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Rope Access - Route To The Top
www.waterat.cat
Rope Access
"Route To The Top"
An Overview of Industrial Rope Access - Your Questions Answered
What exactly is rope access ?
Rope Access is a term used to describe the use of modern climbing and caving
equipment and techniques in the industrial or other workplaces setting.
Emphasis is on safety at all times. Nothing is left to chance, all risks are identified,
assessed and minimised if not eliminated.
The advantages of using rope access are many, but the main ones are speed,
efficiency, safety and cost.
Speed & efficiency - For inspection and light weight tasks, a very small team, typically 3 men,
can very quickly access an other wise difficult to reach location with minimal kit, negating the need
to install costly, labour intensive and time consuming staging/scaffolding. Required gear can be easily
carried by the team themselves.
Safety - Due to the emphasis in training on safety, in-built back-up systems, and the professionalism
of the typical
IRATA (see below) qualified operative, there has never been a fatality involving the use of recognised
Industrial Rope Access methods.
Cost - As mentioned above, cost is minimised, due to small teams, light weight kit and efficient methods of access.
There are obvious cost savings involved in project planning, pre-job inspection for example,
additional cost savings are found in tranport of gear and personnel,
accomodation allowances for smaller teams, and in the long term there is less liklihood of
any workplace accidents, however minor, leading to lower insurance outlay.
What is involved in a rope access job ?
Let us say, for example, a Client requires a 500' power station stack to be inspected.
The rope access contractor would assign a 3 man team to the project. This would consist of one Level 3 Supervisor, and two others, either
Level 1 or Level 2 operatives (more on Levels later..).
The stack site would be looked at and means of access, anchor points, weather conditions, possible hazards,
work permits, lock-out/tag-out procedures, rescue scenarios - all these would be assessed and a TSA drawn up.
Having conducted the risk assessment and drawn up the TSA, briefed the team on job requirements, obtained work permits etc.
the stack would be accessed and ropes anchored. The job may require video or still pictures for example,
so these would be planned and equipment checked and secured. All tools and equipment used by operatives are
always secured to the person or a separate line to avoid risk to those below.
The operatives then make several drops to visually inspect and record any items of interest. They are in
contact via radio link with the ground crew at all times.
Once the drops are complete, results can be viewed instantly, and quick reports made using modern methods such as laptops and e mail.
Any further work can be identified and carried out if required, otherwise the site can be quickly cleared,
and the stack returned to normal operations immediately, thereby minimising costly down-time.
Obviously jobs and tasks vary greatly from site to site and with different Client requirements. But the outline above
indicates a typical scenario. All projects can be tailored to suit the Client schedule and
specific needs.
Ropes ? Climbing techniques ? It sounds risky. Is this safe ?
As stated above, there has never been a fatality, worldwide, where recognized industrial rope access
techniques are used. No other section of industry has a similar safety record. Safety is paramount, and risk
assessment and hazard elimination is heavily emphasised. Self rescue is taught, and all operatives are
extremely aware of hazards to themselves as well as third parties. All rope access systems have 100%
redundancy.
To briefly quote from UK-HSE statisitcs, in the period from 1992-2001, there were 784 fatalities involvong
a fall from height at work. None of these tragedies involved the use of rope access techniques.
See UK-Health & Safety
In the United States, from the period 1980-85, for example, 17% of fatalities involvong a fall from
height were related to use of scaffold and staging.
In addition, unlike staging, where one group of workers build the scaffold, and a separate group use it
to carry out the required tasks, in rope access it is the same operative who accesses the job and carries
out the work. This is a much safer option by far - a step is eliminated, which also promotes efficiency.
I run an offshore platform. Why should I use rope access ?
What is generally in short supply on an offshore platform ? Two things come to mind; One - Deck space,
and Two - Bed space. These are always limiting factors for getting work done offshore.
