Fall-Arrest Harness System Use SWMS

Personal fall-arrest harness systems are the last line of defence when working at heights where fall prevention through edge protection or work platforms is not reasonably practicable. This SWMS covers the correct selection, inspection, donning, anchorage, connection and post-fall response procedures for full-body harnesses, shock-absorbing lanyards, twin-tail assemblies, restraint lines, rope-grabs and self-retracting devices used on construction and maintenance sites. Under WHS Regulation 2025 Part 4.4, any task exposing a worker to a fall of more than 2 metres is High Risk Construction Work and a documented SWMS must be prepared, communicated and signed by all affected workers before work commences. The system must also align with AS/NZS 1891 series for industrial fall-arrest equipment and the model Code of Practice 'Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces'. Failure to implement compliant harness procedures exposes PCBUs to enforceable undertakings, prohibition notices and Category 1 offences where reckless conduct is proven.

Hazards identified

7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.

1. 1Elimination — Redesign the task to be performed at ground level or off-site through prefabrication, modular assembly or use of mechanical lifting to remove the fall exposure entirely.
2. 2Elimination — Conduct work from solid construction such as completed floors, scaffolds or stairwells before fall-arrest harnesses are considered as a control option.
3. 3Substitution — Replace fall-arrest harness work with elevated work platforms (EWPs), scissor lifts or boom lifts rated to AS 1418.10 where access and load characteristics permit.
4. 4Substitution — Use fall-restraint systems (fixed-length lanyards preventing reach to the edge) in place of fall-arrest wherever the work position allows.
5. 5Engineering — Install certified permanent or temporary anchor points rated to minimum 15kN per AS/NZS 5532, positioned directly above the work zone to eliminate swing-fall geometry.
6. 6Engineering — Deploy self-retracting lifelines (SRLs) compliant with AS/NZS 1891.3 to minimise free-fall distance and reduce required clearance below the working surface.
7. 7Administrative — Enforce documented pre-use inspection of every harness, lanyard and connector before each shift using the AS/NZS 1891.4 inspection checklist, with quarantine of any defective equipment.
8. 8Administrative — Require a written rescue plan and trained rescue team on-site capable of retrieving a suspended worker within 10 minutes to prevent suspension trauma onset.
9. 9PPE — Issue full-body harnesses to AS/NZS 1891.1 with shock-absorbing lanyards to AS/NZS 1891.1 fitted with energy absorbers limiting arrest force to 6kN maximum.
10. 10PPE — Mandate compatible helmet with chin strap to AS/NZS 1801, tool lanyards to ISO 121.1, and high-visibility clothing for all personnel within the fall-exposure zone.

Applicable Codes of Practice

High-Risk Construction Work triggered

Worked example

On a four-storey commercial fit-out, a roofing crew is tasked with installing standing-seam sheets along an unprotected eaves edge 9 metres above ground. At the 6:30am pre-start brief, the leading hand opens the Fall-Arrest Harness System Use SWMS on a site tablet and walks the four-person crew through the hazard register, focusing on swing-fall geometry because the only available structural anchor sits 4 metres laterally from the work zone. Using the SWMS clearance calculation worksheet, the crew confirms that a 2-metre shock-absorbing lanyard would not provide adequate clearance and instead selects a 6-metre self-retracting lifeline anchored to a relocated temporary AS/NZS 5532-rated anchor installed directly above the work line. Each worker conducts a pre-use harness inspection against the AS/NZS 1891.4 checklist embedded in the SWMS, with one twin-tail lanyard quarantined due to a frayed energy absorber cover. All four workers sign on to the SWMS digitally. Mid-morning, weather shifts and gusts exceed 35km/h; the supervisor pauses work, references the environmental trigger in the SWMS, and the crew descends until conditions stabilise. The rescue plan — including the location of the on-site rescue kit and the trained rescuer — is re-confirmed before re-commencement, with the amendment logged against the SWMS revision history.

Related legislation

• WHS Act 2011 (model)
• WHS Regulation 2025
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces CoP

Frequently asked questions