Anchor recertification, Melbourne.
A roof anchor is only current until its next inspection falls due. We inspect every point on the register each cycle, load test where the anchor type requires it, tag each anchor with its next due date, and issue a certificate and an updated register for the building.
Recertification keeps the register current.
AS/NZS 1891.4 requires anchorages and fall-arrest systems to be inspected at intervals not exceeding 12 months. Anchors under heavy use, such as abseil points on a rolling cleaning programme or BMU restraint anchors, go six-monthly. Each cycle, every anchor is matched to its register ID, inspected, load tested where its type requires it, tagged, and given a new due date.
The register is the record. It's what a building manager produces when a window cleaner, maintenance contractor or insurer asks whether the roof is safe to use, and it's what stops the cycle lapsing. Once a due date passes with no record, nobody should connect to those anchors until they have been reinspected.
What each annual recertification includes.
- Every point on the register. Anchor points, static lines and rail systems, each matched to its ID. Anything on the roof that isn't on the register is flagged and added.
- Condition and fixing. The anchor, its fixing and the substrate, with corrosion, cracking and movement checked. Any sign of a fall arrest or overload since the last visit is recorded.
- Load testing where the type requires it. Proof-load testing with calibrated equipment, recorded against the anchor. Where a type is assessed by inspection alone, the report says so.
- Tags and certificate. Compliant anchors are tagged with the inspection and next due dates, and a certificate is issued for the cycle.
- Updated register. Each anchor's ID, location, status, photographs, defects and next due date, carried into the next cycle.
Failed anchors are replaced, not just tagged out.
A failed anchor is tagged out of service on the spot and marked on the register with photographs. It is then replaced, not left as a line on a report. The replacement is a new anchor point to the manufacturer's specification, fixed with the same care as the original install, and tested before it goes back onto the register.
Where the structure can't take a like-for-like replacement, we say so and advise on the alternative. If the building needs a new layout rather than a swap, our height safety systems team scopes it.
A one-off anchor test is not recertification.
A one-off anchor point test answers one question: is this anchor sound today? It gives a result for the points tested on that visit, and doesn't reset the cycle for the rest of the building. Recertification covers every point on the register, sets the next due date for each, and carries the register forward year to year. For a single visit, see our anchor point testing and certification service.
A one-off test still has a place after a storm, after a fall has been arrested on the system, or after the roof has been altered. Anchors that have arrested a fall come out of service until they have been assessed. For ongoing coverage, recertification is the cycle to set up.
Quoted after a site inspection.
Recertification is priced by quote after a site inspection, not from a catalogue. The number of anchors, their types and positions, the roof access, and the state of the existing register all change the scope. For what drives the price, see our anchor point testing cost guide.
Anchor Recertification FAQs
How often do roof anchors need recertifying?
AS/NZS 1891.4 requires inspection at intervals not exceeding 12 months. Anchors in heavy use, such as abseil points and BMU restraint anchors, go six-monthly. Anyone using an anchor also checks it before each use.
What's the difference between recertification and a one-off anchor test?
A one-off test gives a result for the points tested on that visit. Recertification covers every point on the register, sets the next due date for each, and keeps the building's records continuous.
What do we get at the end of a cycle?
A certificate for the cycle, every compliant anchor tagged with its inspection and next due dates, and an updated register with each point's ID, location, status, photographs and defects.
What happens to an anchor that fails?
It is tagged out of service on the spot and marked on the register. We replace it with a new anchor point to the manufacturer's specification and test it before it goes back onto the register.
Our building has no register. Can you still recertify?
Yes. An anchor with no verifiable history is treated as uncertified until it has been tested. We survey the roof, map every point and rebuild the register from there. Until then, nobody should connect to those anchors.
When were your anchors last inspected?
Send us the building address and your current register, even if that's nothing. We'll respond within one business day.
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