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PPE Inspection course – Spaces remaining

Access Techniques are running a PPE Inspection course 26th – 27th April 2022. We currently have spaces available. To book please contact us on 01142 737398 or email info@access-techniques.com.

This is a two day course suitable for rope access technicians with previous experience using rope access equipment.

Cost £380 + VAT.

IRATA training at Access Techniques

IRATA Training Courses

We specialise in teaching Industrial Rope Access to IRATA standards, from our centre in the heart of Sheffield. We run rope access courses every week, and also offer bespoke training for work at height, equipment supply and PPE Inspection services.

Rope Access Equipment

We keep a full range of specialist rope access equipment in stock – harnesses, helmets, karabiners, ropes etc, from leading brands like Petzl, DMM and Beal – and you can try and compare equipment at our training centre in Sheffield. Alternatively we can deliver direct to you, usually within 24 hours in the UK.

New roof completed

Our new roof was finally completed last week, so no random drips any more! We’ve also had more skylights fitted on the west elevation meaning more natural light.

IMG_0862

Below you can see the building in its original form – with half the roof being glass. It must have been lovely and bright but I suspect a bit hot for hauling exercises in summer! As you can see, as well as being used as a drill hall, the building was also used to host formal dinners for the regiment. At one time it was even used to stage a circus complete with performing seals and ‘highly educated elephants’!

Drill Hall photo
The Drill Hall, Edmund Road, Sheffield

 

 

New ASAP & ASAP Lock – preview

Petzl’s update of the ASAP has been split into two versions – the ASAP, a smaller, neater version of the original, and the ASAP Lock, a lcoking version more suitable for rope access.

Full details in the video below:

ASAP – ASAP LOCK [EN] Mobile fall arrester for rope from Petzl professional on Vimeo.

Sadly the ASAP lock won’t be out ’til April 2014, but it certainly looks like it could be the most versatile device we’ve seen so far.

Access Techniques Duck_R

Safetec Duck R – the new Shunt?

Last month we finally took the long-awaited step of binning all our Shunts – at last their day is done. We’re shedding no tears. A big factor in this decision was the arrival of a delivery of the Safetec Duck R – aka ‘the stainless-steel Brazilian half-a-shunt’.

Safetec looked at the back-up problem a few years ago, decided they didn’t like the alternatives, so made their own version of the device they liked best. The first version of the Duck was almost an exact copy of the Shunt – just for one rope. But the new version – the Duck R (‘R’ for rescue) – has been re-engineered to solve many of the Shunt’s problems whilst offering a familiar user experience. Crucially it has also passed the European back-up device standard – EN 12841 A – and comes with a full set of instructions for rope access use.

The Duck Mk 1 - half a shunt!
The Duck Mk 1 – half a shunt!

Made of stainless steel, the device can be used on a cow’s tail and is much stronger than the original device (a major failing of the Shunt was its weak body which, if prevented from sliding, would simply pop off the rope at loads as low as 4kN). The cam face and geometry has also been redesigned so the device slips at higher loads (though still well below the EN standard 6kN limit), meaning less slippage in a fall, reduced clearance distances and making it much more suitable for two-person rescue loads.

Petzl Shunt
Petzl Shunt

Unlike the Shunt, the Duck R comes factory fitted with a sewn cord for towing. At 4mm thick and 40mm long this has been designed to be just big enough to get a decent grip for towing whilst maximising the chance of release in an emergency. S’tec do not recommend that the device is routinely continuously towed in descent, but allow that it may need to be for short distances – such as hopping out to clear an overhang or window. In common with other manually-positioned devices it has the problem that the device will not engage if the towing cord is not released, or the device, or rope above the device, is grabbed. These remain significant issues but, with the correct training and supervision, IRATA’s safety record suggests they can be overcome. On the other hand the Duck will require significantly less cross-over training than, say, an ASAP.

In terms of reviewing the device there isn’t much to say – in normal use it performs like a Shunt, and anyone familiar with the Shunt will feel at home right away. The cord is a little shorter than most will be used to, but seems a fair compromise given the need to release. Without running a series of drop tests its hard to say much more. What would be great is if IRATA, or a similar body, conduct a thorough range of independent tests so we have a better idea of how all the devices perform in different situations.

So is this the device to replace all back-ups? I don’t think so – but it is a very usable choice. Happily we are now (finally!) at a point where we have a range of good, purpose-built, type-approved devices from which to choose. With the forthcoming release of the DMM Catch this summer (we have a prototype available for techs to evaluate), and the recent rumours of Petzl’s new device (supposedly a smaller ASAP with a positioning catch) the choice will be even better. I doubt we will ever see a device that beats all others in all situations, but what we do have is a selection of solid-performing devices that we can choose to suit the situation.

At present, my choice of device depends on the users and the type of job. Accident statistics concerning back-ups are still fairly thin on the ground and it can be hard to decide whether protection against working line failure is more important than protection against losing control of a descender, or whether clearance distance is a bigger issue than impact force.

For inexperienced users, and jobs that require constant movement, a fall-arrest device like the ASAP will probably be the best choice. For more experienced tech, performing tasks where much of the work is spent stationary on the ropes, or close to structure with which they could collide in a fall, a device like the Duck that can be placed high and out of the way may be a better choice. During training we have a range of devices available – the ASAP and Duck being the most used at present – and explain when and where which is more appropriate.

If you want to check one out feel free to drop in if you are passing – the coffee machine is always on!

Duck’s are available to buy online in our shop here –  £75 plus VAT Discounts available on multiple orders

Further reading:

Rat trap magazine: Clucking Shunts, the search for the back-up holy grail (lots of background info)

HSE Report on rope access PPE: CRR 364/2001 (original research that identified Shunt performance issues)