16
PRODUCT LIFETIME
RETIREMENT CRITERIA
Retiring your harness is a judgment that is the responsibility of the user and
should be based largely on results of frequent inspections, environment and
use history. If you have any questions regarding retirement of your harness
you can contact PMI.
Regardless of history and use, a PMI® Avatar Deluxe Harness should be retired
if it is greater than 10 years from the date of manufacture. The actual service
life of PMI® Avatar Deluxe Harness may be much less than 10 years and
should be based largely on the results of frequent inspection and use history.
Material integrity and product performance characteristics will degrade over
time. PMI recommends that you thoroughly inspect your equipment before
each use and at a minimum at least once every 6 months. Specialized training
may be required to become competent with inspecting equipment and
knowing when to retire your equipment. Good judgment, as well as proper
care and inspection, are key to making personal decisions regarding the
retirement of your harness.
A significant event with the potential to change the product should prompt
you to consider retiring it immediately even if before or after only one
use. Factors that may affect the safety of a harness depends on the type
and frequency of usage (light to heavy), the environment including harsh
environments with extreme temperatures, marine (salty or highly corrosive)
environments, chemical contact, contact with sharp edges, etc. Textiles can
become dry and brittle, plastics can weaken in areas, small cracks can form,
etc. The best way to know when a change has occurred is to implement
frequent detailed inspections before each use.
Use the following Retirement Criteria as guidelines for retiring your harness:
• RETIRE IMMEDIATELY any harness where the stitching is cut, torn,
excessively worn or visibly damaged.
• RETIRE IMMEDIATELY any harness whose strength may have been
compromised during use.
• RETIRE IMMEDIATELY any harness which is subjected to a major fall or
uncontrolled or excessive loading.
• RETIRE IMMEDIATELY any harness with a manufacture date which is
greater than 10 years old, regardless of history and usage.
• RETIRE IMMEDIATELY any harness whose history and past usage you
are uncertain about.
• RETIRE IMMEDIATELY any harness that has been exposed to excessive
heat, direct flame or excessive abrasion.
• RETIRE IMMEDIATELY any harness that has been exposed to liquids,
solids, gases, mists, or vapors of any chemical or other substance that
can deteriorate the harness materials.
• RETIRE IMMEDIATELY any harness that does not pass inspection when
following the inspection procedures in these instructions.
CUT ANY RETIRED HARNESS to discourage future use and discard it entirely.
A retired harness should not be stored, kept or maintained in such a way that
it could inadvertently be used again.
WARNING
