Exercise extreme care with safety anchors

A recent article in the New Zealand newspaper The Dominion Post (15 Feb 2010) reported that 42 abseiling anchors on a Wellington apartment block were found to be unsafe. The article added that the Labour Department was investigating the company responsible for the safety of the industrial abseilers who use the anchors on the site, amid allegations of serious misconduct and fears of an imminent fatality.

Any of you who have scoffed at my personal ‘hang-up’ about drilled-in and glued-in anchors, please take note - this is where I say “I told you so!”

There is generally nothing wrong with the anchor (which is made to quality standards), but there is often something wrong with the installation and/or the testing.

The newspaper report does not fully explain the Australian New Zealand Standard's position (AS/NZS 4488.1 and 2) or Australian Rope Access Association’s (ARAA) position on drilled-in anchors - they should never (ever!) be used in axial tension and should only be used, if they must be used, substantially in shear.

The AS/NZS 4488.1 and 2 standards and the ARAA anchor Code (available from www.araa.net.au) provide plenty of information regarding inspection and testing.

This is yet another serious near incident and, in recent years, we have seen too many sites misusing drilled-in anchors which could well lead to a similar situation in Australia.

We are not drawing any conclusions or accusations regarding the persons involved in this job. That’s for the New Zealand safety authorities to sort out. But we are just reminding building owners and people who work at height that such an installation would appear to have been installed and inspected/tested well outside of the rope access standard or ARAA requirements.

The ARAA sets out in the anchor Code what skills are required to be in place for anchor installations. There are numerous skills that many installers do not fully understand, so if you are involved in this field, please take the time to read the ARAA anchor Code.

The rope access industry has an excellent safety record - let's keep it safe.

The ARAA website offers considerable information on anchor installations and even a complaints procedure where, if someone is concerned about a site, there is a process to follow to make a ‘complaint’ to ARAA and we’ll investigate it for them. There is also information to assist those involved in designing, installing, or testing/inspecting anchors, as well as assisting building managers to ensure they are meeting their responsibilities with regard to permanent anchor systems.

Anyone involved in designing, installing or inspecting/testing permanent anchor systems must ensure they have the necessary skills to be doing so. ARAA is currently working on training programs in this area and, in the future, hopes to develop specifications that stipulate formal qualifications for anyone to carry out these kinds of works. The incident in New Zealand simply underscores the urgent need for this.

*Peter Ferguson, President, Victorian committee of Australian Rope Access Association