What does this fall protection anchor annual checklist cover?

13 items across 3 sections, covering before the visit, recertification observed, documentation and tagging. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.

Who should run this inspection?

A qualified person or professional engineer inspects and recertifies the load capacity of each anchor and lifeline; the building team observe, document the condition and file the certification, and never certify the system themselves.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

On the system's required recertification cycle, the pass where a qualified person confirms the anchors and lifelines can still take the load, which no condition walk on the building side can establish.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

5 of the 13 items call for photo evidence, 6 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails a fall protection anchor annual inspection?

Recertification lapses because nobody tracks the due date, so crews keep tying off to a system no longer confirmed for the load. A qualified person's deficiency finding filed but never dated or tracked on the building side, so a flagged anchor slips back into use. Anchors that carried a prior fall left in service without the qualified person specifically clearing them for reuse.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Fall protection anchor annual maintenance checklist

The annual fall protection anchor service is the deep pass: the measurements, cleanings and tests a quarterly round doesn't reach. This checklist keeps the full service on record with the photos that make it defensible later. Work is commonly verified against OSHA fall protection requirements, manufacturer's published instructions. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Before the visit

Qualified person's credentials and scope on file
Qualified person or manufacturer's agent named with their qualification on file, and a scope covering every anchor and lifeline on the roof plan agreed before the visit.
No photo
Last report, open deficiencies and fall events handed over
Last recertification report, quarterly findings, anchors tagged out and any fall arrested since the last visit given to the qualified person so each is looked at again.
No photo
Roof access and edge protection set for everyone on the visit
Everyone on the roof tied off to an anchor not under test or working inside guardrails or a protected zone, hatch and ladder secured, and the area below any load test kept clear.
No photo

Recertification observed

Load-capacity recertification witnessed and recorded
Qualified person or PE seen inspecting and recertifying each anchor and lifeline for its rated load, the confirmation and any test observed and captured for the record, not certified by the site.
Proof load applied and read where the qualified person tests
Where anchors are proof loaded, the load read off the tester's gauge and recorded against the value the qualified person set, with any movement or deflection they note.
No photo
Base fasteners checked by the qualified person's method
Bolted bases torque-verified by the qualified person, re-torqued only where found loose and as they direct, welded or cast-in bases examined, results in their report.
No photo
Concealed post and membrane seal checked where opened
Where a boot or cap is opened to see the post below the roof line, section loss and water at the connection noted, and the membrane resealed by the roofer before the day ends.
No photo
Horizontal lifeline tension reset and absorber indicator read
Where a lifeline is fitted, tension reset to the manufacturer's range at the tensioner, the energy absorber indicator read as not deployed, and swages checked along the run.
No photo
Structural connections and any prior-fall anchors reviewed
Structural attachment and roof penetration examined by the qualified person, any anchor that carried a fall specifically cleared for reuse or condemned, findings recorded.

Documentation and tagging

New certification tag applied and records filed
Updated certification tag with the new date at the system, the qualified person's report filed on the building side, next recertification date tracked so it doesn't lapse.
Anchor ID and rating on each tag matched to the report
Each anchor's ID and rated capacity read at its tag and matched to the qualified person's report and the roof plan, with no anchor on the roof left off the report.
Deficiencies logged and out-of-service anchors flagged
Any anchor or lifeline the qualified person condemns tagged out of service and logged with a photo and a date on the site record, the follow-up owned separately from the certification report.
Roof plan updated and roof users told the system's status
Roof plan on file revised for anchors added, removed or condemned, and the owner and roof users told which points are in service before anyone next ties off.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Recertification lapses because nobody tracks the due date, so crews keep tying off to a system no longer confirmed for the load.
A qualified person's deficiency finding filed but never dated or tracked on the building side, so a flagged anchor slips back into use.
Anchors that carried a prior fall left in service without the qualified person specifically clearing them for reuse.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this fall protection anchor annual checklist cover?: 13 items across 3 sections, covering before the visit, recertification observed, documentation and tagging. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: A qualified person or professional engineer inspects and recertifies the load capacity of each anchor and lifeline; the building team observe, document the condition and file the certification, and never certify the system themselves.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: On the system's required recertification cycle, the pass where a qualified person confirms the anchors and lifelines can still take the load, which no condition walk on the building side can establish.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 5 of the 13 items call for photo evidence, 6 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails a fall protection anchor annual inspection?: Recertification lapses because nobody tracks the due date, so crews keep tying off to a system no longer confirmed for the load. A qualified person's deficiency finding filed but never dated or tracked on the building side, so a flagged anchor slips back into use. Anchors that carried a prior fall left in service without the qualified person specifically clearing them for reuse.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Related checklists

Fall protection anchor QuarterlyFall protection anchor quarterly maintenance checklistAnchor points, davit bases, lifeline cable and hardware, and the current certification tag observed before use each quarter14 items7 photos

Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 6 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.