Competent Person – Inspection of Personal Fall Protection Equipment

About the course

Competent Person – Inspection of Personal Fall Protection Equipment is a two-day course that provides participants with the knowledge, methods and practical training to carry out and document periodic and exceptional inspections within the scope of the course.

The course covers the entire inspection process – from product identification and verification of documentation and history to physical inspection, functional testing, assessment, decision-making and documentation.

Participants work with actual fall protection and rescue equipment, equipment records and current manufacturer instructions. Exercises include both equipment free from defects and products with damage, faults and other non-conformities.

Quality assurance

Hewall Safety has been developing the training concept since 2008. The course is quality-assured within our management system, in line with the principles of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.

It is based on defined learning objectives, controlled training materials, and theoretical and practical assessment against defined criteria. The content draws on applicable occupational health and safety legislation, relevant regulations and standards, and current manufacturer instructions.

Learning objectives

Upon successful completion, participants should be able to do the following within the defined scope of the course:

• explain the role of a competent person, including responsibilities, limits of competence and when equipment needs to be referred for further assessment,
• identify a product and verify its documentation, status and history as a basis for inspection,
• explain how regulations, standards and manufacturer instructions govern periodic and exceptional inspections,
• carry out inspections using relevant visual, tactile and functional checks in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions,
• identify and assess damage, wear and other non-conformities against the product’s inspection and retirement criteria,
• make, justify, document and communicate decisions on the equipment’s subsequent handling,
• contribute knowledge to the selection, purchase, entry into service and management of fall protection and rescue equipment within their own organisation.

Target audience

The course is intended for people who will carry out periodic inspections of personal fall protection equipment as a competent person.

Prerequisites

Before the course starts, participants must have successfully completed our Planning, Work and Rescue with Personal Fall Protection Systems course or present a valid certificate from our previous Fall Protection and Rescue course.

These courses provide the foundational knowledge of equipment, systems, product markings, instructions for use and safe use on which this course builds.

Course delivery

Day 1 – understand, identify and assess

Theory is combined with practical application. Participants explore the role of a competent person, regulations and standards, product identification, documentation, equipment records, entry into service, materials and types of damage, as well as the fundamentals of periodic and exceptional inspections.

Day 2 – inspect, decide and document

The day is devoted mainly to practical inspections across several product categories. Participants apply the entire process, from identification and documentation checks to inspection, assessment, decision-making and documentation.

Practical assessment takes place throughout the exercises against defined criteria and covers the entire process – not simply how many faults participants find. The theory test takes place at the end of day 2 and assesses understanding, application and safe decision-making.

A clear working method

The course follows this working method:

IDENTIFY AND VERIFY → ESTABLISH STATUS AND HISTORY → INSPECT → ASSESS AND DECIDE → DOCUMENT AND COMMUNICATE

The method provides a common structure, while the product’s current instructions for use, maintenance and inspection govern the actual inspection. Similar damage may need to be assessed differently depending on the product and the manufacturer’s instructions.

Participants also practise recognising when the available information is insufficient to support a decision on continued use.

Decisions following inspection

An inspection may result in the following decisions:

• PASSED – continued use
• WITHDRAW FROM SERVICE – discard
• WITHDRAW FROM SERVICE – further assessment

Withdrawing a product from service may be the correct decision when the available information or the inspector’s own competence is insufficient for a final assessment. Where necessary, the product is referred to the manufacturer or another authorised service provider.

Repairs may only be carried out where permitted by the manufacturer’s instructions and by a person or organisation specified or approved by the manufacturer.

Course reference book included

Each participant receives CAMP Inspecting PPE, a printed handbook containing technical information, examples of damage and practical inspection principles.

The book is used as reference material alongside current product documentation. It helps participants understand what to look for but does not replace the manufacturer’s product-specific instructions.

Product categories covered

• Harnesses – EN 361, EN 358, EN 813
• Work positioning lanyards – EN 358
• Connectors – EN 362
• Lanyards – EN 354
• Energy absorbers – EN 355
• Retractable fall arresters – EN 360
• Guided type fall arresters on a flexible anchor line – EN 353-2
• Guided type fall arresters on a rigid anchor line or rail – EN 353-1
• Low stretch kernmantel ropes – EN 1891
• Rope adjustment devices – EN 12841
• Anchor devices – EN 795 Type A and Type B
• Permanent horizontal cable lifeline systems – EN 795 Type C
• Permanent horizontal rail systems – EN 795 Type D
• Descender devices for rescue – EN 341
• Rescue lifting devices – EN 1496

Content covered at an introductory level

• Anchor devices – EN 795 Type E

Scope of competence

Upon successful completion, participants receive a training certificate. The certificate confirms that the participant has met the theoretical and practical requirements for the product categories, inspection methods and decision-making situations included in the defined scope of the course.

The course itself does not provide:

• general manufacturer authorisation,
• authorisation to inspect all makes or models,
• competence to open, dismantle or service products subject to specific manufacturer requirements,
• authorisation to repair personal fall protection equipment.

For certain products, the manufacturer may require specific training, authorisation or specialist tools, or stipulate that inspections must be carried out by the manufacturer or another authorised service provider.