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RESCUE EQUIPMENT


RESCUE EQUIPMENT EMERGENCY EVACUATION FROM A NACELLE


In the event of a fire where egress down a tower is prevented, emergency evacuation generally involves external descent from the nacelle. The exact escape approach will depend on site-specific assessment of risks, including whether it is possible to land on the external platform, the sea temperature and the time to rescue the person(s) from the water.


EQUIPMENT DETAIL


Rescue equipment must be suitable for the structure being worked on and typically a kit comprises:


• A suitable length of rope for the location, often 80 to 120m;


• A method of attaching the rope to the structure, the person and/or the casualty, e.g. connectors and slings;


• A device for controlled raising/lowering of the casualty (a ‘descender’)


DESCENDER REQUIREMENT If there is a requirement to lift the casualty the descender should have a raising function – selection of a descender should include…


• Checking the descent energy rating • Determining the speed of descent; this varies with the mass


• Assessing the time to evacuate the expected number of people in the nacelle


Other necessary inclusions being…


• Number and distance of descents • Number of users and their mass (including personal kit)


• Deployment time, e.g. getting the kit out of any container


• Changeover time, e.g. getting on (attach) and off (detach)


• Load, e.g. how many people descend at once


• Temperature range e.g. in use and during storage


• Ease and time of deployment, e.g. removing the kit from its container


• Inspection and servicing requirements • Position of the anchor(s), e.g. high or low, taking account of the fire temperature profile


• Ease of use, e.g. intuitive • Corrosion resistance • Whether the descender and/or kit is sealed against the ingress of dirt and/or moisture


• The size of any escape hatch • Whether the lifting aid, e.g. handle or wheel, can ‘snag’


MANUFACTURE INFORMATION The information supplied by the manufacturer of the descender device must include the maximum rated load, minimum rated load and maximum descent height. These figures may be mutually exclusive, i.e. the maximum rated load may not necessarily be achieved over the maximum descent height. Check the manufacturer’s information on load, speed and distance. What additional testing has been undertaken? Are the markings clear?


There are situations in which a descender cannot be CE marked, e.g. it is not considered to be ‘personal protective equipment’. In some cases, e.g. EN 341 standards that did facilitated CE marking previously no longer do so as a result of their revision.


heightec


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