Safety Knights

Periodic fall protection inspections are an ANSI and manufacturer requirement, which requires it to be done by a competent person OTHER than the user AT LEAST annually. You just need to complete a thorough Fall Protection Competent Person training course through a reputable training provider. There's no designated "inspector" training course, per se - although some companies may market it that way.

The purpose of the annual competent person inspection is part of a 2-step inspection process (one by the user, other by the competent person) to ensure the pre-use inspections are being conducted properly. Overall, the annual competent person inspection is looking for the exact same inspection items as the pre-use inspection performed by the user on a daily basis. If the competent person finds a defect during the annual inspection, then your next step is to evaluate the reason why the user didn't find the defect because, in a perfect world, the competent person should never find any defects on their periodic inspections - they should all be noted by the user during their pre-use inspection, and then brought to their employer's attention.

It's also important to note that you should also be "qualified" to inspect that type of equipment. Inspecting a harness and lanyard is one thing, but not everyone is "qualified" to inspect horizontal lifeline tensioners, knots in ropes/vertical lifelines to see if they are acceptable, etc.

We (Arrow Safety) teach people how to do the competent person inspections as part of our 8- and 16-hour Competent Person courses, including all manufacturer requirements, documentation, inspection criteria, responsibilities of a competent person, etc. Overall, though, any training provider you go through should be conducting their Competent Person courses in accordance with the training requirements mentioned in ANSI Z359.2, so ALWAYS ask for a course outline prior to the course to ensure the inspection process is covered during the course. If it's not, then they're not covering all of the ANSI requirements for a competent person.

You want onsite or are you willing to travel! Either way not cheap!

Drew is a great option and I would urge you to call him.

Before I knew Drew I always wanted go to a 3M/Honeywell Seminar at their Fall Protection Center. They were the best. However, with the cost of the training back then $3,000 10 years ago and the travel expenses for a week, we did not have quite enough PFP to justify the expense. (I estimated $5,000, 10 years ago in total). I also knew I would be retiring in a couple years. Wish I would have done so now.

Guardian and 3M and several other company's do this training, might check with your supplier of the equipment they also teach classes.
One other option is to reach out to your local fire services training department they can also get you certified .
Magid also has a online class you can take for Fall Protection

If you haven't had competent person training on all things fall protection, don't miss your opportunity for incredible training by Mark Damon below before he retires!

https://www.damonfallprotection.com/mark-damon

I was told 3M has the best train the trainer program. Check with the manufacturer of your harnesses

For our fall protection program (orderpicker trucks - full body harnesses and overhead PFL), we are lucky to be within driving distance of the training centers for Honeywell Miller and MSA. Since the certification from the courses lasts 2 years, we could just do an 8-hr refresher, but find that the full 16 hour class is worthwhile because it has more time to get into the weeds a bit, and we always leave the class with things we want to implement, change, or stop doing as it's no longer best practice.

My two cents. The "Competent" person has been a discussion point my whole career. The bottom line is what defines a competent person. OSHA has their definition, so I won't go into that. In my opinion, the only way to show evidence that you are a competent person is to have experience and knowledge. Experience is evident through use and personal inspection after being trained by a "competent" person.
Knowledge, which can be derived from experience, should be done through some sort of Fall Protection course. The reason for this is to have evidence of knowledge which usually results in a certificate of some kind. Employers can deem a competent person, but they should have some evidence. I personally went through competent person training twice in my career and both times were a week-long course. I'm not saying that is what people need to do, but it is invaluable information that may not be achieved through traditional training or use.
Be careful of experience based on sole use; the old-school mentality or "this is the way I've always done it" may not be up to par with current rules and regulations. Good luck in your venture.

Its a competent user and I also use my vendor to assist.