Frequently Asked Questions - All FAQs

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General (Allgemein)

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ERCA Certifications (ERCA Zertifizierungen)

What types of certificates are offered and who is certified to issue those certificates?

According to our training and inspection scheme we certify training bodies and inspections bodies (you can check the list of certified bodies by clicking the hyperlinks below).

The certified training bodies run training courses to train instructors and rescuers for ropes courses. All course participants who succesfully passed the course receive a personal training certificate.
On the other hand the certified inspection bodies do inspect ropes courses. The inspection is done according a certain manual and guideline. Both will be checked: if the ropes course is fit fur purpose resp. if it is built according to certain Standards and Norms. These aspects of conformity and safety will be declared in the inspection report and shown on the inspection certificate.

So in summary for our certification system:

an instructor, rescuer or trainer can posses a personl training certificate.
a ropes course can be inspected by an certified inspection body and if the inspection was passed an inspection certificate is issued individually for the specific ropes course.

In both cases a certificate (either from the type ''training'' or ''inspection'') with an individual number, an expiration date and the ID of the certified body is issued. So the easiest way to check is as follows: ask the operator to show you the certificate.

What is the difference between ''ERCA certified'' and the standard ''ERCA membership''?

A) In our certification system following types of certificates will be issued:

Certification for training bodies and inspection bodies (you can check the list of certified bodies by clicking the hyperlinks below). Certified bodies have to pass an application process, a paper check and an on-site audit. If all is passed they will receive their certificate.
1. Training body certification: The certified training bodies run training courses to train instructors and rescuers for ropes courses (see 2).
2. Inspection body certification: The certified inspection bodies do inspect ropes courses. The inspection is done according a certain manual and guideline. Both will be checked: if the ropes course is fit fur purpose resp. if it is built according to certain Standards and Norms. These aspects of conformity and safety will be declared in the inspection report and shown on the inspection certificate (see 3).
Training certificate: An instructor, rescuer, trainer resp. trainer-trainer (Master-Trainer) can posses a personal training certificate - given the training course from an ERCA certified training body was passed successfully.
Inspection Certificate: A ropes course can be inspected by an ERCA certified inspection body and if the inspection was passed an inspection certificate is issued individually for the specific ropes course.

In all cases a certificate (either from the type ''certified training body'', ''certified inspection body'', ''training certificate'' or ''inspection certificate'') with an individual number, an expiration date and the ID of the certified body is issued. So the easiest way to check is as follows: ask to show you the certificate.
Certified bodies are allowed to use the ERCA logo and the ERCA training label resp. the ERCA inspection label.

B) In addition to these individual and verifiable certificates we have the standard ERCA membership where members sign a self-commitment. So they voluntarily agree that they work according to the ERCA standards, but have not been individually certified.

ERCA members are allowed to use the ERCA logo only.

The members list is open to the public: http://www.erca.cc/index.php/en/about-erca/members-list-link

Training (Ausbildung)

What relief does ERCA offer to holders of a training certificate during the COVID-19 crisis?

