A safety element retention system having a reel upon which a safety element or strap may be wound, a spring return mechanism, for rewinding the reel and retrieving the safety strap, and further having at least one locking plate, connected integrally with the reel, with a locking hook associated with the reel, a ramp adjacent the hook, a locking dog adjacent to the hook and being swingable about a pivot axis, a damping device connected to said dog for slowing down movement a spring biassing the dog into a predetermined first position, and, a ramp follower member to contact the ramp on the locking plate, and cause the dog to move against the biassing force of the spring, into engagement with a hook on the locking plate, the biassing force of the spring causing swinging of the dog in the reverse direction, during normal operation, to remove the dog out from the path of the hook.