Pre-use inspection and daily checks
Domain 3 tests the practical pre-use check: what you look at, in what order, and what you do when something is wrong. This check prevents most gondola incidents.
Before each shift
- Authorisation and paperwork: valid examination certificate, weekly inspection record, no outstanding defect tag.
- Rig and roof: beams seated and undistorted, counterweights correct, marked and secured, tie-backs taut and anchored to structure, parapet clamps snug, no unauthorised alterations.
- Ropes: correct reeving, no kinks, bird-caging, corrosion, flattening or broken wires, especially near terminations and sheaves; terminations with thimble and correct clips, U-bolts on the dead end; rope ends and dead-end stops correct.
- Hoist and brake: smooth operation, no abnormal noise, brake holds a light load, no slip or drift.
- Electrical: plug and cable undamaged, isolator and RCD working (test button), pendant controls and emergency stop functioning, limiters and alarm.
- Platform: floor sound, guardrails, mid-rails, toe boards and gates secure, no missing fasteners, nameplate legible.
- Fall protection: harness and lanyard inspected, safety rope continuous and independently anchored, rope grab operates.
The rule
Any defect that affects safety means the platform is stopped, tagged and reported. Do not test it at height or ask the operator to keep an eye on it.
Worked example
At the start of a shift you find three broken wires grouped together in one lay, about 300 mm from the termination, and a slightly slack tie-back. The correct response is not to count wires against a table and proceed: broken wires clustered near a termination are a serious deterioration, and the slack tie-back puts the rig's stability in question. Tag the platform, report to the competent person, and do not use it until the rope is replaced and the rig re-inspected.
Traps
- Checking only the rope you can see at ground level.
- Testing the emergency stop at full height instead of at the start.
- Assuming a new-looking rope cannot be damaged at the termination.
- Signing the checklist without actually operating the brake.
- Removing a defect tag to finish the job.