Rope Evacuation

Some materials handling equipment is designed to work with the operator raised to heights higher than three meters. a business is required to provide a safe means of escape for the operator of the Forklift should such a piece of equipment become stuck in a raised position.

You should ensure that in the event of failure of the lifting equipment that the persons being lifted are not exposed to danger and can always have a reliable means of rescue.

Every  job site and work application is different. It is therefore essential that a risk assessment is frequently conducted to meet the specific needs of the lifting operation to be performed and to determine the most appropriate means of a rescue if required. 

It may well be that a company would be justified in writing a risk assessment that states that, in the overall scheme of things, rope evacuation training is a far greater risk than getting stranded in the air. If a decision is taken to adopt such a position then the risk assessment must still continue to a point where it makes clear how any stranded person will be rescued.