Essential Fall Prevention Equipment for Workers at Height

Haz-Ed

18 September 2025

Falling from a height is one of the most common work-related injuries across Australia. But getting hurt is the last thing anyone at the job site would want. So are there ways to boost height safety and reduce workplace falls?

Yes. For the best level of protection at your workplace, you need both the right procedures and the best fall prevention equipment.

At Haz-Ed, we recognise that every workplace is different, which is why it’s best to tailor the safety equipment to the individual business and the application or the environment it’ll be used in.

The following covers some of the essentials in fall prevention equipment — harness, lanyard, and belt and buckle safety equipment.

Harness

Harnesses can be life-saving for people who work at heights. But the catch is they’re built differently, and quality can greatly impact their performance.

As safety consultants, we recommend a correctly fitted, full body harness. Since workers perform a specific role, there’s no single right harness even for those assigned to the same job site.

How does this gear work? Users should connect the fall-arrest line to the attachment point on their harness that will provide the best protection in the situation it’s being used.

The harness should feel firm when worn to protect against serious injury. Harness features vary to suit unique needs. You may need to try on several options to determine the right choice.

A premium product can offer both safety and comfort to users. But making workplaces safer doesn’t end in securing high-quality gear. To avoid putting yourself in a risky situation, we recommend inspecting your fall prevention equipment prior to every use.

Related Article: Fall Prevention Devices

Any failure or damage can compromise the harness’s role as your lifeline. Alongside the manufacturer recommendations for your gear, we suggest looking out for the following during the safety inspection:

• Start by holding the harness up by the D-ring.
• The straps must be bent in an inverted “U” shape.
• Check for any type of damage, including broken fibers, cuts, or pulled stitches.
• Inspect to see if there are any breaks or distortions in your D-rings and D-ring metal wear pads.
• Note that the D-ring bar should be at a 90-degree angle with the long axis of the belt and should pivot with ease.
• Take the time to check the attachments of buckles and D-rings.
• See if there is any unusual wear on the buckles. Rivets should be firm in place.
• Make sure that the body side rivet base and outside rivets are laid flat against the material.
• Bent rivets will not work as expected when under stress.

Lanyards

Lanyard types vary to cater to specific operational needs. Some can self-retract or absorb shock. Length, material, adjustability, and weight capacity can be different too.

Regardless of your work setting, it’s very important to ensure that lanyards meet safety standards. Compliant fall protection lanyards have been tested and certified for their strength and performance.

For those working at great heights, safety lanyards are the vital link to the fall protection anchor point. Short sections of webbing or cable are usually attached to the D-ring of a worker’s safety harness. We suggest:

• Making sure that there’s a minimum of slack in the fall-arrest lanyard between the user and the attachment. Remember that the anchorage point should be as high as the equipment permits.
• Trying to avoid working above the anchor point, as this will increase the free fall distance in the event of a fall. This will result in higher forces on the body and a greater likelihood of the lanyard snagging on the obstructions.

As with any fall protection device, it’s imperative to inspect the safety of your lanyards. Take note of these steps and increase confidence as you work at any height:

• Go from one end to the opposite side. Rotate the lanyard slowly to ensure its entirety is covered. Be on the look out for spliced ends.
• It’s easy to miss hook and eye damage, such as cracks and corrosion, so pay close attention to the snap hooks.
• The keeper, or latch, should seat into the nose without binding and should be free from obstruction.
• Note that the keeper spring should apply sufficient force to tightly close the keeper.
• The locking mechanism of keeper rocks should work seamlessly and not become stuck or jammed.
• If you bend webbing over a piece of pipe, it’ll be easier to spot cuts or breaks. Observe the sides of the webbed lanyard closely.
• Check the outer portion of the shock-absorbing pack for burn holes and tears.
• Scan stitching on areas where the pack is sewn to the D-ring, belt, or lanyard. Ensure there are no loose strands or signs of deterioration.

Belts and Buckles

Belts and buckles are integral components of your fall prevention equipment.

Belts are worn around the waist and aid in proper body positioning. They can also be used to provide extra room when carrying tools. As such, they must be chosen for the specific task and worn correctly. If belts are too loose or aren’t adjusted properly, their effectiveness is also compromised.

Like other safety components, belts and buckles should be inspected regularly. Don’t hesitate to discard or withdraw from use any piece of equipment that’s showing signs of damage.

You may follow the same measures for inspecting a full body harness when checking the condition of your belts and buckles. Here are additional steps you can adopt for your inspection routine:

• Check for frayed or broken strands.
• Broken webbing strands can show up on the webbing surface as tufts. This makes it easier to see broken, cut, or burnt stitches.
• Tongue Buckle: Buckle tongues should be kept in their original form and motion. They should go over the buckle frame and move freely back and forth in their socket. The frame’s rollers should be able to turn easily. Look out for distorted or sharp edges.
• Friction Buckle: Check the buckle to see if it’s bent in any way. The bras outside and in the middle must be straight. Take extra care with the corners and connection points of the center bar.

Reliable Fall Prevention Systems for Your Team

At Haz-Ed Services, we offer training and working at heights courses as well as consultancy services, whereby our team audit your company’s current safety processes and provide recommendations.

We don’t settle for “better than nothing.” We partner with employees, business owners, and workers across Perth, Australia, in finding the best workplace safety solutions.

Contact us today for more information.