UKC

Just had a guy in the shop with specific needs as regards a mattress. Reason is he fell from a comms pole and broke his back and lost a leg. He says he clipped the "carabiner" heard the click and lent back, and away he went as the crab was not clicked shut, so the lesson he learnt is "Don`t rely on the click, check!!!" seems good to advice to me.

In reply to SCrossley:

whenever in doubt, give it a quick tug
applies to more things than one

In reply to SCrossley:

Good cross-learning

In reply to SCrossley:

Sounds like he may have been using a poor imitation of a "click-check"
Possibly with a self locking carabiner and assuming that when he hears it "click" shut, he assumes that the locking mechanism is engaged. In reality the click could be the gate contacting the attachment ring on the harness and the 'biner not secure.

A "click-check" should be a squeeze of the gate to check the locking mechanism has engaged and the carabiner cannot open. Always accompanied by a visual check that it is connected to the harness correctly.

All points regarding this individual case are supposition, of course.

In reply to SCrossley:

Isn't this the main reason for using screwlocks? Not that they are inherently stronger but that the act of tightening the mechanism means you've checked the biner is secure?

In reply to Ron Rees Davies:

Unless, of course, you screw it the wrong way.

In reply to Ghastly Rubberfeet:
NO, that's the point, you have to handle the carabiner to screw the gate, so even if you do it wrong and it's not screwed shut you've at least checked the rope isn't stuck halfway through the gate.

Better than a non-screw gated biner where you might just rely on the audible 'click'

In reply to Ron Rees Davies:

Read what you wrote and then read what I wrote.

I think you will find your method doesn't ensure "the 'biner is secure" as simply screwing the lock sleeve just means it is at one end of the thread or the other.

Nothing in your post suggests a check to make sure it is clipped correctly.

In reply to SCrossley:

surprised at that as I work in the comms industry and climb poles daily, its been law for a long time now that you have to use a fall arrest system as a back up to your climbing harness.
the main belt doesn't have a screw gate but a snap link with a locking mechanism to secure it in place.
it is possible to think its secure when it isn't if you don't visually check it but the fall arrest harness with built in ripper sling should stop any fall after a few feet.
suppose he might have had his accident long time ago mind.

In reply to buzby:

"suppose he might have had his accident long time ago mind."

No, 4 years ago apparently, obviously to you the details are of more interest, but to me it was just the, check visually thing that stuck with me, as a click may mislead.

In reply to Ron Rees Davies:


But if you do it by touch you only know it's securely closed, not what (if anything) it's closed around.

jk

In reply to ewar woowar:

I understood him as meaning that using a screwgate means your more likely to see if it is clipped correctly.

In reply to SCrossley:

Yep, I was thinking that with a screwgate the 'biner is either on the gear / anchor or not - even if you're closing the gate blind you would *probably* feel whether it was attached and you could be sure the anchor / rope wasn't trapping the gate open. I guess there's still a bit of risk though unless you either visually inspect or give it a test pull before relying on it.