Temporary regulations for the validity of training qualifications during the COVID-19 Crisis Version: 19^th JULY 2021 During the COVID-19 Crisis with its current challenges, we would not like to put an extra strain on instructors, rescuers, trainers, operators or training bodies. Therefore, we would like to introduce the following temporary extension rules for the scope of training qualifications. This should enable both parties to continue without formal constraints and operators and training bodies to re-start business as soon as they are allowed again. There are 2 temporary regulations. One temporary regulation for extending the grace period, normally 1 year, for certificates that have already expired. The other is for extending a certificate that has not yet expired but will do so within a certain period. Both temporary regulations and the periods of grace and extension will be reviewed should the need arise. (Additions dated 02-Nov-2020 marked in blue color. Deletions marked in gray and strike-through in red. Additions dated 19-May-2021 marked in orange color. Additions dated 19-July-2021 marked in red color. Temporary extension of the grace period for refreshing already expired qualifications Due to the fact that in some cases none or not all of the refresher workshops of the ERCA-certified training bodies can take place, we decided to temporarily extend (only for certficates falling in a specified period!) the grace period between the expiry date of the certificate to and the time when the refresher workshop is to be attended , until 30^th May 2021. , until 30^th July 2021 , until 31^st October 2021. from 12 to 18 months. This rule apply for cases where the standard grace period ends between 28^th FEB 2020 and 31^st MAY 2020 30^th MAY 2021 30^th July 2021 31^st October 2021.
		EXAMPLE #01 The certificate has already been expired on 6^th APR 2019 and the usual grace period would end on 5^th APR 2020 (12 months after the certificate expiration). Now, with the temporary extension the instructor will have 6 months more time and need to have a refresher workshop completed by 5^th OCT 2020 30^th MAY 2021 30^th July 2021 31^st October 2021. NOTE: In this case the certificate has expired and this temporary rule will not change this status! The certificate is and will stay expired unless it has been refreshed through attendance in a refresher workshop or by attending an additional ERCA-certified training course!
We are currently working on the technical implementation of this regulation, so that the Intranet will automatically take this regulation into account. However, if a certificate cannot be issued, please contact the ERCA office and we will help you. Temporary extension of the expiry date for certificates that are due to expire within a certain period To enable operators to re-start the business as soon as they are allowed again, we would like to prevent potentially expired awards (of their staff) hindering them formally. Therefore, we decided that all certificates with an expiry date between 15^th MAR 2020 and 31^st MAY 2020 will provisionally receive a temporary extension of 3-months.
		EXAMPLE #02 The certificate expires on 15^th APR 2020 (3 years after successful completion of the assessment). The expiry date falls in the allowed specified timeframe between 15^th MAR 2020 and 31^st MAY 2020. Now, with the temporary extension this certificate will receive an extension and the new expiry date will be the 15^th JUL 2020. NOTE: ERCA will issue a PDF-certificate to each individual. Therefore, certificate extension should not be assumed until you have received notification from ERCA. This exemption certificate will not prolong the grace period calculated from the original certificate. The grace-period extension rule from above will be applied always to the original certificate expiry date.
As mentioned above, the ERCA office will make use of a PDF-bulk-creation tool to create PDF extension-certificates for all individuals affected. This tool will automatically e-mail the PDF-file to all individuals with an e-mail-address stored in the database. Training bodies need to decide whether they wish to receive a copy and to which dedicated e-mail inbox. Individuals who have no e-mail address can get in touch with the training body to receive their extension (PDF file). The extension-certificate is an unique exemption certificate which makes reference to the original certificate. Neither the certificate nor the included data will be saved to the intranet records. To make this visible a watermark sign (diagonal orange stripe with the text „Temporary Extension“) will highlight this.

Building & Operation (Bau & Betrieb)

How to become an ERCA certified inspector?

Below sketch shows the route to become an ERCA certified ropes course inspector.

You need to have building experience and must hold certain awards (1-6). For 1 (WAH)^{see footnote 1} either a "ERCA Generic Rescuer Award" or "ERCA High Ropes Course Trainer Award" or a "IRATA Rope Access Technician Level1 (or higher)" award or another similar award is compulsory. For the awards it is up to you to attend qualifying courses at whatever provider you wish or participating in courses offered by ERCA. If you fulfill all prerequisites you can attend the 5-day inspector training (7). At the end of training you will receive feedback and can work out your personal action plan with help of the trainer (8). Afterwards you have to perform inspections to gain more experience and to prepare (9) before you are required to pass an assessment (10).

Footnote 1: For the 'Working at Height'-Award we aplly the following rules: a) Candidates need to present an initial certificate (one of those mentioned in the list); this need not to be current; b) During the „inspector training“ the assessors have to observe if they are competent to work safe at height; Those who perform unsafe can be excluded;

For further questions please contact:
Mrs Sonja Prömm
+49-(0)511-95733228

ERCA (Re-) Certification for Inspection Companies from the year 2018

What does the label „ERCA Certified Inspection Body“ mean and what does the label look like?

[Below description/criteria applies to certifications issued in the year 2018 or later.]

Even if the full responsibilty and liability for carrying out a ropes course inspection keeps with the inspection company, ERCA has developed a label for those inspection companies who are fulfilling a set of certain quality citeria.

Inspection companies will be allowed to display the label „ERCA Certified Inspection Body“ which is shown at the right, if following key stages are met:

The inspection company passed one peer review or one audit initially.
As part of it an inspected ropes course was re-inspected by a 2nd expert, findings were cross-checked with the former inspection report and document samples were checked to make sure that management pocedures are in place like mentioned in the self-commitment from the inspecton company (see below).

