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Understanding the IRATA Syllabus: Pre-Use Checks

After arriving at work, one of the first things you will always do is a pre-use check of all your personal protective equipment. You’ll look them over, and check for any signs of wear-and-tear or damage. If you see something that looks troubling, always talk to your L3 supervisor. If at any point you feel unsafe, it is always your right and responsibility to speak up and voice your concerns.

Different pieces of personal protective equipment require different types of pre-use checks. Equipment like your harness and helmet only need a visual and tactile check. You don’t want to be proof-loading your harness or tossing your helmet onto the ground to test their functionality as that will undermine their effectiveness and could actually immediately make them unsafe. This type of equipment is tested in batches. One item out of an entire batch in the production process has been tested by a specific testing association (CE, UL) to earn a standard, and then properly disposed of. The rest from that same batch are then deemed good-to-go. That being said, it is still important to do your own visual/tactile inspection in case there is something that was missed or overlooked. This does not happen very often, but there are a few horror stories kicking around of equipment making it through manufacturers inspection processes with faults. Often this results in a recall, but you don't want to be the one who triggers the awareness of that because of an accident due to faulty gear.

Equipment you will want to test the functionality of might include the ropes, karabiners, ascending and descending devices, and back-up devices. Again, only with reasonable static loads (ie. one person hanging on it)

During your IRATA Assessment, all levels will be asked to demonstrate competence completing functional, visual, and tactile pre-use checks of all personal equipment.

L2 and L3 certifying techs will be asked to demonstrate competence completing functional, visual, and tactile pre-use checks of all ropes and rigging equipment – yours and all other members of your team.

These inspections are generally brief, but they are the minimum requirement. It would be a good idea to continuously monitor your equipment throughout the work day. Especially if you find yourself working in adverse conditions. You don’t need any formal documentation to do these checks, although some techs do use a daily inspection check-list. That step will be up to you and your supervisor.

On Assessment Day, your assessor may ask you to demonstrate your competence through a desk-based written test, or through a more practical, often verbal, demonstration. Be prepared for both.

We’ll go into further detail on all of this during your training week.

Additional resources to check out:

TACS 6.3.3 for the source material for this blog.

ICOP Part 2, 2.8 for more information on marking and traceability

ICOP Part 2, 2.10 for more information on inspection, care, and maintenance of equipment

ICOP Part 3, Annex H for an equipment inspection checklist

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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:

IRATA Level 1 Study Guide     IRATA L2 Study Guide     IRATA L3 Study Guide