Tree work words: gear ratings, records and inspection (as the ICoP defines them)

The Industry Code of Practice for Arboriculture: Tree Work at Height, Edition 2 (May 2020), has a Part 2 of terms and definitions. This page lists the terms from it that the other glossary pages do not define. Where OSHA, SafeWork NSW or WorkSafe New Zealand use the same word differently or set a figure for it, that is added in the meaning cell with its own link. The ICoP is an industry code and not a law.

Every meaning is in our own words from the page named in its row. The words for working load limit, safe working load and kilonewton are on tree work words for climbing, and the rigging terms are on tree work words for rigging. Protective equipment words are on tree work words for safety and PPE. The full A to Z list is the tree work glossary.

Words and meanings

Term	Meaning	Source
Collective protection	Equipment that can protect more than one person and, once it is properly installed, needs nothing from them to work. The ICoP calls that passive.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 8
Compatibility	The ability of components to work together without harming any part of the system. OSHA's fall protection rule, 1910.140(c)(19), says ropes, belts, lanyards and harnesses must be compatible with all connectors used. The New South Wales code says compatibility in a lowering system may mean similar working load limits or a design for a particular rope size or construction.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 8; OSHA 1910.140; NSW tree work code, lowering
Configured strength	The minimum breaking strength of a part, an assembly or a whole system as it is set up for use. The ICoP says a safety factor is applied to it to arrive at a safe working load.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 8
Dynamic load	Forces made by a moving load, in the ICoP's short definition.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 8
Fail-to-safe	Returning to a point of safety if something fails. The ICoP says the word is often used for parts or systems that act as backups, and that some descending devices have auto-locking and fail-to-safe mechanisms.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 8
Fall prevention	Stopping the user of fall protection equipment from going into a free fall, in the ICoP's wording.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 8
Interim inspection	A periodic inspection, often done by the operator, with its interval set by how often the equipment is used. The ICoP says it is much like the pre-use check but its results are recorded, and that it commonly happens weekly or fortnightly. OSHA 1910.140(c)(18) sets a different frequency: inspection before initial use in each workshift, for mildew, wear, damage and other deterioration.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 9; OSHA 1910.140
Lifespan	How long an item of equipment stays safe to use within the tolerances its maker specifies.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 9
Lifting equipment	In the ICoP, items used to lift, lower, raise or hold up a load.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 9
Load	The mass that is lifted, lowered, raised or held up. The ICoP says a person counts as a load.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 9
Minimum breaking strength (MBS)	The load above which a new item might fail, as the maker determines it. OSHA 1910.140(c)(4) sets a minimum breaking strength of 5,000 pounds (22.2 kN) for lanyards and vertical lifelines without defining the term. The New Zealand code sets the safe working load of a climbing rope at 10 percent of its breaking strength.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 9; OSHA 1910.140; NZ code, section 3.2.4
Moving rope technique (MRT)	A climbing technique in which the rope moves relative to the user and harness while the system is in use, because the rope travels through or over the anchor as the climber acts.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 9
Peak force	The largest force met during a fall, often given in kilonewtons (kN) or decanewtons (daN). OSHA 1910.140(d)(1)(i) limits the maximum arresting force of a personal fall arrest system to 1,800 pounds (8 kN).	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 9; OSHA 1910.140
Personal fall protection system	Parts which, used correctly, together prevent a fall, limit the chance of one or reduce its distance and effects. The ICoP says these systems include moving rope and stationary rope techniques. OSHA defines the term as a system an employer uses to protect from falling or to arrest a fall, and names fall arrest, positioning and travel restraint systems as examples.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 9; OSHA 1910.140
Personal measures	Measures that are generally active: the user has to do something for them to work, such as tying a knot and attaching a karabiner, or moving a friction hitch by hand. The ICoP says they protect one user at a time.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 9
Safety factor	In the ICoP, the relationship between the minimum breaking strength and the safe working load, often given as a ratio. OSHA's definition is the ratio of the design load and the ultimate strength of the material, and its rule on horizontal lifelines and anchorages asks for a safety factor of at least two in the cases it names.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 9; OSHA 1910.140
Stationary rope technique (SRT)	A climbing technique in which the rope stays still relative to the user and harness while the system is in use.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 9
Supplier	In the ICoP, the maker or the maker's appointed representative, a distributor, a retailer or an employer.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 10
Termination	The end of a piece of rope. It can be a knot, a splice, a stitched eye or a mix of these.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 10
Thorough examination	An examination deep enough to confirm safety, to find defects or weaknesses and to judge how much they matter. The ICoP says it rests on an assessment of the risks of the type of lifting equipment, where it is installed and how it is used.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 10
Work restraint	A technique in which personal fall protection equipment, such as a harness and a fixed-length lanyard, keeps a person at height from reaching places where a fall could happen. The ICoP puts fall prevention in brackets after the term. OSHA defines a travel restraint system as an anchorage, anchorage connector, lanyard or other connection and body support used to remove the chance of going over the edge of a walking-working surface. The New Zealand code says fall restraint should be used whenever a climber is aloft.	UK ICoP Edition 2, Part 2, page 10; OSHA 1910.140; NZ code, section 3.2.2

Where the documents differ

The ICoP and OSHA both use "safety factor" but define it from opposite ends: the ICoP relates breaking strength to safe working load, and OSHA relates design load to the ultimate strength of the material. The ICoP says an interim inspection commonly happens weekly or fortnightly, with a record, while OSHA 1910.140(c)(18) asks for an inspection in each workshift. The ICoP defines peak force as a term, and OSHA 1910.140(d)(1)(i) sets a limit on it: a maximum arresting force of 1,800 pounds (8 kN) for personal fall arrest systems.

Contains material from the SafeWork NSW Tree work code of practice, which SafeWork NSW publishes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Contains material from WorkSafe New Zealand publications. The ICoP is the copyright of the Arboricultural Association and is described here in our own words.

Tree work words: gear ratings, records and inspection (as the ICoP defines them)

Words and meanings

Where the documents differ

Sources