Why This Matters
Fall protection equipment is designed to protect you when something goes wrong—but only if
the equipment is in good condition and used properly.
A harness, lanyard, or self-retracting lifeline can look fine at first glance and still have damage
that could affect its ability to protect you during a fall.
Before you put it on, inspect it. If you don’t trust it, don’t use it.
What Should Be Inspected?
Before each use, inspect your fall protection equipment for damage, wear, contamination, and
defects.
- Full-Body Harness
Check:
- Webbing for cuts, tears, burns, fraying, excessive wear, or chemical damage
- Stitching for loose, pulled, or damaged threads
- D-rings for cracks, bends, corrosion, or other damage
- Buckles and adjusters for proper operation
- Leg and chest straps for proper condition
- Labels and identification information to ensure they are present and legible
- Any evidence that the harness has previously arrested a fall
- Lanyards
Check:
- Webbing for cuts, burns, fraying, chemical damage, or excessive wear
- Stitching for damage
- Snap hooks and connectors for proper operation
- Hardware for cracks, distortion, corrosion, or other damage
- Energy absorber for signs of deployment
- Labels and identification information
Never use a shock-absorbing lanyard if the energy absorber shows signs of deployment.
- Self-Retracting Lifelines (SRLs)
Check:
Lifeline/cable/webbing for damage or excessive wear
- Housing for cracks or damage
- Connectors and snap hooks for proper operation
- Lifeline for proper retraction
- Locking mechanism by performing the manufacturer’s approved inspection/test
- Labels and inspection information
Remove Damaged Equipment From Service
If fall protection equipment fails an inspection, DO NOT USE IT.
Immediately:
Immediately:
- Stop using the equipment.
- Remove it from service.
- Clearly identify/tag it “DO NOT USE.”
- Notify your supervisor.
- Follow the company’s process for evaluation, repair, or disposal.
Never assume someone else will notice the damage.
A damaged harness, lanyard, or SRL should never be returned to service simply because the
damage appears minor.
Remember: Inspect Before Every Use
A proper inspection only takes a few minutes.
LOOK → CHECK → USE
LOOK for cuts, burns, fraying, corrosion, and other damage.
CHECK buckles, D-rings, connectors, stitching, labels, and energy absorbers.
USE the equipment only if it passes inspection and is appropriate for the job.
Bottom Line
Your fall protection equipment is the last line of defense between you and a serious injury
or death.
Safety is the foundation of every successful fertilizer facility project, and Stueve Construction takes that responsibility seriously from the first planning meeting through final completion. Building a dry or liquid fertilizer facility involves heavy equipment, structural steel, concrete work, elevated areas, confined operational spaces, electrical systems, material handling equipment, and active jobsite coordination. That is why safety must always come first. For Stueve Construction, a fertilizer building is not only judged by how efficiently it stores, blends, or loads product, but by how safely it is designed and built for the people who work in and around it every day. By emphasizing planning, experienced crews, jobsite awareness, proper construction procedures, and long-term operational safety, Stueve helps agribusinesses build facilities that are durable, efficient, and designed with worker protection as a top priority. When constructing critical fertilizer infrastructure, safety is not an extra feature — it is the most important part of the project.