Stationary Rope Technique

[jamiep]

Hi All,

 

Rope work causes healthy discussion amongst us and all have our own personal preferences whilst using ropes but the bottom line is that we are proficient, competent and safe when using them in the tree. It's equally as important to know how and when to check your equipment too. It's shocking how many users aren't aware of the potential dangers of not maintaining and storing climbing kit properly.

 

Please don't get blasé or be afraid to ask if you're not sure about anything, it's the best thing in the world when we go home safely at the end of each day to see the wife and kids so any knowledge that we can get only makes us safer.

 

There's loads of information available on the web from HSE ACOPs and guidance etc. through to equipment manufacturers guidelines and instructions. The IRATA guidelines are a bit daunting at first but their standards are, in my personal opinion, the highest in the rope users world so it's well worth reading up on them.

 

Stay safe and double check everything

[Moby]

As a contributor to the ICOP I have followed this thread with a keen interest which comprises opinions that are intelligent, informative and funny and at no point have plumbed the depths of offense…yet!

 

As an industry we have long sought clarity on issues of technical nature and have scoured a variety of related texts, ACOPs, ICOPs, Research reports and magazine articles. Variety as they say is ‘the spice of life’; however, when using this mode of information collection to provide a fundament upon which to base industry practices, it can also serve to muddy the waters!

 

When the AA commissioned the ICOP it was with the intention of providing principles and guidance and a framework around which we as an industry could map our work planning and systems. Given the plethora of information available it is important to provide clarity and cohesion as a basis from which to produce other technical guidance information.

 

During the authoring process one issue which was prevalent from the outset was the need to clarify the operating parameters for the systems we use; in order to do this it was first necessary to define those systems.

 

Within the industry we use terms and words to describe our techniques and systems such as: double rope, doubled rope, single rope, foot-lock, rope access, work positioning, dynamic and static. Each of these terms/words, although pertinent and applicable have been used to describe both systems and also components of systems. Not only this but when used in these contexts have been applied to subtly differing systems and thus creating potential confusion.

 

Tree work operations involving the use of a rope and harness will include a collection of components which when used correctly combine to either limit the potential for a fall or minimise the distance and consequences of a fall (referred to as a personal fall protection/prevention system).

 

Personal fall protection/prevention systems can include: work restraint, work positioning and fall arrest.

 

Work positioning is defined as a technique allowing a person working at height to be supported in tension or suspension, by PPE configured to prevent or reduce falls. Sub systems of work positioning are defined within the ICOP as; Doubled rope technique, Stationary rope technique, Spiking. The attached diagram illustrates this.

 

If we map commonly used terminology against each of these sub-systems and the definitions used within the ICOP, it would translate as per the following:

Doubled rope technique = Body thrusting, thrutching.

Stationary rope technique = Single rope techniques, foot-locking.

 

Where confusion commonly arises is in the use of the words double/ doubled. This has been used to make reference to the number of ropes in a system and also the configuration of a single piece of rope. What should be considered, rather than the number or configuration of ropes is the motion of the rope being stationary or moving. Therefore an operator could use a moving rope technique (body thrusting) with a stationary rope technique providing a back-up (single line with trailed device i.e Petzl ASAP).

 

Having read and re-read the ICOP definitions, it would seem more logical to now define sub-systems as simply, moving rope technique and stationary rope technique thus removing spiking as a stand-alone technique. Instead incorporating it into either moving or stationary by virtue of the ways in which an operator can secure themselves during ascent and descent when spiking.

 

Watch this space for the first amendment to the ICOP!!….thanks for the input my learned colleagues!