There’s a whole range of different anchor-types used in rope access, including purpose-engineered steelwork and eyebolts, to temporary ground anchors, weight-boxes, and natural anchors like trees.
During your IRATA Assessment, all levels will be asked to demonstrate awareness of the minimum recommended strength requirements for these rope access anchors.
L3 techs will be asked to demonstrate competence selecting suitable structural elements to use as rope access anchors.
This is possibly the most important component of your rope system, as it’s what all your other bits of gear are banking on. If an entire anchor system fails, then you’re going to be in trouble.
IRATA is very clear in saying that techs who’ve been given the responsibility for selecting anchors, should ensure that they’re competent to do so. This may mean enrolling in another training course, if you’re feeling unsure of yourself. There’s absolutely no room for guessing here, and the ability to acknowledge the limits or your competence is vital to all rope access operations (especially in regard to the selection and installation of rope access anchors). In fact, your ability to acknowledge the limits of your competence is one of the things you’ll be tested on here.
During your training week, we’ll go through the wide variety of anchors available to you, and discuss their pros and cons, and how to make the best choice for your system of work. This portion of the assessment may be practical or desk-based. We’ll make sure that you’re ready for both.
Additional resources to check out:
TACS 6.4.2 for the source material for this blog.
ICOP Part 2, 2.11.2 for more information on the anchor system (anchors and anchor lines)
ICOP Part 3, Annex F for safety considerations when installing or placing anchor devices for use in rope access.
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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:
