Learned the hard way why you double-check your safety harness clips

I was working a boiler retrofit in Gary last Tuesday, guy next to me clipped onto a beam that looked solid. Turns out it was just sitting on brackets, not welded down. He swung about 8 feet before the thing came loose and dropped. Lucky he had a backup line, but it scared the hell out of me. How many of you check every anchor point yourself instead of trusting the crew?

2 comments

2 Comments

white.seth1mo ago

Wait, he just trusted a beam sitting on brackets? No welds? Man, I'd have to walk away for a minute after seeing that, that's gut-wrenching to even picture. How do you ever trust walking on a site again after something like that?

anderson.jason1mo ago

...and that backup line probably saved his life, but why was he trusting a beam that wasn't even bolted in? That's the part that gets me, you know? I always pop the clip with my hand before I put any real weight on it, just to feel if there's any give. Some guys get annoyed like I'm checking their work, but I've seen too many anchors fail to take anyone else's word for it. What about the other end of your lanyard, though, the one you clip to your harness D-ring? Do you check that part too, or just trust the manufacturer undid it right?