Wrap Around Feature

What we are going to demonstrate here now is actually climbing a structure. When we are looking at fixed vertical ladders, it is very easy to climb them because everything is symmetrical for you, and it is very straightforward to climb. But sometimes we will come across structures and it is not that simple. What we have also got to take into account, when we are climbing structures, it may be an occasion where the actual size of my lanyard there, where my scaff hook is, may not actually fit onto the structure like that. So, what we do, because that will not fit on to the structure like that, is we incorporate what is known as the wraparound feature.

Now what I will say is not all lanyards have this wraparound feature. So, if you are looking to buy them, make sure they are the right ones. The wraparound feature is that black piece of material there with a ring attached to it, and what that allows me to do if I cannot get my scaff hook to actually fit onto the structure like so, it allows me to attach around it, giving me a bigger area for attachment. What it will do though, and this is very important is, it will reduce the length of your lanyard. So, it is a good thing in relation to if you were to take a fall, but it does make it a little bit more different... Difficult when we are actually manoeuvring about.

Now, when I actually climb the structure here, what I will tell you is, yes, you can see my hooks will fit around all the structure, but we are going to get to a point where I will turn round and say, "Right, we will just assume now, my scaff hooks will not fit so we will use the wraparound feature from this point on." When we start to climb the structure, it is very important we think about where our attachment points are. When I start to climb this particular structure, I need to think, when I attach to a part of the structure, it is attaching where it cannot literally slide down the structure as I am demonstrating here. Because, if I attach it there and it's at my chest height and I start to climb, and it slides down there, it is actually taking me into a bigger fall factor. So, we need to really think about our fall factors when we are climbing on a structure.

So, starting off, I will always look at where any of the structure meets; where the welding points are, where there is a point where I know my lanyard will not slide. So straight away, my highest point is going to be in the centre there. It cannot slide anywhere, I am happy with that attachment there. So that will allow me now to climb up to a point where I can actually get another attachment higher up. It may not be in the same place as that further up, it might have to be to the left or the right-hand side. But so long as it is in a position where I know it cannot slide down to put me in a bigger fall factor.

So, making my way up. Again, it could be more difficult climbing this as it is a ladder because your footing is going to be totally different as well. So, I am going to climb up, I have got it to a point there. Can I reach? Yes, I can reach. So, I can attach it in the same position, only higher up as my first one. That now will allow me if I want to, to disconnect that one. I can move it up there so as it is making life easier for me when I get to that point, to reach it and take it even higher. So, I can climb up, again, looking at the sort of chest height here. I can take one off, move it up. Once that one is moved up I can then think about that one. Do I want to move that one up, or am I happy to just climb with it in my hand? Personally, move it up. That is my personal opinion. Make my way up, again, to the chest height position.

I have now come to a bit of the structure, which is slightly bigger than the structure I am climbing here. And it does not have this centre point. So, my attachment point has got to be to the sides here. I do not want to be trying to attach at that point at the top there because it is only going to slide back down. Also, I have got to take into consideration here the fact that my scaff hook might not fit around that. So, for demonstration purposes, we are going to say, "My scaff hook will not fit around that. So now I have got to think about the wraparound feature." So, I am going to have one attached, take one off, I am going to feed the scaff hook around, bring it back to its wraparound feature, which is this connected to the material and connect it up. So now, I am attached to my wraparound feature. Again, that is higher than this point here, also takes into account it has shortened the length of my lanyard. So that means, again, it is reducing the factors when it comes to falling. What we do need to be aware of though, when we do this, is it also shortens your movement, so you cannot get around as more flexible as you could if they were on their scaff hooks. So, from here now, we have got to make our way down.

The structure, again, as I say to you, it is a case then that the structure is something where we cannot get a connection with my scaff hook so, I will take it off, find a good anchor point and I will attach to my anchor point using the wraparound feature. Again, remember, you have not got the length you had before. So, you have got to work with them fairly close together. Now that I have got an attachment there, all I need to do, disconnect that one, pull it through, bring it down, climb down a little bit, making sure now I am always in reach of where I need to connect and disconnect. I can come down a little bit further. I have now got to look at another connection point. Ideally, it is going to be this one because my lanyard cannot slide down. If I was to take it off that one and connect it here, if you think about it now, if I am to climb up here and disconnect this one here, that is going to slide, which means I am in an even bigger fall factor, which is not what I want. So, again, disconnect it, put it in a place where it is not able to slide down the pole.

Once I am in that position there and I am happy, lower myself down a little bit, disconnect, climb down a bit further. From this point, I can actually reach the ground here. It is quite high. I can still disconnect it.

And bring myself down to the ground. So, sometimes it is a case, as I say, you cannot use the scaff hook, we do need to use the wraparound feature. But take in mind, it must have the wraparound feature on it. We cannot get this and attach to that point there. That we are not allowed to do. It must have that piece there, which is known for the wraparound feature incorporated into your lanyards.