For the greatest system redundancy and therefore safety ensure the Belay
Line system is anchored and operated independently of the Main Line
system.
As with the Main Line, it is recommended that someone assist the Belay
Line operator by feeding rope to ensure there are no tangles or snags that
would cause the operator to unnecessarily stop the operation.
BELAYING THE EDGE TRANSITION
To ensure proper hand-tight tension of the Belay Line (such as during edge
transitions), firmly grip the load end of the rope with one hand and apply
friction, so that there is no slack in the rope between the load and your
hand. The other hand feeds the running end into the MPD so that the
rope is unseated from the sheave tread
. This will reduce rope drag on
the sheave and keep the MPD from inadvertently locking up. This technique
allows the operator to match the speed of the Main Line. In contrast, the
technique of trying to simultaneously shuffle rope into and out of the MPD
will result in a repetitious start-stop motion of the belay rope and will likely
result in frequent unwanted lockups.
Applying Hand-Tight Tension
to the Belay Line
The operator is bracing his
arm on his leg to help maintain
a fixed position of the friction
hand, while the other hand feeds
rope into the MPD.
THE MPD
NOTE
The Parking Brake is intended to
temporarily secure the MPD when it is necessary
for the operator to release their grip on the
running end of the rope.
If the MPD is to be left unattended, or if you
need to release your grip on the running
end of the rope for more than a short
time, lock the Parking Brake first and
then secure the MPD by tying off the
running end of the rope around the
load end with an appropriate
tie-off method.
USING THE MPD
AS A BELAY DEVICE
FIRMLY GRIP RUNNING END OF ROPE TO ACTIVATE BELAY.
!
Feed In Running End
Load
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