Why a wrist thickness anchor point?

[Paddy1000111]

I always got told that the "wrist thickness" thing was bad practice. You could swing a couple people off a wrist thickness oak but it would be touching cloth on a willow. Too many variables I guess, V shaped, U shaped. Pick a brittle tree and see if you can hang a body off a wrist thickness branch with a V union and that could be an industry minimum? 😂

[skyhuck]

8 hours ago, Paddy1000111 said:

I always got told that the "wrist thickness" thing was bad practice. 

What were the chances.......

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

...and the ICOP(2) states:

"The anchor point of a personal fall protection system must be unquestionably reliable and be capable of withstanding any foreseeable loading throughout the task undertaken."

 

Apparently the, very catchy , "unquestionably reliable" term is adopted from the IRATA ICOP and relies on the 'proficient' climber making a judgement call...back to the thickness of yer wrist  

 

Thanks all..

Paul

[TIMON]

Thickness of a wrist means absolutely nothing if there is a poor union beneath it.

[ANK]

Wouldn't you need a dorsal attachment on a full body harness for the ASAP or any other type of fall arrest device? Fine if you're dangling off the side of a skyscraper washing windows but probably a bit annoying in a hairy lime tree...

A ventral attachment is fine as well which would be the preferred choice if it were to be used in tree work.

I’ve used it in tree work already and it’s the best system I’ve found to keep climbing on two ropes as close to climbing on one rope as possible. You don’t notice it’s there and it just follows you around the tree. Every now and then you have to tend it to take some slack out but no more than if you were using two work positioning systems.

It’s just that recently it’s been brought to light at the company I’m at that we may not be able to use it for tree work. So currently I can’t use it [emoji17]. I’m just digging for info to be able to clarify the issue further.

Really helpful input guys. Thanks!

[Retired Climber]

I think that the whole 'wrist thickness' thing may have suffered a bit from a 'Chinese whispers' effect over the years. 

 

I wasn't taught that you could anchor on something the size of your wrist; I was taught that you never use anything smaller than your wrist. Seemingly similar pieces of advice, but actually very different. 

 

I was told the wrist was used as a handy (sorry) reference as wrist circumference is actually quite accurately linked to body size, and as such, weight. You won't usually find a 9 stone whippet of a man with a massive great wrist, and equally you don't usually find an 18 stone guy with a wrist like a drinking straw. 

[krummholz]

I was actually told at college thickness of the bottom of the thigh just above the knee - quite a bit more variation there amongst folks...

[Retired Climber]

4 minutes ago, krummholz said:

I was actually told at college thickness of the bottom of the thigh just above the knee - quite a bit more variation there amongst folks...

I wonder if wrist size and thigh size are correlated. I seem to be just about able to get my hands around my leg just above the knee and can just about get a hand around my wrist. A coincidence? 

[struie]

On 17/02/2021 at 21:38, Stephen Blair said:

Depends what angle I have to go out at and how far!

 

im more diameter of a thigh myself.

  

is that male or female thigh size stephen,just for reference you understand.?   lol.

[carlos]

12kn is  a hell of a weight/ force!! how is a climber going to load an anchor anywhere near that??

i would be thinking a bit bigger than wrist size if that was a rigging scenario.