ERCA has checked if the inspector(s) working for the inspection company hold -at least- following formal qualifications and if a document was available to prove this:

o Working-At-Height Award
We apply following rules for this award: a) Inspectors need to present an initial certificate (one of those like mentioned here); this does not have to be renewed continuously;
b) During the „inspector training“ the assessors have to observe if inspectors are competent to work safe at height; Those who perform unsafe can be excluded;

o PPE Inspection Award (at least training of 2 days duration, incl. assessment)

o Wire Rope Inspection Award (at least training of 2 days duration, incl. assessment)

o Wood Pole Inspection Award (at least training of 3 days duration, incl. assessment)

o ERCA Inspector Award (includes assessment)

In case of Re-Certification (At least one site visit with re-inspection of a recently inspected ropes course was carried out by a 2nd expert and findings were cross-checked with the former inspection report)

The leader of the inspection company has confirmed following inspector(s) experience …

o … construction experience with pole- and tree-builts with at least 50 days;

o … comprehensive experience for carrying out operational inspection procedures;

By signing the "Inspection Body Contract", the leader of the inspection company has declared to establish and to uphold following management procedures in connection with ropes course inspections carried out:

o Measures to ensure continous professional development

§ Inspectors must attend two CPD days within a 3 years period. One opportunity is to attend the the yearly meeting of the expert group inspection.

§ The leader of an inspection body is responsible that their inspectors are competent to work at height; The leader has to apply the usual measures for employers (CPD, instructions, training);

§ The leader or one delegate of the inspection body needs to attend the ERCA ‘Expert Group Inspection’ at least once over two years.

§ Each inspector carry out a minimum of 5 inspections per year.

o Duty to hold a liability insurance

§ The inspection company is liable to conclude and hold an appropriate liability insurance to the services the inspection company offers (with an insurance sum of minimum EUR 5000000 per case).

o The inspection body has to make use of the documentation database online software (Intranet). Doing so it is ensured …:

§ ... that ERCA can pick samples for the next upcoming audit process; (Note: ERCA will not review nor check if reports or findings are correct.)

§ ... that reports are stored in a 2nd place (protection against data deletion);

o Procedures in terms of data protection

§ The inspection company undertake not to grant access to the documentation to anyone other than the persons entrusted with the execution of the inspection and documentation with the process.

§ Inspection companies have the duty to inform their customers about the fact, that data will be submitted and saved online while making use of above mentioned online documentation database and that email addresses will be subscribed to ERCA‘s emaillist for certificate holders. Certificate holders can unsubscribe at each time.

§ The inspection company need to file/enter data while making use of above mentioned online documentation database and to prepare certificates. Doing so the customer e-mail address will being added to a mailing list, by means of which ERCA internal information and security relevant reports are sent.

§ Customers need to be made aware by the inspection company that data can being used from ERCA for the purpose of carrying out audits related to the inspection company.

o Procedures for Quality Control

§ The inspection body allows ERCA to carry out customer surveys on a regular basis (online survey form).

§ The inspection body agrees that ERCA is allowed to carry out re-inspections whenever ERCA wants and with no in-advance notice to the inspection body. ERCA can pick the ropes courses for re-inspection from the documentation database online software. The procedure will always be the same and is explained in audit paperwork.

§ The inspection body agrees that ERCA is allowed to carry out a re-audit of the inspection body latest over all 3 years.

§ The inspection body control and measure the performance of the inspectors.

o Procedures for Office Management

§ Archiving of all paperwork for peridical inspections carried out, for minimum the last 10 years.

§ Traceability of inspection reports, certificates and the relevant customers.

§ Upholding a procedure for correction/ recall of reports/certificates for such a potential case in which certificates were issued by mistake or with containing mistakes.

o Procedures for the Practical Inspection
Inspection bodies carry out all mandatory procedures like specified in a checklist.

§ Start of an inspection (Briefing with the operator)

· Meeting the ropes course operator

· Acquiring the relevant documents from the operator - assuming the inspector has not received them prior to inspection

· Document Checks (Design Calculations, Drawings)

· Checking if there are any specific areas of concern that the inspector needs to pay particular attention to during the inspection process?

