Looking after your climbing line and saddle between jobs

This page reports what codes of practice, regulators and training standards say about looking after climbing kit. The maker's instructions for the item in use have the last word, and every official source below says so in one form or another.

Coverage is uneven. The United Kingdom and New Zealand have written codes with detail. Australia is covered only through a training unit.

United States

The ISA says the ANSI Z133-2026 safety standard became available on May 27, 2026, and that for individual use the digital version is a free downloadable PDF; see the ISA release page.

The source here is a trade magazine of the tree-care industry association. In its article on choosing a climbing rope, an arborist quoted by the magazine says all climbing ropes should be inspected before use, looking for cuts, glazing (heat damage), contamination, abrasions, stiffness and diameter change. He adds that a line that has had a sudden strain or shock load should be retired, and that a rope in doubt should go to the maker or a competent person. That is one expert's view in a trade article, not a rule.

Canada

Rules there are provincial.

United Kingdom

The Arboricultural Association publishes the Industry Code of Practice for Arboriculture, Tree Work at Height (ICoP, May 2020). HSE's tree work pages point to it. Three kinds of check appear in it and in HSE's guidance on lifting equipment.

Pre-use check. The ICoP says it is expected that operators will carry out visual and tactile pre-use inspections.
Interim inspection. The ICoP defines this as a periodic inspection, often by the operator, that is largely the same as a pre-use check except that the result is recorded. It says interim inspections will commonly happen on a weekly or fortnightly basis, and that intervals are set by the intensity of use and specified by a competent person under an examination scheme.
Thorough examination. The ICoP says this is done by a competent person who has genuine authority and the independence to decide objectively whether the equipment remains safe to operate.

Why the examination intervals exist

HSE's leaflet Chainsaws at work (INDG317) says work off the ground that involves lifting and lowering people or loads, including work-positioning techniques, is subject to the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER). The ICoP repeats this for arboricultural equipment.

HSE's page on thorough examination of lifting equipment gives the default intervals, which the ICoP also lists.

Kit	Thorough examination	Unless
Equipment used to lift people, and its accessories	Every 6 months	An examination scheme sets other intervals
All lifting accessories	Every 6 months	An examination scheme sets other intervals
Other lifting equipment, such as rigging kit	Every 12 months	An examination scheme sets other intervals

HSE says the examination ends with a written report from the competent person that gives the examination date, the date the next one is due and any defects. It adds that records of thorough examinations and inspections must be kept, and that they need not be on paper. HSE also says users may make simple pre-use checks, or checks on a daily basis, alongside the examinations.

What the ICoP says about records

The ICoP says records of equipment should be kept so there is a reasonable level of accountability for each item. Its list of what a record can hold includes the maker and model, date of purchase, date into service, date of obsolescence where there is one, serial number or other unique identification, inspection frequency and dates, and who did any repair or alteration.

Storage, lifespan and withdrawal

Storage. The ICoP says kit should be kept in a chemically neutral, dry and dark place, away from extremes of heat, sharp edges, corrosive substances and rodents, and that all equipment must be dried before storage to prevent corrosion and fungal attack, particularly textiles.
Lifespan. Where a maker specifies a lifespan, the ICoP says it should be followed and anything outside it withdrawn from service. A lifespan may only be exceeded where the maker has granted a special dispensation that can be evidenced.
Defects. The ICoP says kit found defective in use or after an inspection must be withdrawn from service at once. It also says anyone doing pre-use checks or interim inspections should be able to detect defects, judge whether a defect is an immediate risk, and take the item out of service on their own authority.
Damage and the maker. Textile damage affects materials differently, so the ICoP points to the information supplied with the kit, or to the maker or the maker's chosen representative, on continued use after an inspection.
What wears kit out. Its selection principles name UV, chemical contact, abrasive surfaces, resin and sap, extremes of heat and cold, poor storage and lack of maintenance as factors in how long kit lasts.

Standards named

The ICoP's list of work equipment standards includes BS EN 358 (belts and lanyards for work positioning), BS EN 365 (general requirements for instructions for use, maintenance, periodic examination, repair, marking and packaging), BS EN 813 (sit harnesses) and BS EN 1891 (low stretch kernmantel ropes).

City and Guilds assessor guidance for the NPTC aerial cutting award also lists what a candidate is checked on. It names ropes and friction hitch cord checked for cuts, frays, end terminations, burns and glazing, contamination and excessive wear. Its assessment pack for using a chainsaw from a rope and harness asks for climbing kit with documented evidence that it is LOLER compliant.

Australia

The Australian source is a national training unit. AHCARB319, Use arborist climbing techniques, current since August 26, 2020, has no prerequisite unit. Its performance criteria include pre-operational preparations and safety checks on ropes, harnesses, tools and equipment, and inspecting, cleaning, maintaining and storing climbing and safety equipment according to the maker's instructions.

New Zealand

WorkSafe New Zealand publishes the Approved Code of Practice for Safety and Health in Arboriculture. It is a code made under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 and has not been updated for the 2015 Act, so its wording is quoted as the code gives it.

Item	What the code says
Before use	Climbing lines, work lines, lanyards and other climbing equipment are checked for damage, cuts, abrasion and deterioration, and removed from service if excessive wear or damage is found.
Climbing lines	Breaking strain of 22 kN when new, made for tree climbing, free of joining splices or knots.
Storage	Dry, in a suitable bag or box, so contact with sharp tools, petrol, oil, excessive sunlight or chemicals cannot damage it.
Harnesses	To the relevant AS/NZS 1891 standards or equivalent. All components checked before use. Carried in compartments or containers and stored like climbing lines.
Carabiners	Rated at or above 22 kN and auto-locking, and checked for dents, distortion, cracks, forging folds and weak pivots or springs.
Changes	No marking for identification, such as engraving, and no alteration that undermines structural integrity. Equipment is not modified or repaired.

The code's list of standards includes AS/NZS 1891.4, on the selection, use and maintenance of industrial fall-arrest systems. That standard is sold.

New Zealand's national unit standard 31185 (level 4, version 3) covers knowledge of climbing equipment and has a performance criterion to check all equipment is in safe working order before ascending.

Side by side

Country	Source	Before each use
United States	Trade magazine only	Expert advice, not a rule
Canada	None named	Not stated
United Kingdom	ICoP, HSE	Visual and tactile pre-use check
Australia	Training unit	Pre-operational checks
New Zealand	WorkSafe code	Check, remove if worn or damaged

The guide on buying used gear lists what to ask about the history of used kit. Kit lists and bag layouts are in the climber's bag guide. The protective clothing side is in the chainsaw protection guide.