Free Safe Operating Procedure (Fall Arrest Harness) Template

Purpose of the Free Safe Operating Procedure (Fall Arrest Harness) Template

Effectively managing the risks of working at height is a critical WHS responsibility for any Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU). Our Free Safe Operating Procedure (Fall Arrest Harness) Template provides a structured starting point for documenting the safe use, inspection, and maintenance of personal fall arrest systems in your workplace.

This document is designed to give clear, unambiguous instructions to workers, helping to prevent catastrophic falls and ensure a consistent approach to safety across your team.

A documented SOP serves as a key administrative control, demonstrating due diligence in managing workplace hazards. It formalises your processes for harness selection, pre-start checks, proper fitting, and connection to suitable anchor points.

Integrating this procedure into your overarching safety framework is a vital step in building robust WHS management systems that protect your workers and your organisation.

How to use the Free Safe Operating Procedure (Fall Arrest Harness) Template

This resource is available for download in both DOCX and PDF formats. The DOCX version is fully editable, allowing you to tailor the content to the specific fall arrest equipment, tasks, and environment at your worksite.

You can add your company branding, site-specific hazard information, and details of your emergency and rescue plans.

Important: This document is a template and must be customised. We have drafted it as a comprehensive starting point aligned with Australian WHS principles, but it is not a complete, out-of-the-box solution.

You must adapt it to reflect the specific hazards, equipment, control measures, and legislation relevant to your workplace. Once customised, the SOP should be reviewed and approved by a competent person before being issued to workers.

Implementing an SOP is not a 'set and forget' activity. Its effectiveness should be regularly monitored and reviewed to ensure it remains current and practical.

This review process can form part of your internal safety reviews or be incorporated into formal WHS compliance auditing to verify that procedures are being followed correctly in practice.

When to Use a Fall Arrest Harness SOP

A Safe Operating Procedure for fall arrest harnesses is required whenever workers are exposed to a fall risk that cannot be eliminated or controlled by higher-order measures like guardrails or scaffolding. It provides essential guidance for tasks where personal fall protection is the primary means of risk control. Common scenarios include:

• Working on roofs with no edge protection
• Operating near unprotected edges of floors, shafts, or excavations
• Erecting or dismantling structural steel
• Working from an elevating work platform (EWP) where a harness is required
• Performing maintenance or inspections on tall structures or equipment

For complex systems where workers may need to access elevated sections for maintenance, this SOP should be integrated with equipment-specific procedures. For example, working on an elevated conveyor requires both harness protocols and knowledge of the machine's hazards, as outlined in a FREE Conveyer System SOP.

Who Should Use This Procedure

Responsibility for workplace safety is shared. This SOP is intended for several key groups within an organisation:

• Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBUs): Have the primary duty of care to ensure the provision of safe work systems, including documented procedures like this SOP, and to provide the necessary equipment and training.
• Managers and Supervisors: Are responsible for implementing the SOP on-site, ensuring workers are trained in the procedure, monitoring its use, and enforcing compliance.
• Workers: Must follow the instructions outlined in the SOP, conduct pre-use inspections of their harness, report any faults or concerns, and actively participate in maintaining a safe work environment.

Clearly defining these roles and responsibilities is crucial for the procedure's success. If you require assistance in structuring your safety management framework or clarifying duties, engaging specialist WHS consulting services can provide valuable expert guidance.

Key Components of a Harness SOP

A comprehensive SOP for fall arrest harnesses goes beyond just wearing the equipment. Our template prompts you to consider and document several critical elements to create a complete safe system of work.

These include pre-use checks for damage or wear, step-by-step instructions for correct fitting, criteria for selecting a suitable anchor point, and methods for calculating fall clearance to prevent impact with a lower level. Crucially, it must also include a detailed emergency and rescue plan to retrieve a suspended worker promptly.

The use of a harness is often combined with the operation of other plant. When workers use equipment like a boom-type EWP or a workbox on a telehandler, their safety depends on integrating harness use with the machine's own operating procedures.

This SOP should be used alongside documents like our FREE Telehandler SOP Template to ensure a holistic approach to safety.

By customising this template to include these key components, you create a powerful tool for worker training and risk management. For more tools to support your safety systems, explore our complete free WHS resources library.