IRATA Requirements for Equipment Management, Records and Inspections

As any rope tech knows, IRATA sets stringent requirements for equipment management in an effort to ensure the safety of rope access operations.

These requirements are vital for maintaining equipment integrity and risk mitigation, just to scrape the surface. 

But just what are IRATA’s requirements when it comes to PPE management, inspections, and records? 

Let's take a look.

What records need to be kept?

IRATA requires that the following records must be kept for each piece of rope access equipment:

• Manufacturer’s name
• Model, and type / class of the equipment 
• Date of Purchase 
• Date of Entry Into Service (Date of First Use) 
• Obsolescence (expiry) date 
• Manufacturer’s serial number or batch marking to enable traceability 
• Information supplied by the manufacturer, e.g instructions, data sheets
• Safe working load, working load limit or maximum and minimum rated loads, whichever is provided 
• Any certificate of conformity 

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If you’re adding an item to your inventory and notice that it does not have the Declaration of Conformity, Manufacturer’s Instructions or other required compliance documents, you can either upload these during the initial Detailed Inspection, or email us and we’ll get it added quick-smart! 

What details need to be recorded?

IRATA asks for these details to be recorded:

• The duration of active use 
• Current location of the item, and where the item is stored normally 
• Any arduous conditions in which the equipment has been used 
• Any workmate retrieval carried out  
• The date and result of inspections, the type of inspection carried out (detailed or interim) and the due date of the next inspection
• Details of servicing, repairs or modifications

These details can be logged in moments by recording an inspection against the item in Scannable, setting the inspection frequency, and assigning items to locations using the Groups feature.  

When it comes to PPE inspections, what does IRATA require?

There are three types of equipment inspection required by IRATA:

Pre-use Check

The pre-use check consists of a visual and tactile inspection, which should be carried out before first use each day. It is not necessary to record this inspection. 

Detailed Inspection

This is a formal inspection procedure to ensure that equipment is thoroughly inspected by a competent person:

• before equipment is used for the first time, and
• at intervals not exceeding six months, or in accordance with a written inspection scheme

Interim Inspection

Where equipment is used in arduous conditions, or in the occurrence of exceptional events liable to jeopardise safety, further inspections (called Interim Inspections) should be carried out.

These inspections are in addition to the Detailed Inspection and the normal Pre-use Check. They should be carried out by a competent person at intervals determined by the risk assessment.

Scannable makes it easy for you to meet IRATA's inspection requirements:

Set and specify inspection frequencies, access historical inspection results at any time from the item's history, record notes, upload photos and PDFs, and even use Manufacturer checklists to make sure you are meeting manufacturer's inspection requirements too.

Do you want to know more about how Scannable can help you fly through your next IRATA audit, while saving you time? Book a chat with the team, or just download the app and start today. It's free! And much better than your spreadsheet - promise!