The perfect storm – keep an eye on your rigging We were on a canyoning trip recently when we were using a figure-8 abseil device as a block. Over the last eight years, I have probably rigged it over 500 times and never had an issue. However, on this occasion, all the holes in the Swiss […]
When anchor acronyms go bad There are a lot of anchor acronyms out there in the rigging, rope and rescue world. A few examples include: SERENE: Solid (or strong), Equalized, Redundant, Efficient, No, Extension ERNEST(A): Equalized, Redundant, No, Extension, Solid (or strong), Timely, (Angles) STRADS: Solid, Timely, Redundant, Angles, Distribution, Shockload They are all basically variations […]
More and more about less and less. This idea has been rolling around between the ears for some time – so time to release it to the world. If we have more and more information about finer and finer detail that makes no difference to our practice then why do we need it? This finer […]
Or risk management in the real world. For the past few months, I have started to use the term ‘risk priority’ to describe how to manage emerging risks in the moment. A lot of the places we work are dynamic in nature. Maybe we are moving through an environment or we are in one place […]
Safety information. 7 ways to make your safety information more engaging for staff. A few years ago I started up an adventure tourism company. Before we could operate I had to create a safety management plan (for an audit). I spent many days crafting a wonderful plan. Now I needed to get this information into a format that […]
Knots Safety Check How to undertake a knots safety check before use A knots safety check is a really important step in your rope work just prior to use. You will learn how to go through a 6-step systematic quality check for each knot, bend or hitch. This includes: aligned, tightened, tail length, loop size, fit […]
