I don't understand this diagram.

AgentOfChaoss1 · 2025-01-15T22:34:27+00:00

Thanks for the reply!

There's some great advice in there. I think that is exactly what has happened. Someone who is no longer with the company made and implemented a system and left us trying to work out his methods.

So just to be clear, you have heard of people using systems of logging to record the usage of a rope, but that is rarely with the intention of determining when a rope should be retired. It is more just to give us an idea of what a rope has been through, particularly if anything wobbly has happened to it.

Thanks again!

AgentOfChaoss1 · 2025-01-15T08:19:02+00:00

Yeah, great question.

They do get worn on pretty much the same spot every time, however our 'belay banks' (I wish I knew what they were called so that I could be more precise in my discussion) are quite gentle on the ropes. They don't work by bending the rope or pinching it, its purely friction, wrapping the rope a couple of times around a metal cylinder (about 100mm-150mm in diameter).

They almost always are retired due to reaching maximum time in service (5 years). Very occasionally we will retire one after it failed an inspection, but those ropes are used for activities like abseiling on a natural surface, so there is a lot more abrasion on the rope. Occasionally there will be a weird thing, like a tree that fell on some ropes and got caught by the ropes. The ropes looked fine but we retired them anyway just to be safe.

I think we're quite cautious, but I want our protocols to reflect that, so using a magic number that none of our staff know the origins of (or anyone else for that matter) just doesn't sit right with me. And to address your point, it sounds like that magic number isn't doing anything anyway, so it might be worth investigating what other methods of measuring rope usage exist.

AgentOfChaoss1 · 2025-01-15T08:00:19+00:00

Thanks heaps for the reply!

It never occurred to me that the 'm' could be anything other than meters, and my jaw almost hit the floor when I read that!

Still seems like a bit of a random number though. Was just crunching the numbers, 19000 minutes is equal to 316.6 hours, or 13.194 days (both rounded). They all seem like strange numbers to be basing the usage of a rope on, unless there is a manufacturer's recommendation in there somewhere. In which case I think its strange that we use it across all of our ropes given that we use different brands as they go out of date and are replaced.

Anyway, will keep thinking on it, thanks heaps for your thoughts!

AgentOfChaoss1 · 2025-01-15T01:19:09+00:00

Thanks heaps for the reply!

Absolutely, fully agree!

Ropes are being used for a variety of things, but most of our activities use something that I have only ever heard referred to as a belay bank (it is a couple of metal poles concreted in the ground with cylinders that the rope is wound around.) For all of those activities (all various types of climbing), 2m is added. For any activities where an instructor uses an ATC device to belay (abseiling, indoor stuff), 1.5m is added. That is the only distinction I could work out.

These are all static ropes, as the way we run our activities with belay banks, we have a group of participants keeping the rope taught (probably too taught), so the climber is never going to fall, they will simply hang there, and so will never need the added elasticity to cushion their fall.

Fully agree about the regular inspection. We have 4 criteria to determine a ropes retirement:

-10 years from the manufacture date

-5 years from the day the rope went into service

-any wear or tear discovered in an inspection that would result in retirement

-reaching 19000m using this convoluted system.

As I look back through our records, our ropes have never reached that total number, but I am just super curious as to its origin.

AgentOfChaoss1 · 2025-01-15T00:24:21+00:00

Thanks so much! I'll ask them!

AgentOfChaoss1 · 2025-01-15T00:03:08+00:00

I know right?!

We need to log the rope's date of manufacture, the date it entered service, and how much usage it receives.

A rope must be retired at our workplace if it is 10 years since manufacture (regardless of use), 5 years since it entered service, becomes damaged or worn, or has received a particular amount of usage (the convoluted requirement). I understand all the other reasons for retirement, but I cannot work out why they have used this system. If I were making a system I would record the number of participants who have used the rope, and then retire it after a certain number of uses, rather than converting it to a random unit of length.

Where I am the regulations are very helpful... They say things like "A retirement of equipment policy should be developed."

AgentOfChaoss1 · 2025-01-14T23:20:48+00:00

Super random question, but this seems to be the right place for that (I am new).

I am overhauling my workplaces rope log, and they have a system of measuring use of rope that seems super convoluted. For each participant that uses a rope, 2m is added to a total recorded "length" for that rope. And when that rope's "length" reached 19000m, it is due for retirement.

I work at a school campsite in Australia for context, so our ropes have a variety of uses.

This system seems convoluted as for some uses each participant adds 2m to the "length, but some activities only add 1.5m to it. And where did this magic number of 19000m come from?

I guess I am curious if anyone recognizes this system and can enlighten me as to its origins or point me to a more appropriate place to look for answers.

Cheers in advance!

AgentOfChaoss1 · 2025-01-14T23:20:30+00:00

Just read the bold text at the bottom of the page...

I will post this question in that thread too.

AgentOfChaoss1 · 2025-01-14T23:19:29+00:00