BS 7985:2009 pdf free download – Code of practice for the use of rope access methods for industrial purposes.
c) The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 require employers to provide suitable personal protective equipment, which includes some protective clothing (see Clause 8).
d) The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 require operatives to have suitable personal protective equipment (see Clause 8).
e) The Work at Height Regulations 2005, as amended, require personal suspension equipment to be suitable and of sufficient strength (see Clause 8).
f) The Work at Height Regulations 2005, as amended, require operatives to have training, knowledge or experience in safe rope access methods (see Clause 7 and Clause 12).
g) The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers, in entrusting tasks to employees, to take into account their capabilities as regards health and safety (see Clause 7 and Clause 12).
h) The Work at Height Regulations 2005, as amended, require that the planning of work includes planning for emergencies and rescue (see Clause 12).
In addition, it is necessary to ensure that:
1) the operatives chosen to carry out the work have a suitable attitude for working at height (see Clause 6);
2) any tools and equipment used in the work do not endanger the operatives’ health and safety (see 12.4).
5.2 Summary of principles for a safe and effective system
NOTE 1 The principles listed should not be taken to be exhaustive. NOTE 2 For details of a typical method of descending and ascending using rope access techniques, see Annex A.
5.2.1 Before rope access work commences, a hazard identification and risk assessment has to be carried out to establish the appropriateness of using rope access techniques and to address any hazard issues. See 5.1.2 and 12.1.
5.2.2 Of primary importance is the principle of double protection. It is essential to include the provision of at least one alternative means of support to prevent an operative falling, for example, a working line plus a safety line. This means that, should any one item fail within the suspension system, there is an adequate back-up to prevent an accident. When an operative is to be in tension or suspension, there should be at least two independent anchor lines, one primarily as a means of access, egress and support (the working line) and the other as additional back-up security (the safety line). See 12.3.1.
5.2.3 Connection of an operative to the rope access system should be made in an area where there is no risk of a fall from a height, unless there is protection by other means. See 12.3.4.1 and 12.3.4.2.
5.2.4 Exclusion zones should be established as appropriate. This might necessitate establishing exclusion zones at locations other than the top and bottom of the rope access work site. See 12.3.4.1, 12.3.4.2, 12.6 and also 12.3.2.3.
5.2.5 The operative should be connected to both the working line and the safety line via an appropriate harness. The two lines may be connected to the same harness. See also 5.2.25 and 5.2.26.
5.2.6 The harness should be an appropriate sit harness or an appropriate full body harness. See 8.3.6.
5.2.7 The primary connection to the operative of both the working line and the safety line should always be via the harness, even if a workseat is being used. See 8.3.7.
5.2.8 The back-up device (on the safety line) should be capable of withstanding any foreseeable forces resulting from the rope access activity, without catastrophic damage to the safety line or the device. See 8.3.10.