SISOCVE005 — Establish ropes, ladders and belays for caving

Elements & performance criteria

Performance evidence

• Evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit in the context of the job role, and: • select and set up belay systems and ropes suitable for single pitch abseiling and laddering in caves for four different pitches • collectively set up the following types of systems: • cave ladders • doubled rope technique • single rope • releasable abseil line • rope systems suitable for single rope techniques, including rigs for redirections and re-belays • top rope top belay • tope rope bottom belay • bottom brake belay • self-belay • collectively select and use these different types of anchors: • fixed artificial • naturally occurring • artificial removable • collectively select and tie at least four different types of knots suitable for the system type established, and appropriate for the intended load and function • identify and tag three different types of faulty equipment.

Knowledge evidence

• Demonstrated knowledge required to complete the tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit: • organisational procedures for safety and serviceability checks • how the following factors affect selection of descent and ascent routes for caving environments: • season of operation, weather and environmental conditions • participant characteristics including age, size, weight, fitness and abseiling or climbing skill level • group objectives and size • environmental hazards specific to abseiling and climbing in caves and how these affect: • safe access to and egress from the pitch • choice of descent and ascent routes for safety of abseiler or climber • positioning of top or bottom belay systems for safety of belayer • features, functions, advantages and disadvantages of different types of anchors used in caves: • fixed artificial: • threads • bolts • chains • naturally occurring: • trees • in cave natural bollards and jug handles • artificial removable: • spring loaded camming devices • nuts, wires and hexes • pitons • issues that are assessed when selecting anchors and likely impacts of poor condition on performance under load: • wear and abrasion due to age and use • corrosion • decay • dislodgment • underlying stability of structural features and presence of: • cracks • deformities • fissures • meaning of the following terms, and principles which apply when rigging anchors and ropes: • equalisation of load • single point of failure • anchor redundancy • angle of separation • shock loading • cross loading and cyclical loading of carabiners • miss-alignment of carabiners • closing the system, including advantages, disadvantages and methods used • types of forces (upwards, downwards) generated during abseiling, climbing and belaying, and how to calculate load on anchors and ropes for these circumstances: • top rope top belay • tope rope bottom belay • bottom brake belay • self-belay • abseiler or climber descending under control • abseiler or climber fall • belayer arresting falls • the effects of rope stretch during operations and implications if not minimised: • abrasions • rope bounce • undue stress on the anchor system • potential for abseiler or climber to impact with hazards, or become entangled • features, functions, advantages and disadvantages of laddering, abseiling and belay equipment used in caves: • abseiling, climbing and belay systems for: • cave ladders • doubled rope technique • single rope • releasable abseil line • rope systems suitable for single rope techniques • top rope top belay • tope rope bottom belay • bottom brake belay • self-belay • descending devices: • assisted locking • inline • plate • figure 8 • tubular • improvised • belay devices: • assisted locking • inline • plate • figure 8 • tubular • improvised • harnesses of different types • carabiners • maillon rapides • static and dynamic rope and when each might be used • rope protectors • caving ladders • tape • sewn sling • personal attachment systems, including cow’s tails • Prusik cord • foot loops • mechanical ascenders • how the following factors affect the selection and rigging of above equipment: • site characteristics including position of rub points • weather and environmental conditions • participant size, weight, and abseiling or climbing ability • belayer to climber weight ratio • cumulative load for group size and number of abseils or ladder climbs • abseiling and laddering techniques to be used • distance, height and angle of anchor relative to abseil or climb position • manufacturers’ specifications for equipment use • techniques used to establish belay systems for safety of belayer: • rigging belays for performance of rescues • attaching to anchor or self belay safety system • techniques used to establish descending and ascending equipment for redirections and re-belays • situations requiring back up belay systems • when different knots are used, advantages and disadvantages, and how to tie them: • fixed eye • mid line tied in the bight • end to end joining • termination • load control hitches • slide and grip hitches • types of safety checks completed for rigging of equipment • how to care for abseiling and laddering equipment when rigging to avoid damage, and promote long lifespan • potential environmental impacts of rigging for abseiling and laddering in caves and techniques used to minimise damage.

Foundation skills

• Reading skills to:: interpret detailed familiar organisational procedures for completing safety checks.
• Writing skills to:: use fundamental sentence structure to complete safety and serviceability forms and fault tags that require factual information.
• Numeracy skills to:: calculate loads for anchors and ropes under normal conditions and in the event of a fall • visually estimate distances to calculate lengths for ropes.

Unit content sourced from training.gov.au — © Commonwealth of Australia, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Auditori is not affiliated with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Questions about assessing SISOCVE005