Trash hardware that has been shock loaded?

[MrFreeze]

Is there a standard on pitchin' hardware that has caught a load?

Rope, slings, you can inspect that stuff right?

[NJTF1Bowman]

Define overloaded, and do you mean software like ropes webbing sling. And Hardware like carabiners, gibbs, rings, and such?



As for the hardware if it is dropped to the ground as in parking lot, stone or any hard surface from the waist level or above it should be taken out-of-service.....and not used.







Robert B.

[ADSNWFLD]

Without expensive testing you can't tell if a piece of hardware has been damaged, so if something has been dropped, like NJ said, it should be destroyed. The most important thing is not to "retire" it to a utility rope bag or training. It is way to easy for it to resurface at an incident. Most NFPA equipment will show physical damage prior to failure, and that is usually well over its normal rating.

We use shock absorbers in our systems, safety lines and most everything where the deployed absorber wouldn't cause a problem. The shock absorber will protect the system and more importantly the rescuer. Of course it is best to plan and prevent the system from being shocked in the first place. With rope you can examine it to see if their is any damage.

If you have any doubts toss it, it is not worth one of our lives.

[MrFreeze]

NJ, yeah right on...

I got the dropping part. I was thinking more along the lines of equipment that was used in say a belay line or in some manner that it was used to catch a load that falls, shockloading said equipment.

Kinda the basis behind this: Was told in a class to retire that type of equipment, and equipment used in our practical station of catching a falling load is separate from equip. that hasn't been loaded as such.

What I'm wondering is if there is a standard to reference for when I tell our T.O. that I can't re-use belay equip. that was used in a class to catch loads. Because we don't have a whole 'nother set of gear for training, ya know?

[NJTF1Bowman]

Ok, seeing that the equipment is being used for training and your talking about shockloading the belay line during such activities then I would say that if these are part of the training and your only letting load all a few feet and are not a true shockload of the belay line where a mainline or anchor has failed and that the fall factor has been below .5 then I would not have a problem of reusing the belay equipment, But if it catches a TRUE shockload with a fall factor of .5 or more then I would not use reuse any software used in that belay system as that there maybe internal damage to the core of the rope and damage to webbing or runners used in the anchor system of that belay line.

I'm not sure of anything in writing, but use your common sense in taking equipment out of service. If you have any question about any piece of equipment don't use it.



Robert B.
Haddon Fire Co. #1
http://www.haddonfirecompany.org

NJ-TF1
Rescue Specialist

Confined Space & Rope Rescue Instructor
Camden County Fire Academy

[MtnRsq]

You need to be very careful in how you go about making decisions on toss/keep on equipment that has seen true shockloading.

NJ-TF1 notes some excellent guidelines (remember that is what they are - not "standards" or absolutes by any means). Any soft gear (ropes, webbing, etc.) that has held a substantial fall (high fall factor - if you don't know what this is or how to do a quick calculation - learn it/know it) OR been subject to a fall where there was significant abrasion, motion over an edge, or similar situations/factors that must be taken into account (these "caveats" should apply to hardware as well).

Rope logs and similar "tools" are useful in providing a history. This history must also be taken into account - a rope that has held some low fall factor impacts should be retired (completely or designated a training rope) well before it is called upon to handle the big whipper. I hope that if you are doing demos of shockloading (and they are useful) you are using equipment that will NEVER be pressed into use with live loads - training or not. Treat such use as a form of destructive testing.

Hardwear is generally better when it comes to shockloading (many pieces of hardwear are engineered to handle these loads more effectively), but hardwear may not show damage as "clearly."

Anything that has been unexpectedly loaded should be carefully inspected and retired as necessary. In fact it is good practice to carefully inspect rope, etc. after use for unexpected signs of damage.

Just as a side note - if you have a (unintentional) failure where you've loaded parts of the system as we've discussed - you have a MAJOR problem and had better be taking a very hard look at what happened. Generating high fall factors in a rescue is a recipe for disaster.

[lutan1]

For those operating in Australia, refer to AS1891.4, Selection Use and Maintenance of Industrial Fall Arrest Systems. It quite clearly specifies a "one fall" life for all equipment. (Also a 10 year life span only, from date of manufacture)

For those running a shock absorber in Australia, under the Australian Standards, they are designed to deploy in a load above 600kg's. Once again, if you deploy a shock absorber- discard ALL equipment that was used on that system.

For ropes, AS4142.3, Static Life Rescue Lines, gives a life span of 5 years maximum (Also from date of manufacture)and one fall....