LOLER advice

[Peter]

If you sat your LOLER examiners assessment and declared an item of textile fit for use after it's 5 year date was up. you would fail the exam on the basis of having made a safety critical error.

Likewise in a real life scenario if you did the same thing and the item failed in any way you would be at fault.

Not a risk I would want to take, wether I was climbing with the rope myself or examining it for someone else.

 

 

Did your examiner tell you that?

 

Btw, here is a link to the LOLER 1998 regs, it's not very long, have a read through and tell me where the five year rule is.

 

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/2307/schedule/1/made

[Peter]

Taken from ICoP for arboriculture: tree Work at Height (Edition 1, February 2015)

 

"2.12.4 Equipment lifespan

the lifespan of equipment is determined as the period for which an item of equipment remains safe for use within the tolerances specified by the manufacturer or competent person.

Manufacturer’s guidance should be referred to when assessing the lifespan of an item of equipment; the age, use and storage conditions will have a significant bearing in relation to continued use.

Where manufacturers specify a lifespan, this should be adhered to, and equipment outside of the specified timeframe should be withdrawn from service. lifespans can only be exceeded where equipment has been thoroughly examined by a competent person and deemed safe for extended use. an inspection regime of suitably short intervals should be implemented to reflect any extension of use beyond the manufacturer’s stated lifespan."

 

Why would the latest industry ICOP include a provision for extending lifespan of equipment if this is strictly prohibited?

 

PS The technical author of that ICOP is one of only three people who supervise LOLER exams.

Edited May 24, 2015 by Peter

[TIMON]

Yes I am aware of the provision.

I am acquainted with the author of the latest ICOP.

Extending the lifespan of an item beyond the manufacturers recommendation is not something I would enter into lightly.

Eg..A climbing line still in its pack un-opened ,stored in the dark etc.. Say a year beyond its end of use date..

So say I declared it fit for use and asked to TE it once a month. What would happen if it failed?

Where would I stand from a legal point of view?

[skyhuck]

Yes I am aware of the provision.

I am acquainted with the author of the latest ICOP.

Extending the lifespan of an item beyond the manufacturers recommendation is not something I would enter into lightly.

Eg..A climbing line still in its pack un-opened ,stored in the dark etc.. Say a year beyond its end of use date..

So say I declared it fit for use and asked to TE it once a month. What would happen if it failed?

Where would I stand from a legal point of view?

 

Surely that would still be good for 5 years??

[Peter]

G'day,

 

An occasional user (albeit a careful one) could make a climbing line last for 5years but LOLER (regs) say he would have to retire it then.

 

Yes I am aware of the provision.

I am acquainted with the author of the latest ICOP.

Extending the lifespan of an item beyond the manufacturers recommendation is not something I would enter into lightly.

Eg..A climbing line still in its pack un-opened ,stored in the dark etc.. Say a year beyond its end of use date..

So say I declared it fit for use and asked to TE it once a month. What would happen if it failed?

Where would I stand from a legal point of view?

 

So where did you get the compulsory five year retirement rule from then? I'm still waiting for you to come up with some evidence.

 

I've pointed out where it isn't (loler primary legislation) and an icop that contradicts your earlier statement. All you've posted is more questions to distract from the fact that your original statement is incorrect.

 

If you don't know the answer to your last two questions I suggest you retake your loler course.

[Peter]

Surely that would still be good for 5 years??

 

There is provision for time spent in proper storage, thats why recording the date of first use is important.

[TIMON]

So where did you get the compulsory five year retirement rule from then? I'm still waiting for you to come up with some evidence.

 

 

 

I've pointed out where it isn't (loler primary legislation) and an icop that contradicts your earlier statement. All you've posted is more questions to distract from the fact that your original statement is incorrect.

 

 

 

If you don't know the answer to your last two questions I suggest you retake your loler course.

 

 

If you look at my original post I said 5 years from first use. (Generally I think this is what most manufacturers state. including harnesses)

We WERE told on our exam that passing an item beyond it's recommended date would result in a safety critical error. Resulting in a fail.

The case in point was a harness .

I wasn't asking questions to distract.

If I am wrong I will accept it.

Getting back to the OP, I wouldn't pass a slipping spiderjack and wouldn't pass a rope with no paperwork/record of first use/unique id mark.

I wasn't trying to argue with you.

[skyhuck]

Out of interest, how would an examiner know a SJ was slipping???

[Mesterh]

Out of interest, how would an examiner know a SJ was slipping???

 

That's what I was wondering.

 

Plus why would anyone have a slipping sj never mind put it in for inspection?

 

 

I wouldn't put a car in for mot knowing the brakes weren't great hoping the inspector wouldn't notice.

 

None of this is a dig at the op btw just seems a bit bizzare to me.

[TKO]

Ease up boys! It's all getting a bit heavy.

 

You both bring forward valid points. My opinion would be, how much is to be gained from pushing the letter of the law to its limits. If its the price of a clutch and a new line (£200) then it's probably not worth chancing it, from both a legal stand point or a safety standpoint.

 

To the original poster, I would say just get a couple of replacements and hold onto your documentation for the line this time round. That way you've got a device that grips when you want it to and a climbing line you can use for the next 5 years.....or longer depending on who you use to loler your equipment:lol: