3.3.2.5.2 Preoperational Minimum Ridership Requirements

3.3.2.5 Operational requirements

3.3.2.5.1 General

The owner and supervisor of each aerial lift shall review the requirements of Section 3 and referenced Annexes of this standard to ascertain that original design and installation conditions have not been altered in a manner so as to violate the requirements of the standard.

3.3.2.5.2 Preoperational minimum ridership requirements

Each licensee shall have an operational plan that identifies criteria for pre-operational tramway inspections for the transportation of personnel on aerial ropeways. Implementation of these procedures is intended for the protection of all personnel and shall be the responsibility of the area operator, supervisor, and the authorized individual.

The preoperational plan shall include, but not be limited to:

Minimum Requirements

Prior to the daily preoperational ride and the completion of X.3.2.4.2 Daily preoperational inspection, or any initial start-up of the ropeway, the following minimum steps shall be taken;

1. At least one brake and stop switch has been operated and proves to function properly, and either items 2 or 3 are performed.

2. The ropeway is operated slowly for a minimum of three (3) minutes, or a length of time equal to the time a carrier takes to cross the longest span on the installation.

3. The lift line is visually inspected in one of two ways:

a) The entire lift line is visually inspected from the ground by trained personnel.

b) The lift line inspection occurs while riding the aerial ropeway. If this method is used, the first rider shall be in constant communication with the operator.

The plan shall also include the following requirements:

i) Evacuation of pre-ride personnel. The number of available evacuation personnel, the method of transportation of those persons, the required evacuation equipment and the method of transport of evacuated personnel.

ii) Trained operational and maintenance availability. A requirement that trained operational and maintenance personnel shall be immediately available to attempt to restart the tramway if the tramway stops.

For the purpose of this rule, “area employee” means an individual: (1)who performs services for an area operator, as that term is defined by section 25-5-702(1), C.R.S.; (2)who receives financial compensation directly from the area operator for those services; and (3)whose services only the area operator has the right to control (i.e., the area operator has the right to direct the services the individual will perform for the area operator and how the individual will perform those services).

A. For Licensed Ropeways and Unlicensed Ropeways After Initial Testing, including Expired Licenses

An area employee that is directly related to the opening of the aerial lift (i.e. Ski Patrol, Lift Maintenance, and Lift Operators) shall conduct the pre-operational inspection ride. If any other area employee is to ride the lift prior to the completion of the pre-operational inspection, the personnel responsible for the pre-operational inspection ride shall ride in the first carriers in front of the area employee. As used in this rule, the term “area employee” specifically excludes independent contractors, subcontractors, vendors, and their personnel.

B. Unlicensed Ropeways Prior to Testing and Licensing

Only personnel related to the completion of the construction, operation, and buildings directly related to the operation of the tramway may be transported by the tramway prior to testing and licensing.

3.3.2.5.3 Starting

Following procedural clearances, the aerial lift shall be started by the operator or at the direction of the operator. Capability for starting from other locations may be provided for maintenance or emergency operation.

3.3.2.5.4 Loading and unloading platforms

The maze or corral, loading platform surface, breakover point, and the load/unload seat height shall be reasonably maintained according to the prevailing weather conditions and established procedures.

3.3.2.5.5 Stops

After any stop of an aerial lift, the operator shall determine the cause of the stop, and not restart until clearance has been obtained from all attended stations.

3.3.2.5.6 Termination of daily operations

Procedures shall be established for terminating daily operations in such a manner that passengers will not be left on the aerial lift after it has been shut down. Loading ramps, as required, shall be closed and so marked.

When either loading or unloading portions of an intermediate station are not in operation, it shall be so signed and the loading station shall be closed to public access.

3.3.2.5.7 Damage to carriers

Should any carrier become damaged or otherwise rendered unfit for passenger transportation during normal operation, it shall be clearly and distinctively marked and not used for passengers until repaired or replaced. It shall be removed from the line as soon as feasible.

3.3.2.5.8 Hazardous conditions

When wind or icing conditions are such that operation is hazardous to passengers or equipment, according to predetermined criteria based upon the area’s operational experience and the designer’s design considerations, the aerial lift shall be unloaded and the operation discontinued. If necessary under the predetermined criteria, device(s) shall be installed at appropriate location(s) to ascertain wind velocity and direction when aerial lifts are operated. No aerial lift shall operate when there is an electrical storm in the immediate vicinity. Should such conditions develop while the aerial lift is in operation, loading of passengers shall be terminated, and operation shall be continued only as long as necessary to unload all passengers. When such shutdown has been caused by an electrical storm, grounding of control circuits and haul ropes that are used as conductors in communication systems is permissible. Such grounding shall be removed prior to resumption of passenger operations.

3.3.2.5.9 Bypass requirements

The use of temporary circuits that have been installed for the purpose of bypassing failed electrical circuit(s) (see 3.2.6) shall meet these requirements in the following order:

a) The condition that the circuit indicated is in default shall be thoroughly inspected to ensure an electrical operating circuit malfunction, rather than the indicated condition, actually exists;

b) The bypass shall be authorized only by the aerial lift supervisor or his/her designated representative;

c) When a bypass is in operation, the function bypassed shall be under constant, close visual observation;

d) The use of a bypass circuit shall be logged and shall indicate when, who authorized, and for what duration a bypass was used;

e) The operator control panel shall indicate that a bypass is in use.

3.3.2.5.10 Evacuation

A plan for evacuation of passengers from each aerial lift shall be developed and documented. The plan shall include:

a) the definition of the line of authority in the event of an evacuation. This line of authority shall list:

1) the positions responsible for determining the need for and ordering an evacuation by use of the evacuation power unit or evacuation from individual carriers;

2) the personnel responsible for performing the evacuation, for first aid, and for ground care of evacuated passengers.

b) a description of the equipment necessary for evacuation and where it will be stored;

c) provisions for adequate training in the functions performed in the evacuation process at least once each operating season. Such drills are to be recorded in the operational log of each aerial lift (see 3.3.5.1);

d) an estimate of the time necessary for the total evacuation of each aerial lift;

e) a description of unusual terrain conditions and how each of these conditions will be dealt with during an evacuation;

f) an estimate of when the evacuation should begin in the event the aerial lift becomes inoperable;

g) provisions for communications with passengers of an inoperable aerial lift, the frequency of such communication, how soon after the aerial lift becomes inoperable such communication to the passengers will start, and the frequency of communications thereafter;

h) the methods of evacuation to be used for the typical passenger, incapacitated passenger, passengers using common adaptive ski equipment, and non-ambulatory passengers;

i) provisions for communication with the evacuation teams;

j) provisions for suspending the evacuation in the event that the aerial lift is made operable during the evacuation;

k) provisions for control and assistance of evacuated persons until released;

l) provisions for a post-evacuation report.

All nonmetallic rope used for evacuation shall be of nylon or polyester (Dacron) fiber of either laid or braided construction. Laid rope of nylon shall be of a hard lay. These ropes shall be either of a static rescue type or a dynamic mountaineering type. Breaking strength, when new, shall be at least 15 times the maximum expected operating load but in no case less than 4000 pounds (17.8 kilonewtons). No natural fiber or polypropylene ropes shall be used.

These ropes shall be carefully stored when not in use and shall be examined after each completed aerial lift evacuation and prior to each season of operation, both summer and winter, to ascertain that they are in satisfactory condition.

Carabiners, if used, shall be of the locking type.