Work seats are an item of equipment designed for your comfort and health. They’re most commonly used when techs are working in a single position for an extended period of time, and can reduce the risk of suspension intolerance.

During your IRATA Assessment, all levels will be asked to demonstrate competence correctly attaching and using a work seat as part of their system, it is NOT considered personal protective equipment, but rather an addition for comfort.

As you’re fitting your work seat to the anchor line, make sure that your harness is still your primary attachment point. We’re always trying to mitigate the risk of equipment failure with back-ups, and this is an instance where you definitely don’t want your work seat to be the first thing that’s keeping you safe.

Additional resources to check out:

TACS 6.6.13 and ICOP Part 2, 2.7.11 for the source material for this blog.

ICOP Part 3, Annex G for more information on suspension intolerance.

This is part of an ongoing series, where we’re breaking down IRATA’s syllabus and clarifying exactly what ‘demonstrating competence’ and ‘demonstrating awareness’ means, and what will be expected of you on assessment day. To access the IRATA study guides, click below: