Standards for High Ropes and Adventure Constructions – how to ensure they are applicable and applied!

There are several standards which can be applied to adventure constructions. If your not a construction company, or haven't had the time to read through all of them, it's hard to know what applies to what! We have set out below some précis to the currently most used standards in the UK. These précis are intended to be quick reference/overview and nothing more.

Applicable and applied is also difficult as anyone can say that their construction complies to a standard in a very convincing way. That does not mean that it actually does!

Probably the most important recent development is the AAIAC document which stipulates, among other things, a need to conform with EN 15567. The cornerstone of EN 15567 is a ERCA Type A inaugural inspection. (Type A,B or C inspectors are classified by EN 17020 which is about inspection procedures not what is being inspected!!) For ERCA inspection purposes a Type A is a fully independent inspector who only inspects high ropes installations, a Type B will inspect and maintain high ropes and a Type C will build, inspect and maintain high ropes.

At the time of writing this – 20.7.09 – there is only one ERCA Type A High Ropes inspector in the UK. His name is Paul Capper. If the company supplying your installation do not know who he is and are not using his services it is highly unlikely that your installation will comply with EN 15567 – unless they have flown over Mr Walter Siebert an ERCA Type A inspector based in Austria -  in which case your eyes will be watering at the cost!

Rope Course Construction has undertaken to have all our new builds inspected to  EN 15567. This is a bold move as our prices will be slightly higher due to the added inspections costs – and we will not be able to compete with those companies that do not apply this high standard.  But we fully understand that we are not going to win every contract so in the interests of furthering good practice in the High Ropes industry – and hopefully aiding the departure of the ‘low cost’ element - we have taken the unusual step of endorsing two of our competitors who we know will build to this standard.

They are – RCD and JM Adventure

If you have any doubts about what you are being told - including what is written on this website - please contact the ERCA and ask them! They can be found on the ERCA website.

AAIAC ( Adventurous Activity Industry Advisory Committee) – The UK Ropes Course Guide

Full Title: The UK Ropes Course Guide

No of Pages: 32

Description: Guidance intended to assist all those involved with ropes courses to comply with EN: 15567 which sets out the standards to be met for the installation of new ropes courses and the operation of both new and existing courses.

Points of Interest:

• A good ‘layman’s’ guide to High Ropes
• Drawn up by – amongst others – The Health and Safety Executive, Adventurous Activity Licensing Service, ERCA, Adventurous Activity Industry Advisory Committee
• Good pictures
• Clear understandable guidance
• States that low ropes are ‘out’ of the scope of 15567

 

EN 15567 - Part 1

Full Title: EN 15567 Sports and recreational facilities - ropes courses - Part 1: Construction and safety requirements

No of Pages: 27

Description: The latest standard for ropes courses, both mobile and fixed. Still provisional - due to be available June 2008. (source BSI) Full of references, nomenclature, standards for materials, design requirements, safety requirements, descriptions of systems with guidelines for testing/verification and handover procedures/documentation.

Points of Interest:

• Belay systems should be tested to 6 kN (611 kgs) without deformation with a safety factor of 3,0
• Contains a very comprehensive list of procedures that construction companies must adhere to before handover
• Contains a very comprehensive list of paperwork that construction companies must present to the customer
• Contains a very comprehensive list of all markings that must be placed on the course
• In order to comply - at present - the course must be inspected by a Class A type inspector. This means someone who is fully independent, who does not build or maintain ropes courses. ERCA is looking to provide this accreditation and is working on the standards currently

EN 15567 - Part 2

Full Title: EN 15567 Sports and recreational facilities - ropes courses - Part 2: Operation requirements.

Description: The latest standard for ropes courses, both mobile and fixed.

EN 12572

Full title: BS EN 12575: 1999 Artificial climbing structures - Protection points, stability requirements and test methods

No of Pages: 11

Description: A short and easy to understand standard it lays outs, with the aid of diagrams and calculations, the design and test requirements to apply to an ACS (Artificial Climbing Structure)

Points of Interest

• This standard is primarily for climbing walls
• The structure itself should be designed to be stable - meaning that it's no use having bomber anchors if the ACS is likely to fall over! So if you have a climbing tower you should have the engineers calculations which show that it conforms to the standard? Although this paperwork is not a requirement of the standard *
• All off ground belay/anchor points should be load tested to to 8 kN (815.77 kilos, 2185.64 pounds to be precise!)
• All ground anchors should be tested to 4 kN (407 kilos)
• There should be a plate or notice on the ACS stating amongst other things: name of manufacturer, date of installation, date of test, how many routes, how many routes can be used at the same time, max no's on the ACS
• You should have been given a manual which: explains all the information on the marking plate and shows the position and type of the protection points on the ACS
• If you have no manual, no plate it doesn't fully comply.
• Any company worth their salt should give you the engineers calculations and design drawings.
• You should have some evidence of the date and type of testing.

 

European Ropes Course Association

Full title: Professional Standards for Mobile and Permanent Ropes Courses

No of Pages: Lots!