· Checking if there are there any elements which carry a particular risk?

· Checking if the inspector should be aware of any particular incidents in the past?

· Ensuring a rescue plan is in place for the duration of the inspection.

· Adhering to national laws and WAH regulations.

§ Inspection work

· Functional test of ropes course elements/activities if possible (e.g. exept large group elements) .

· At height inspection of all elements of the construction.

§ Completing the inspection

· Final discussion with the client; passing on relevant information.

· If elements need to be placed out of action: Advise the name and location of the element to the operator and asking the operator to counter sign the relevant documentation.

· Informing the operator about the next steps and or Actions.

o Procedures for the compilation of a Report & Documentation

§ A final report has to be completed and submitted to the operator within 30 days after the inspection. If this is not possible e.g. for research reasons the customer has to be informed about the delay in between the 30 day period.

§ The inspection body adheres to and states unambiguously on the report that the inspection was carried out according to the ERCA – Inspection criteria’s, manual and standards.

§ Inspection reports must contain clear findings and advice to operators what was ´passed´/ ´failed´/´deferred´ and what repairs are mandatory. Photographs are to be made and must show the identified defects.

§ More in detail, a report shall contain ...

· … identification of the issuing body.

· … place(s) and date(s) of inspection.

· … identification of the item(s) inspected.

· … name, address and signature of the inspector.

· … a statement of conformity where applicable .

· … a record of all defects found. A note stating that any safety defects which are found shall be resolved to the satisfaction of the inspection body before the course is used.

· … information on what has been omitted from the original scope of the inspection.

· … a statement that the inspection report should not be reproduced, except in full.

· … if applicable, a notification about the fact, that arboreal assessments shall be carried out at least once per calendar year and within a maximum interval of 15 months as detailed in EN 15567-1:2015, Annex A.

What does the certificate look like for an „ERCA Certified Inspection Body“ and how long is it valid?

[Below description/criteria applies to certifications issued in the year 2018 or later.]

Click to enlarge

The certificate shown at the right will only be issued by ERCA once above mentioned points were actually met on the day of the audit.

The certificate keeps valid as long as that status was not revoked actively nor a re-audit found contradicting reasons. As long as the certificate is valid, you will find the inspection company listed on the ERCA website at: https://www.erca.cc/index.php/en/training-and-inspection/inspection#bodies

Flagrant breach of inspection procedures or quality criteria defined by ERCA will in-validate the certificate.

What is the difference in the certification process for inspection companies for being certified for the scope of „Periodical Ropes Course Inspections“ compared to the scope of „Inaugural Ropes Course Inspections“?

[Below description/criteria applies to certifications issued in the year 2018 or later.]

Inspection companies who would like to be „ERCA Certified Inspection Bodies“ for the scope of „Periodical Ropes Course Inspections“ must comply with all criteria mentioned above.

Those who would like also being certified for the scope of „Inaugural Ropes Course Inspections“ and/or "Modification Inspections" need to meet the following additional requirements:

Pre-requisites for applying companies:

‣ Already an ERCA-certified Inspection body for the scope of ‘Periodical Ropes Course Inspections’ for at least 2 years.

⚬ For already certified inspection bodies, the requirements for application are:

∙ the participation in the ERCA ‘Expert Group Inspection’ at least once over two years,
∙ the submission of inspection reports
∙ and the payment of the fees (the yearly membership fee, the yearly certification fee, the certificate fees).

⚬ Exemption rule for newcomers:
Newcomers that apply for the scope of ‘Periodical Ropes Course Inspections’ and for the scope of ‘Inaugural Ropes Course Inspections’ must pass an on-site audit initially.

‣ Already carried out at least 2 inaugural inspections without change of the company structure (same company registration; same inspectors still in company, who carried out these previous inaugural inspections;) If no inaugural inspection has been carried out so far, the requirement for the company structure still applies, but instead of real reports a template for an inaugural ropes course inspection report is suffice for application purposes.
‣ Sign a contract amendment to include the scope of ‘inaugural inspections’ to the existing contract with its specific duties and requirements (e.g. the duty to hold an appropriate and valid liability insurance, etc.).

