NEWS FROM 2010
November 2010
Department of Labour Investigation
Earlier this year the Department of Labour conducted an investigation into eye bolt anchors on the St Peters Apartments at 192 Willis Street, Te Aro, Wellington. This followed concerns raised with the Department by a former contractor. The Department has now completed its investigation.
It is important to note the Department’s decision not to prosecute Abseil Access. It describes us as an industry leader, and we are continuing to assist the Department with the preparation of industry standards around rope access.
The Department’s findings regarding the St Peters Apartments are highlighted below.
Apartment 11A
Abseil Access was asked to test five anchor bolts – installed by a building company (not Abseil Access) – over a three year period from 2007 to 2009, in the belief that they were through bolts. It was later discovered they were drilled bolts into timber and not suitable for industrial rope access work. The Department found that some Abseil Access staff did not follow the correct testing procedure for through bolts, and that some testing processes were recorded inconsistently.
In our view, the five anchor bolts were never intended to be used for rope access and were inadvertently included in the testing process. When the bolts were load tested to a strength of 12kN – which is the Standard’s ultimate strength – all five passed the load test.
Apartment 11B
Abseil Access has carried out extensive load testing on the 38 anchor bolts it installed on the western side of St Peters Apartments in 2003. Tests have also been carried out by RAMSET and an independent structural consulting engineer. In all tests, the eye bolts passed the pull test to a strength of 12kN. This conforms to the AS/NZS standard that requires all anchors to be at least 12kN.
Despite this, Abseil Access accepts the Department’s findings.
The Department found that anchor bolts installed by Abseil Access into the exterior spandrels on Apartment 11B were not installed using the RAMSET specified method of calculations to determine installation for a non-standard installation. The Department indicated that was a practical step that Abseil Access should have taken. In relation to Apartment 11B, the Department found Abseil Access did not follow the manufacturer’s specified process “when supplying and installing, to another person, plant to be used in a place of work”.
The Department of Labour’s report notes on page 6, in reference to the testing done in 2010, that “queries were raised as to the adequacy of the testing procedure used by xxxxx”. This does not refer to the testing done by Abseil Access, but to testing done by others subsequently.
As a result of its investigation, the Department of Labour recommended that Abseil Access:
- contact our clients to advise them of possible safety issues regarding their previous installation and testing procedures, and outline possible remedial steps to be taken;
- engage a suitable chartered engineer when designing and installing industrial rope access systems requiring anchorage systems on buildings;
- ensure there is a consistent installation and testing procedure for anchor bolts, and that this information is recorded in a consistent manner; and
- develop an internal auditing process to ensure testing procedures are followed by employees and contractors on Abseil Access sites.
Abseil Access has complied with and implemented all these recommendations; in fact they were implemented in March 2010.
With regard to the national situation, these steps have been recommended for all companies nationwide that install and/or test eye-bolt anchors. Please refer to www.dol.govt.nz.
We have worked very closely with the Department of Labour throughout, and we remain committed to, and confident in, the products and services that we offer our customers.
DJ Matheson
Managing Director
September 2010
Department of Labour investigation
The Department of Labour has now completed an investigation it began earlier this year into eye bolt anchors on the St Peters Apartments in Wellington.
The Department has decided not to prosecute Abseil Access, describing us an industry leader. The Department is also currently engaging with industry to address nationwide industry practices and issues that have been identified during the investigation.
The Department has made a number of recommendations, and we are implementing them as a priority. Abseil Access remains committed to, and confident in, the products and services that we offer.
If any of our customers have concerns or questions regarding the installation and testing procedures offered by Abseil Access, they should not hesitate to contact me directly.
DJ Matheson
Managing Director
August 2010
Fonterra Edendale
For the fifth year in a row, we are the preferred contractor for inspection work at this large Southland dairy plant, New Zealand's third largest.
OnTrack
The Johnsonville line runs through a series of cuttings and tunnels between Wellington and Johnsonville. An upgrade of the line required rock fall protection measures between tunnels 1 and 2. The work had to be completed without impeding the use of the track. This required working at night, weekends and during weekdays between travelling trains. The project involved removal of vegetation and loose rock, installation of 14 top anchors (4m deep) and 77 face anchors (1.5m – 2.5m deep). A mixture of Reid bar and Ischebeck drill systems was utilised to cope with the variable nature of the ground.
For more details download our project pdf.
Weed eradication
Abseil Access are contracted once again to carry out weed control on Little Barrier Island (our 12th year) and at Waiouru (our 15th year and our longest-running contract).
For more details download our project pdfs on Little Barrier and Waiouru.
June 2010
The swingbridge over the Otaki River, near Otaki Forks, was rebuilt by us for the Department of Conservation. This new bridge, which spans 62 metres across the Otaki River, replaces an old Forest Service swing bridge across a spectacular gorge. It is the start of several tracks into the range and also a popular tourist viewpoint. Abseil Access Ltd won the tender to manufacture and install the swing bridge.
For more details download our project pdf.
March 2010
The Department of Labour has published a Hazard Management Bulletin titled Permanent anchorage systems on rope access and fall arrest systems.
This is interim advice from the Department of Labour for designers, installers, testers and users and applies to permanent anchor systems only. It does not apply to other suitable rope access anchors. Extract from AS/NZS 4488.21997 Industrial Rope Access Systems Part 2, Clause 5.3 Anchorages (a)(i):
The anchorage and the structure to which it is attached shall be capable of sustaining an ultimate load of 12kN when loaded in the direction of rope pull during industrial rope suspension work. The building or structure and anchorages shall be assessed by an engineer, unless it is clear to a competent person that the anchorage system is structurally adequate. An example of where an engineer may not be required is where an anchorage sling of the correct capacity is secured around a solid permanent structure such as a plant room . . .
February 2010
Department of Labour Hazard Alert
The Department of Labour has issued a hazard alert regarding permanently installed rope access and industrial fall-arrest systems.
Abseil Access issued a statement earlier this month in relation to this issue.
2010 Calendar
Our 2010 Calendars arrived just before Christmas and are looking great, showcasing some of the many projects we undertook over the past year. There are still a few copies left – if you’d like one, please get in touch with .