Description: ERCA have a very comprehensive set of standards which cover the following:

• Code of Professional Conduct
• Operational Standards * Installation Standards for Mobile Courses
• Installation Standards for permanent Ropes Courses
• Technical Inspection Standards
• Training Standards

 

Adventurous Activity Licensing Authority

Although not strictly speaking a Standard, AALA have produced a comprehensive Collective Interpretation for Ropes Courses which covers

• :Ropes Courses and adventure activities licensing
• Scope and range of activities
• The risks
• Construction and maintenance
• Operation and Supervision
• Cow tails and the 'multiple unclipping' problem

AALA Website

We are informed that these interpretations are due to be revised in the next few months

Health and Safety Executive

Although not strictly speaking a Standard HSE have produced two information sheets. They are:

1. Supervision of ropes courses
2. Maintenance of ropes courses

1. Supervision of ropes courses covers the following:

• Who is responsible for safety
• Supervision of Activities
• Leader competence
• Identification of group competence
• Medical conditions and\or disabilities
• Group sizes * Briefings
• Supervision between activities
• Normal operating procedures
• Technical advice
• First Aid

2. Maintenance of ropes courses covers the following:

• Who is responsible for Safety
• What could go wrong
• FAQ's
• Inspection Regime
• References

They can be found at these links:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/etis14.pdf
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/etis15.pdf

We are informed that these sheets are due to be revised in the next few months.

Rope Course Construction Standards

We try very hard to exceed ALL of the safety standards. Below are two examples of ways in which we exceed them. We apply these principals to all aspects of our adventure constructions

RCC Wire Testing

Every time we use a new type of wire or ferrule we get Certex to do a destruction test on a sample swaging.

At the end of every construction we make up a sample swaged ‘eye’ for every type of wire we have used on that particular build – generally this will 1 x 8mm, 1 x 10mm and 1 x 12mm. These are then sent off to Certex for destruction testing. This means that every 30 – 50 ‘swages’ we have the efficiency of our swaging presses tested and we know that out ‘eyes’ and terminations are rated to the right breaking strains.

Test 1 is a destruction test of a 12mm wire termination, without thimble, to assess the Safe Working Load. Generally the SWL (Safe Working Load) is obtained by dividing the breaking load by the particular industry standard figure. Industries vary - for example the offshore oil industry requires a safety factor of 8. Meaning if they want something to lift a ton the test piece must hold 8 tons before it breaks. Given the weather conditions in the North sea this very high requirement is no surprise.

EN 15567, for example, requires a safety factor of 3. The load test figure is 6kN (611 kilos) which is multiplied by 3 to give a required SWL of 1.83 tons. Meaning that it must hold at least 5.49 tons before breaking.
EN 12572 requires a load test of 8kN with a minimum breaking load of 20kn ( 2039.43 kilos).

Our 12mm test piece broke at 12.52 tons (11367.02 kilos).

Test 2 is a stainless steel wire swaged with a copper ferrule. The stainless steel is necessary for adventure constructions close to the sea to slow down the corrosion process. Copper ferrules are used to prevent the galvanic corrosion that would be caused if an aluminium ferrule was used. This test piece broke at 10.2 tons. The wire snapped before our swaging moved at all!

Test 3 is a wire join. We found a joint like this on course we were inspecting. So out of curiosity we made one up and had it tested. It held at 10 tons so technically it is OK however it looks poor – joins like this should only be made if absolutely no other option is available!

RCC Anchors

There are two main types of anchor. Guy wire anchors and assisted belay (bottom rope) anchors. At one end of the construction market lengths of timber pole and small 'platypus' anchors are used to make these anchors. Neither are easy to inspect, both are cheap, both will fail at inspection sooner rather than later. Then the phrase 'cost of ownership' will rear it's ugly head! We have taken a decision to install easy to inspect, robust, long lasting, more expensive anchors which conform to adventure construction standards. You get what you pay for!

Guy Wire Anchors

For most adventure constructions guy wire anchors need to rated to 1 ton. This is equal to approximately a cubic meter of concrete. We insert a 25mm bent steel bar - which has been galvanised - into a 1M x 1M x 1.2M hole and then fill it up with FND2 - a sulphate resistant concrete. In the event of a long term problem a 20mm stainless 'through-bolt' can be drilled/placed into the concrete to replace/backup the bar. Inspection is easy. These anchors last for many years.

Assisted Belay Anchors - Ground Anchors

EN 15567 asks for a test load of 6kN per anchor. This is equal to 611 kilos. With a safety factor of 3 meaning that the system should be capable of holding 1833 kilos. EN 12575 ( Artificial Climbing Structures) ask for a load test of 4kN on ground belay points. Our ground anchors weigh 500 kilos each. By the time they have been buried and compacted they will easily withstand either test. They are made in the same way as our guy wire anchors. Easy to inspect, easy to maintain, easy to re-drill in the future. These anchors last for many years.