Audit Criteria:

‣ Sign a self-commitment to adhere to the ‘Independancy Criteria’ for such projects, in which the body acts as an inspector for the inauguration. Independancy criteria are:

⚬ not involved (this applies to all individuals from the company) in any services or plannings for the project which the specific inaugural inspection focuses on;
⚬ Not in a formal relationship (no subsidiary and no affiliate company, not under the same holding) with any of the companies who are involved in services or plannings for the building project;
⚬ Not receiving funds from the building project and from none of the other companies involved other than the inaugural inspection fee;
⚬ For the full benefit of the operator a stand-alone contract between the operator and the inaugural inspection body shall be concluded. The payment shall come directly from the operator to the inaugural inspection body.

‣ Sign a self-commitment to carry out a minimum set of procedures as well as document checks and to document these in a report in writing and with pictures, including …

⚬ … The inspector has to carry out the ‘Functional Test’ by climbing at height (photo and/or video documentation)
⚬ … Documentation of malfunctions identified during the ‘Functional Test’ (photo and/or video documentation)
⚬ … Documentation of hazards and/or construction faults identified during the visual inspection (photo and description)
⚬ … The creation of a list and/or map detailing the number and names of the obstacles/ elements/ courses inspected
⚬ … The creation of a list of key figures of the mounting structure (type + number: trees/ wood poles/ steel pillars, type + number of anchors, names of safety systems installed)
⚬ … The creation of a check list detailing the number and type of the provided calculations, design drawings, manuals, gear data sheets e.g. for the wire rope/ wood poles and if built in trees an arboreal assessment and tree strength assessment
(documentation of all these: with a photo of the cover paper [issuer, date, title, item] and note the number of pages for each)
⚬ … A summary and result of the inaugural inspection as well as recommendations to the operator if necessary

‣ Confirmation of an ongoing partnership with a structural engineer
‣ Check the latest 2 reports and documentation of ‘inaugural inspections’ carried out not under the ERCA scheme (checked against the audit criteria above) OR the submitted inaugural ropes course inspection report template, in cases when no inaugural inspection was carried out so far.
‣ Spot-check the reports and documentation for the next 3 upcoming inaugural inspections carried out under the ERCA scheme (checked against the audit criteria above)

What kind of quality checks can be done on a random basis?

[Below description/criteria applies to certifications issued in the year 2018 or later.]

ERCA has the right to carry out following checks on a random basis:

Submitting and collecting answers from customer survey forms.
and/or

Document checks in the office of the inspection body or via remote-access-techniques.
and/or

Interviews with the leader oft he inspection company or the inspectors.
and/or

Site visits with re-inspection of a recently inspected ropes course and cross-check of the findings with the former inspection report.

Who issue the inspection certificate once the ropes course inspection was completed, what does it look like and how long does this take?

[Below description/criteria applies to certifications issued in the year 2018 or later.]

Click to enlarge

For reason that the full responsibilty and liability for carrying out a ropes course inspection keeps with the inspection company, it is always the inspection company who issue the certificate and a comprehensive inspection report.

The certificate template looks like shown here at the right and operators should receive the certificate together with the inspection report not later than 30 days after the inspection was completed.

Please note that you have to check and observe the results of the inspection, highlighted in the inspection report. All action points must be fullfilled within the agreed timescale to validate the certificate.

What data will be collected, processed and stored if I receive an inspection from an „ERCA Certified Inspection Body“?

An „ERCA Certified Inspection Body“ will make use of an online documentation software and will collect, process and store following data using the software. Due to this fact also the ERCA Web Administrator Team can access those data. All persons involved undertake not to grant access to the documentation to anyone other than the persons entrusted with the execution of the inspection and documentation with the process.

Address

Contact details

Results/findings of the inspection

Scope / Type of the inspection

Details of the inspecting company and inspectors

A copy of the report and the certificate to prevent unintended deletion

Certificate holders can unsubscribe the e-mail-list at each time and can request to get their data deleted, but have to understand that services cannot being provided any longer as those data are crucial to process inspections.

Frequently Asked Questions - All FAQs

Please choose a category (Bitte wählen sie eine Kategorie):

Temporary regulations for the validity of training qualifications during the COVID-19 Crisis

Temporary extension of the grace period for refreshing already expired qualifications

Temporary extension of the expiry date for certificates that are due to expire within a certain period