as many sites as you need covering.
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Training prepares your team for pre-use checks between visits
Inspection, maintenance and training in one place
Inspection works best alongside its two partners. Our maintenance service handles repairs and remedial work across the life of a system, and our training courses prepare your own staff to carry out pre-use fall protection checks, basic testing and interim inspections between our visits. One contract covers all three, which costs less than buying each service separately.
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Over 25 years of inspection and recertification across UK estates
Why Mantech
Mantech has delivered fall protection inspection, testing and recertification across UK warehousing, manufacturing, distribution, retail, public sector and heritage estates for over 25 years. We are Safe Contractor and Constructionline accredited, both audited annually. Every certificate maps to the specific standard it was graded against, including BS EN 365, BS 7883:2019, LOLER 1998 and the Work at Height Regulations 2005, so an HSE inspector or insurer can trace every verdict. We operate UK-wide from Bridgwater, Somerset.
Inspection, maintenance and training in one place
Inspection works best alongside its two partners. One contract covers all three, which costs less than buying each service separately.
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Training
Prepares your own staff to carry out pre-use checks, basic testing and interim inspections between our visits.
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BS EN 365
Harness & Lanyard
Full-body harnesses and lanyards, inspected, recorded and replaced before wear becomes a risk.
FAQs
Questions about inspection and recertification
We inspect and recertify systems from any manufacturer, not only our own.
How often does fall protection need to be inspected?
Fall protection equipment must be inspected at least every 12 months by a competent person, and that annual inspection is a legal obligation under the Work at Height Regulations 2005. Some equipment runs shorter cycles: abseil posts every 6 months, and davit arms every 6 months when used to lift people under LOLER. Visual inspection applies before every use, and anything involved in a fall must be inspected before it returns to service.
What is a fall protection inspection?
A formal, documented examination of fall protection equipment and systems, graded against the relevant regulations and the manufacturer's instructions. It covers PPE such as harnesses and lanyards, fall arrest systems built on anchor points and lifelines, fixed equipment such as guardrails, and the records that tie everything together. Each item is passed, marked for remedial work, or failed and withdrawn.
What are the four types of inspection?
Pre-use checks, carried out visually and by touch before each use. Interim inspections, added between formal visits where equipment works hard or in harsh environments. Detailed periodic inspections, carried out at regular intervals by a competent person and at least annually. Post-incident inspections, required after any fall event before fall arrest equipment returns to service.
Who can inspect fall protection equipment?
A competent person: someone with the training, knowledge and experience to assess the equipment against the relevant regulations, spot wear, corrosion and defects in practice, and record honest findings. UK industry expects formal inspection training, documented experience and traceable reports. Mantech provides this service and also trains internal staff through our training courses.
What documentation do we receive?
An inspection report for every item, recording serial number, findings, verdict and next due date, plus a signed certificate covering the inspection and testing carried out, the standards applied and a prioritised remedial schedule. Digital and physical copies are provided, giving you the record-keeping trail HSE inspectors and insurers ask for as part of the certification service.
Do you inspect equipment installed by other companies?
Yes. The examination is a regulatory function, so we inspect, test and certify fall protection systems and safety equipment from any manufacturer or installer. Take-over contracts begin with a baseline survey that brings the site documentation up to the current standard.
Keep every system certified
Tell us what you have installed and we will survey it, inspect it and keep it certified.