Competent Splicer?

[Amelanchier]

Thought the splicing discussion would be best held in its own thread!

 

So, where were we? This has now been included within the new AFAG 401 Best practice leaflet.

 

42 Splices should be made by someone competent to splice, eg the manufacturer. Competence should be demonstrable for each rope type.

 

Hmmmm I can splice but am I competent???

Edited February 18, 2009 by Amelanchier
Coherence.

[High Scale]

42 Splices should be made by someone competent to splice, eg the manufacturer. Competence should be demonstrable for each rope type.

 

Hmmmm I can splice but am I competent???

 

Interesting point Tony, seems like a fair few of us on here can splice, how can it be proven that you are competent?

[nod]

Hello Folks

 

I'm sure there are many questions relating to this new guidance, unfortunately I've not read through it yet.

 

I will, however, ask for all & one to comment on the issue of competance as has already been mentioned. I see this as an opportunity for our industry to discuss within itself & formulate a standard.

 

Looking forward to hearing from yous all now!

 

Nod

[Amelanchier]

I assume competance would be have to be assessed? So presumably by someone already competant (there's a chicken and egg issue there!) watching you splice and then taking your splice/s away from you and testing it. Then a periodic re-assessment to keep pencil-pushers like me who play at tree climbing sharp and up to date!

[Mesterh]

There is probably an new unit on the NPTC web site as we speak related to splicing

 

For years I never thought that you could splice braided rope by hand I thought it was done by machine, well until I read about it on here of course

 

Surely the word 'should' in that sentence means that it isnt mandatory and therefore not required?

 

I would like to have a go at splicing but I dont think I have the patience

[bob]

i have been splicing about 7 months and in that time i have spliced approx 60 ropes

admittedly not all were successes but learning from mistakes is all part of the process

i have destroyed several of my splices and found them to distort or break at very high strengths definatly in excess of what a knot would fail at

what i wondered about re been competent was

1 Go on a splicing course

2 Go away for several months and splice a load of rope

3 Go BACK and do another splicing course/assessment to make sure you were not making any mistakes or little points

4 splice a few sample splices that were then sent for proper destructive tests and if they broke beyond a minimum strength you then were deemed competent to splice either that exact rope ie blaze or could it be that you could do all yale or all double braid

When i started out in trees you were taught on your climbing course to splice and you spliced everything inc prussicks now that was 3 strand which was relatively simple but then we moved onto multiplait which was a lot harder

and tbh a 16 strand is not that hard when you know how

So why could we splice then and not now

also imo splicing is safer than tying knots as they can come undone

and it is so easy to clip into wrong part of a knot or incorrectly tie the knot in the first place

[Dean Lofthouse]

Sending off a few different splices for test could be a competence test

[Amelanchier]

Ah but you need to be able to prove that they are your splices...

[bob]

Ah but you need to be able to prove that they are your splices...

 

that was what i meant in the refresher/ assessment splices could be done with witnesses

[Bundle 2]

" (there's a chicken and egg issue there!) "

 

So it seems NPTC are able and willing to designate units to apply competence to LOLER inspectors wothout splicing being an issue ( ie they are not trained or assessed in this regard re arb )...as they are not willing to offer units for splicing competence....there would seem to be an anomaly hereabouts....?

Edited February 18, 2009 by Bundle 2
weird techno gremlins....<>!!