Equipment storage, quarantine & disposal

Storage

Equipment should be stored in a secure environment to which access is restricted to necessary, competent personnel only.

After the equipment has been cleaned, dried, serviced and inspected according to the manufacturer's 'User Information', it should be stored in a dry, well-aired environment away from:

• Direct sunlight.
• Other sources of excessive heat.
• Any chemical contaminants.

When on-site, ropes and other items should be stored loose in equipment tackle sacks in a safe, secure place — to reduce the risk of chemical attack or mechanical damage.

Coiling ropes

Where ropes are required to be coiled, consider:

• The size and manageability of the coil.
• Whether it needs to be coiled double with anchor-point knots pre-tied to allow easy installation during an aid climb, for example.
• The coiling method should not twist the rope or be prone to tangling during uncoiling.

A standard 50 m dynamic rope, pre-coiled and secured with straps by the manufacturer, will require two operatives to uncoil it if tangles are to be avoided. Where rope is to be removed directly from the drum, it will first require securing — then unroll into a heap on a protective pad. Once cut and marked, coil in the manner appropriate to the operations taking place.

Quarantine procedures

A quarantine procedure ensures that:

• New equipment does not enter service without first being inspected, marked and the details entered into the relevant logs.
• Defective or suspect equipment, which has been withdrawn, does not enter service again without the inspection or approval of a competent person.
• Equipment awaiting disposal cannot re-enter service.
• Equipment returned from operations does not re-enter service without first being inspected.

Achieve this with a secure area marked 'Quarantine' where equipment in the above categories can be kept separately. When an item enters quarantine it should be inspected by a competent person and a secure label attached stating the reason — e.g.:

Quarantine — Awaiting inspection, returned from site.

Reporting lost or defective equipment

The law requires that:

1. Employers make arrangements to ensure employees can report any lost or defective PPE.
2. Employees report any loss, damage or deficiency.

These arrangements should ensure that defective PPE is replaced before the employee concerned begins work again.

Disposal

All equipment withdrawn from service should be disposed of by a suitably competent person, with the course of action entered into all relevant logs.

• Textiles should have the serial codes removed and be cut up into unusable lengths before disposal.
• Metal items should be recognisably and mechanically dysfunctional before disposal.