• All delegates must be able to certify that they are physically fit and have no medical conditions that might prevent them working at height. (A list of conditions that could affect practical training and work at height are available on request.)
• Delegates must be 18 years or over & are required to declare by signature that they have completed and passed a suitable fitness assessment/medical for climbing & work at height.

This MATS Basic Tower Climbing & Rescue course is designed to provide delegates with the knowledge, understanding & practical skills to ensure individuals safety whilst working on towers & masts in the telecommunications and broadcast industry.

EQUIPMENT COVERED DURING TRAINING

• Work position harness & lanyard
• Single and Double Fall Arrest Lanyards
• Fall Arrest Blocks
• Permanent guided type system
• Temporary guided type system
• Tensioned horizontal lines
• Spanset High Access Rescue Kit (SHARK) or alternative
• Suspension Aids.

During the MATS Initial Basic Tower Climber & Rescue training course you will be instructed in the safe use of personal fall protection equipment used whilst climbing, the operation of permanently installed fixed safety systems and additional fall prevention equipment.

It’s also a requirement that when working on telecoms towers and masts, that persons are competent in the use of rescue equipment to enable the recovery of an injured colleague. The MATS Initial Basic Tower Climbing and Rescue course covers rescue form towers mast and structures using the SpanSet SHARK rescue kit, but alternative equipment can be included if advised.

The course content is recognised as a component of a person’s competence by MATS & is quality assured by EUSR.

Theory/Practical Activities (Knowledge, understanding & practical skills).

• Legislation & safety standards. 
• Inspecting rescue equipment and selecting rescue techniques.
• Managing common hazards, assessing risk and developing rescue plans.
• Using harnesses and fall arrest lanyards on fixed fall arrest systems.
• Selecting appropriate anchor points.
• Managing suspension Intolerance (syncope).
• Using knots and “off-weighting” techniques to rescue from permanent guided type system using pulley system .
• Demonstrating climbing techniques, and emergency evacuation from tower.
• Descent rescue from permanent guided type system, and from work position lanyards.
• Descent rescue of suspended casualty using a fall arrest lanyard.

Delegates will be assessed throughout the day in the form of direct observation & a summative written assessment paper.