Three triggers
- Time. The manufacturer gives a service life, and for most products a shelf life. Unused equipment ages too: the polymer in a helmet shell changes with light, the webbing in a harness with moisture and UV.
- Condition. A pre-use check is made every time: cracks, deformation, cuts, broken stitching, wear, missing or substituted parts, an illegible label. If any of these is present the equipment is not used.
- Event. A system that has arrested a fall, a helmet that took a serious impact, a glove exposed beyond its design limit — all are out of use whatever the date says. These are “never used again” items.
Why a calendar is not enough
A system that looks only at dates makes two mistakes at once: it keeps damaged but in-date equipment in the field, and throws away sound but out-of-date equipment. The right arrangement lets the date prompt and lets the check decide.
Taking out of use is itself an operation
Equipment taken out of use has to physically leave the site. Damaged equipment left on a shelf, set aside “as a spare”, or passed to another crew will eventually end up on somebody, whatever the record says. The record has to cover removal too.
How this stands in Optifora
PPE records hold issue, inspection and withdrawal events together; a warning is produced before the life runs out, and an inspection finding is attached to the record itself. That gives one answer to the question “who is using which item, since when, and when was it last checked”.