What is the best practice to ensure safety with ropes when working at height?

The best practice to ensure safety with ropes when working at height is to check the breaking strength of the rope and compare it to the working load limit (WLL). This is crucial because the breaking strength indicates the maximum amount of weight the rope can support before it fails, while the WLL defines the safe limit for lifting or supporting loads. Ensuring that the rope's breaking strength significantly exceeds the WLL helps to prevent accidents and equipment failures, thereby ensuring the safety of personnel working at heights.

Understanding the relationship between breaking strength and WLL is essential for risk management when performing high-altitude tasks. This practice helps linemen avoid overloading, which could result in severe injuries or fatalities. Assessment and maintenance of ropes are vital components of a safety management system in height-related work.

Other options do not prioritize safety effectively; using any rope without checking could lead to catastrophic failure, while limiting usage to just synthetic ropes disregards the importance of checking specific conditions and strengths. Additionally, using ropes regardless of their condition compromises safety, as worn or damaged ropes may not perform as expected, leading to increased risk. Therefore, the correct approach focuses on rigorous checks to ensure proper performance and safety during operations at height.