Which of the following is a retirement criterion for Hawserlaid rope?

• A. 5 years
• B. Condition
• C. Manufacturer's Rec
• D. Color

Answer: (A)

Retirement decisions for Hawserlaid rope are tied to ensuring safety, and this rope type is known to lose strength as it ages. Because natural-fiber rope can weaken over time from exposure and use, many programs use a fixed service life as a retirement rule. In this context, five years is used as the cutoff point: after that period, the rope is retired even if it still looks okay, since hidden deterioration can reduce strength and increase risk of failure during use. Color isn’t a reliable indicator of safety, so it doesn’t determine retirement. Manufacturer recommendations can inform decisions, but the typical practice reflected here is to retire after five years. Of course, if obvious damage or severe wear is found through condition checks, retirement would happen sooner, but the stated criterion emphasizes the age-based limit.