The heavy, reusable side of fall protection hires readily: temporary guardrail, counterweighted anchors, davit bases, horizontal lifelines and netting. The part that touches a person tends not to, because harnesses and lanyards are personal protective equipment with an inspection history, and a yard cannot hand you one and stand behind what it has been through.
The rentable half
Free standing guardrail sections with weighted feet, mobile anchor carts, davit arms with bases, horizontal lifeline systems and debris or personnel netting. These are priced by the week or the month because they sit on a job for its duration, commonly from around $150 a week for a modest guardrail run.
Why the harness is a purchase
A harness has to be inspected before every use and taken out of service after arrest, and it is fitted to one body. Yards that do stock them keep few, so the practical answer is to buy the harness and lanyard and hire the structure they clip to. Budget for that separately when you price the job.
Clearance under the worker decides the kit
Arresting a fall takes distance: the free fall, the deceleration, the stretch and a margin above whatever is below. Where that distance does not exist, a fall restraint setup that stops somebody reaching the edge, or a guardrail that removes the edge, is the answer instead of a longer lanyard.
Guardrail is the choice that needs no training plan
A rail nobody can walk past protects everyone on the deck, including the visitor who arrived without a harness. Personal arrest gear protects one trained person who clipped on correctly. Where the geometry allows it, hiring rail for the month is usually the cheaper and quieter decision.
Questions people ask about fall protection equipment rental
Will a rental counter hire me a harness?
Most will not, and the ones that do keep a very small stock. Harnesses are personal equipment with a service life and an inspection record, so plan to buy the harness, lanyard or retractable and hire the anchor, rail or cart it attaches to.
What does a mobile anchor cart cost to hire?
Weekly and monthly rates are the norm, and the units are heavy specialist stock held by larger branches, so expect to book ahead and to pay a haul each way. Ask which counterweight configuration is included, because the rating depends on it.
Is temporary guardrail worth hiring for a short job?
Often yes. It goes up in a morning, needs no per person setup, and covers everybody on the surface for as long as it is there. On a two or three day roof repair the weekly rate on a rail run is frequently less than the time lost rigging and checking personal systems.