What equipment is required for Rope Access?
Equipment is integral to rope access. Technicians must have a comprehensive understanding of the apparatus, its technical applications and corresponding safety awareness. Furthermore, all equipment must be regularly inspected and maintained. After all, a rope access technician is reliant on equipment, both in order to do the job effectively and more importantly to remain safe whilst doing so.
Primary Equipment refers to the apparatus necessary to carry out a safe ascent and descent. Secondary equipment refers to the tools attached to the technician's harness, such as cleaning apparatus, sealants, drills, etc. These must be attached to the harness via lanyards to avoid danger to anyone below, in the event that a worker drops one of their tools.
Here are the following equipment for Rope Access:
An ascender does what is says on the tin: it allows the technician to ascend the ropes. Working in much the same way as a friction hitch, which slides along the rope whilst unloaded but locks into place when weight is applied. Ascenders are mechanical devices and are much easier to use than a friction hitch, as well as being considerably safer.
2. DESCENDERS
You guessed it! Descenders are used for lowering workers or loads, allowing them to do so at a controlled rate. As with ascenders, they work by leveraging the concept of friction. A descender should also have a self-braking mechanism, which will engage in the event that the operator lets go of the device.
3. LANYARDS / ENERGY ABSORBERS
Lanyards and energy absorbers are used in conjunction to link a harness to an anchor. It is the most widespread type of fall arrest system used in the industry and is designed to reduce the force on the body in the event of a fall.
4. HARNESSES
There are various different types of harnesses available, with the most common being a full-body harness or sit harness. The full-body harness provides a wide range of attachment points and is therefore more commonly used in industrial or rescue applications.
5. HELMETS
An essential safety element to rope access, helmets protect workers against falling debris or other bumps to the head. Although mandatory on all construction sites as standard, it is especially important when working at height; if the worker were to be knocked unconscious, they risk suffering from orthostatic hypotension resulting from a restriction of blood flow caused by the harness.
6. ROPES
Rope access wouldn’t really be rope access without… ropes. Those used in rope access are designed to be exceedingly strong, whilst also flexible and lightweight. All ropes used must meet the required safety standards set by IRATA.
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7. CONNECTORS (CARABINERS)
It might seem obvious, but connectors?are used to connect one thing to another — it’s that simple. More specifically, they are devices used to either attach two bits of kit together or to attach equipment to the harness belt. These come in the form of carabiners and maillons: the former being a temporary connector that locks and opens quite easily, the latter being more permanent connectors that are used less often and therefore locked with a tight screw fixture.
8. FOOTLOOPS / ENTRIERS
Footloops and entriers?are used to aid a worker in navigating a structure or climbing up a rope. They are usually made of heavy-duty nylon and incorporate adjustable elastic straps to prevent slippage. While footloops have only one loop at the end, entriers have several loops all along the apparatus in the shape of a ladder.
9. MOBILE FALL ARREST DEVICES
In the event of either a fall or an uncontrolled descent,?Mobile Fall Arrest Devices?ensure that the worker has a strong and stable backup. These are attached to the reserve safety line of a rope system, are only activated in the event of sudden acceleration (think of seat belts in the event of a crash). They are designed to safely lock on to the line without causing any damage and compromising its stability.
10. SLINGS / STROPS
Slings and strops?act as portable anchors in situations where there is no fixed anchor point and a temporary one is required. Workers can simply loop the apparatus around a structural rigging point (e.g. a pipe or beam) and attach their carabiners through the rigging ring. Due to their protective sleeves, strops are more resilient to chemical and heat damage than slings.
11. PULLEYS
In the context of rope access,?pulleys are used to minimize the friction of any rope that runs through it by providing a smooth wheel for them to glide along. These are essential bits of kit in any hauling system, especially when changing the direction of moving ropes.
12. SWIVELS AND RIGGING PLATES
Swivels and rigging plates?are used to prevent ropes from twisting and wrapping around each other, respectively. Swivels are rotational attachments designed in such a way that, if a heavy load spins while being hauled, the rope system will simply spin along with it. Rigging plates, on the other hand, are designed to divide and organize ropes so that several different systems can be attached to a single anchor point.
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