As an employer, it's your responsibility to provide proper fall protection equipment for worker safety. The specific type of equipment that you need, and the height requirements you need it for, varies by industry But if you’re working at height, fall protection is essential. Not only should the equipment you provide be suited for your industry’s safety standards and sized to fit your workers properly, but it should also be in good working order. If your equipment is more than a few years old, or it’s already seen a fall, it might be time to replace it.
What’s the Standard Safety Harness Expiration?
PPE isn’t like perishable food in your fridge or pantry that has an expiration date. Mandated expiration dates could cause complacency among workers or companies that might cut corners to save time or money or wrongly assume that a newer harness might be “good” for another few years. While some manufacturers have guidelines for inspection and replacement, there is no such thing as a mandated expiration date on fall protection harnesses, not even from OSHA or ANSI. You might know of a five-year expiration guideline, which was put into place under ANSI/ASSE A10.32. However, this was removed in the 2012 revised standard, which instead states that safety harness expiration is determined through regular inspections and by adhering to the manufacturer’s instructions.
The current governing standards are OSHA's Personal Fall Protection Systems standards (29 CFR 1910.140 for general industry, 29 CFR 1926.502 for construction), and ANSI Z359.11-2021 (Safety Requirements for Full-Body Harnesses) — the current version of the American National Standard for full-body harness design and performance. Neither OSHA nor the current ANSI Z359.11 mandates a hard expiration date. Instead, both require the manufacturer's instructions to be followed for inspection, use, and retirement.
Manufacturer service-life guidance varies significantly by brand. Guardian Fall Protection and French Creek publish a 5-year service life from the date of first use. Honeywell/Miller publishes a 10-year service life from the date of manufacture (not first use), with no hard end-of-life if the harness passes inspection. 3M DBI-SALA and FallTech do not publish a fixed service life at all — both direct users to retire based on inspection findings and post-use fall-arrest events. Whatever brand you're using, the manufacturer's published guidance is the operative rule for retirement decisions, not a fixed calendar date. Always check the harness's inspection tag for the manufacture date and any use-first date recorded by your program.
Care and Keeping of Safety Harnesses
A lot of job site conditions can affect the lifespan of your harness, and proper care and use can keep it functional for longer. Any fall protection or tower climbing equipment that was damaged in a fall arrest or impact event must be immediately removed from service and destroyed, even if it looks fine—it’s designed to protect you exactly once. Otherwise, be mindful of the particular worksite conditions that can cause harnesses to degrade:
● Snags or tears from protruding objects
● Coats of paint, caustics, acids, or other chemicals
● Excessive exposure to sunlight or UV rays
● Improper storage methods
Safety Harness Inspection
Safety harnesses must be inspected for defects each time they’re used, both by the wearer before they put it on and in intervals of no more than six months by a competent, specially trained inspector. A harness that hasn’t been formally inspected within six months should be taken out of service until a formal inspection can be performed. Manufacturers put an inspection tag on all harnesses that allows the recording of the date and inspectors name or initials to keep track of this activity. When inspecting your harness, make sure you’re looking for any:
● Cuts, fraying, or other damage in the webbing and stitching
● Signs of damage on metal or plastic components
● Ripped or torn stitching on the load indicators
● Presence and legibility of all labels
● Completed log sheets and other inspection-related paperwork
PK Safety Fall Protection Equipment
Regardless of your industry, if you’re working at height, you’re going to need the right fall protection gear. If it’s time to replace or buy more safety equipment, PK Safety can help. We’ve been in the safety business for decades and have the expertise to help you find the equipment you need in the brands you trust. For more information, contact a safety expert online or call 800.829.9580.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does OSHA or ANSI mandate a safety harness expiration date?
No. Neither OSHA's Personal Fall Protection Systems standards (29 CFR 1910.140 for general industry and 29 CFR 1926.502 for construction) nor ANSI Z359.11-2021 (Safety Requirements for Full-Body Harnesses) mandate a hard calendar expiration date for safety harnesses. Both defer to the manufacturer's published guidance for inspection frequency, use conditions, and retirement decisions. The commonly-cited "5-year rule" traces to ANSI/ASSE A10.32, which was removed from the standard in the 2012 revision. Today's rule is inspection-driven, not calendar-driven.
When must a safety harness be immediately retired from service?
A safety harness must be immediately removed from service and destroyed after any fall arrest or impact event, even if it appears undamaged — fall protection harnesses are designed to protect a worker exactly once. Beyond fall arrest, immediate retirement is required if the inspector finds: cuts, frays, or damage in the webbing or stitching; damaged or deformed metal hardware (D-rings, buckles, connectors); ripped or torn load indicators; missing, illegible, or altered manufacturer labels; or chemical, heat, or UV damage that compromises the webbing's structural integrity. Any of these findings on a competent-person inspection or a pre-use inspection triggers retirement, not just repair.
Do different fall protection manufacturers agree on safety harness service life?
No — published service-life policies vary significantly by brand. Guardian Fall Protection and French Creek both publish a 5-year service life from the date of first use. Honeywell/Miller publishes a 10-year service life from the date of manufacture (not first use), with no hard end-of-life if the harness passes inspection. 3M DBI-SALA and FallTech do not publish a fixed service life at all — both direct users to retire based on inspection findings alone. Because published guidance diverges, the manufacturer's specific policy is the operative rule for the harness on your worker's back — not an industry-average "5-year" or "10-year" heuristic. Always check the harness's inspection tag for the manufacture date and, if your program records it, the date of first use.
How often should a safety harness be inspected — and by whom?
ANSI Z359.2 and the manufacturers' instructions specify two inspection tiers: (1) a pre-use inspection by the wearer at the start of every shift the harness is worn, checking for visible defects in webbing, hardware, stitching, and labels; and (2) a formal inspection at intervals no longer than six months by a competent, specially trained inspector (per ANSI's definition of "competent person") who documents the inspection on the harness's tag. A harness that has not been formally inspected within six months must be taken out of service until it is inspected. Manufacturers put an inspection tag on all harnesses that allows the recording of the date and inspector's initials to keep track of this activity.
What conditions shorten a safety harness's service life?
Four site conditions are the most common accelerators of harness wear: (1) snags or tears from protruding objects, sharp edges, or worksite hazards; (2) chemical exposure — paint coats, caustics, acids, or solvents attacking the webbing polymer; (3) excessive UV exposure from prolonged sunlight, which degrades polyester and nylon webbing over time even without visible damage; and (4) improper storage — humid, dusty, or contaminated conditions between uses. Any of these can compress the useful life of a harness dramatically — a harness stored outdoors year-round may fail inspection at 2 years while one stored in a clean climate-controlled locker may pass at 8 years. Storage, use, and site conditions matter more than the age of the harness alone.
What is ANSI Z359.11-2021 and what does it require for safety harnesses?
ANSI Z359.11-2021 (Safety Requirements for Full-Body Harnesses) is the current American National Standard for full-body harness design, performance, and marking. It replaces the earlier A10.32 (which was removed from the standard in 2012). Z359.11-2021 specifies design requirements for D-ring placement, webbing strength (minimum 5,000 lbf tensile), buckle release forces, stitching patterns for load-indicating stitches, and label content (including the manufacture date that inspectors use to track service life). It does NOT set a hard expiration date; instead it requires the manufacturer to specify service life and inspection frequency in the product's user manual. Harnesses sold in the US that carry the Z359.11 marking meet the current national performance standard.
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