Step Change in Safety
Alert
  • Published: 1 Nov 2016
  • Incident ID: 3999

Rope access anchor sling supplied with ferrule not crimped

Cause & Consequence

  • Failure of PPE/RPE

Other Cause & Consequence

Defective equipment

Contributing Factor

  • Complacency

Description of Process

Rope access steel wire sling for use as secure anchor point.

Description of Incident

Whilst setting up for a task the rope access team required 4 off wire anchor slings. When attaching the slings they appeared to be fit for purpose and correct. The defect was not observed during several visual check points.
With no load having been applied the defect was discovered on one of the slings prior to first use. It was immediately withdrawn from service and all other similar slings given thorough inspection.
The sling was fully certified by the manufacturer.
The manufacturer was alerted of the finding.

Good Practice Guidance

Maintaining vigilance and avoiding complacency during work equipment inspections can prevent incidents. New and fully certified equipment could lead to assumption that it is safe for use. In this case, manufacturing and subsequent initial workplace checks did not identify the issue – the work party conducted a thorough inspection of their equipment immediately prior to use and prevented a potentially hazardous situation.

Ask your suppliers if they've had any issues such as this. If so, they should share what they have learned and what did they do to inform those whom they had supplied elsewhere

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