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awrf.org: Natural and synthetic fiber rope slings are used mostly in marine operations, and in temporary work such as construction. Here are some fundamentals that must be followed to making your experiences with these rope slings safe while they get jobs done.
This article has taught me that in order to have safe ropes, you need to find ropes that are safe.. Yes thank you for this informative session. Thank you for letting me know that I should follow all manufacturer specifications and recommendations. Sarcasm aside, I find the instruction to "select a qualified individual to do daily inspections of the sling before use" somewhat interesting. By what metric is somebody qualified to do inspections of slings? And daily inspections of the entire length of rope? That seems quite rigorous. Unless I'm reading too much into "qualified." I suppose yes, it is logical that everybody should look at the rope they are using before they use it.
Theatre does have a leg up on the marine industry in that most of our equipment is not subject to such harsh conditions. It is much less likely that our equipment is subject to "extreme temperatures, sunlight and UV light, and chemically active environments."
I find the most interesting thing about this article to be that the author makes sure to say that the ropes must be spliced according to manufacturer’s specifications. This is one of the most important things to me. I’ve had too many times where people have told me things that just weren’t true. Or they tell me to always do it this way or that way – always use three crimps on 3/16” aircraft cable or always work from the thimble out. In reality, those specifications come from the manufacturer. A lot of this article doesn’t seem to apply to theater, or at least most theaters because we aren’t making our own splices and slings. We buy them. That being said, the information in the article can be applied in a general sense to all of our rigging. Make sure you have the right equipment for the job and that it is rated properly, take care of it, and make sure you have trained people using it.
2 comments:
This article has taught me that in order to have safe ropes, you need to find ropes that are safe.. Yes thank you for this informative session. Thank you for letting me know that I should follow all manufacturer specifications and recommendations. Sarcasm aside, I find the instruction to "select a qualified individual to do daily inspections of the sling before use" somewhat interesting. By what metric is somebody qualified to do inspections of slings? And daily inspections of the entire length of rope? That seems quite rigorous. Unless I'm reading too much into "qualified." I suppose yes, it is logical that everybody should look at the rope they are using before they use it.
Theatre does have a leg up on the marine industry in that most of our equipment is not subject to such harsh conditions. It is much less likely that our equipment is subject to "extreme temperatures, sunlight and UV light, and chemically active environments."
I find the most interesting thing about this article to be that the author makes sure to say that the ropes must be spliced according to manufacturer’s specifications. This is one of the most important things to me. I’ve had too many times where people have told me things that just weren’t true. Or they tell me to always do it this way or that way – always use three crimps on 3/16” aircraft cable or always work from the thimble out. In reality, those specifications come from the manufacturer. A lot of this article doesn’t seem to apply to theater, or at least most theaters because we aren’t making our own splices and slings. We buy them. That being said, the information in the article can be applied in a general sense to all of our rigging. Make sure you have the right equipment for the job and that it is rated properly, take care of it, and make sure you have trained people using it.
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