By using rope access, you reduce both at a stroke. All the required kit for an average job will fit in
to a 4 foot container, even less sometimes. The entire team will consist of just 3 or 4 men.
Compare that to the acres of space taken up by half-heights full of staging. And how many beds does a
normal scaffold crew take up ?
Not only that, by the end of the first day offshore, the rope access team is on the job, carrying
out the work you need done. A scaffold crew will still be trying to get to that location. And once there,
you need a separate team of workers to actually do the work.
It is simple, rope access methods minimise downtime and save you money.
What type of person becomes a rope access technician ?
Any person, who is physically fit, has a head for heights, a good attitude to health & safety and the
ability to work both as a member of a team AND also be able to carry out assigned tasks with minimal
supervision. The rope access worker is often in an remote work situation, and direct aid is limited,
so he must be relied upon to use all his physical and organizational abilities and faculties, and get the
job done, as independantly as possible.
What kind of background does the person need ?
Rope access techniques are only 'a means to get to the job site', and it is the task carried out when he gets there, that is important in
the industrial workplace. It is therefore beneficial if the potential operative has skills and knowledge
which will be useful once on the end of a rope. Welding, NDT, lifting & rigging, insulating, mason, painter, electrician...any and all
are useful and valuable skills. Whatever the job requires, the required skilled person is usually to be found.
What kind of equipment is required to do the job ?
The basic equipment, for each member of the team is as follows :-
Industrial Climbing Sit-Harness
Chest harness and delta maillon to connect with sit harness
Climbing helmet (to withstand top/side impacts, high temperature range, full chin strap, no peak)
Minimum three 1m long dynamic rope 'cowstails' c/w attached screwgate carabiners
Chest ascender
Hand ascender
Descending device (must have built in 'no-grab' and 'hands-off' safety features)
Back-up rope grab (for use on second 'back-up'rope, locks off in event of fall)
Extra screwgate carabiners for tools, slings, deviations etc
For further details on equipment go to Rope Access Equipment
There are industry standards set for all equipment in use, such as EN numbers, ISO etc.
And generally speaking, one particular manufacturer provides the bulk of commonly used kit.
So much so that some items, such as the chest ascender for example, are known by the manufacturers'
product name (a 'croll' is a chest ascender, a 'stop' is a descending device ; both products
manufactured by French firm 'Petzl').
What is the typical route taken to become a rope access technican ?
This may vary from country to country, but for IRATA qualification it as follows :-
Appropriate Background...recreational climbing/caving
Useful skill/trade/qualification
IRATA Level 1...qualified to work on ropes, under indirect supervision
IRATA Level 2...also qualified to set up anchors and rigging
IRATA Level 3...supervisor, responsible for all operatives safety and rigging
IRATA Instructor...a very experienced Level 3, appointed to instruct rope access
IRATA Assessor...very experienced Level 3, appointed to independently assess operatives
What sort of time scale are we looking at for these qualifications ?
A Level 1 course is taught over just 5 days. The candidate is then independently assessed by a 3rd party IRATA
assessor. Once qualified, the operative must then log minimum 6 months AND 500 hours on ropes before
being permitted to seek Level 2 status.
Following a further 5 days intensive training in rigging and rescue skills, and independent assessment,
the Level 2 technician must log 12 months AND 1000 hours on ropes, as a minimum, before being able to seek
Level 3 status.
Level 3 training consists of 5 days, heavily biased towards complex rescue scenarios, job planning,
organization etc. Following assessment, he may supervise rope access teams on the job.
In addition, re-certification through assessment is required at 3 yearly intervals,
regardless of level held. This eliminates old habits, poor techniques and 'staleness'.
Is there a body or organisation which oversees the rope access industry ?
The original official body to oversee and control certification and training standards was IRATA,
in the UK. (Industrial Rope
Access Trade Association).
In recent years, many countries have set up their own
bodies to provide the same services. These bodies are usually closely linked with the various Labour departments
or Health & Safety ministeries. If no specific body is set up, then Working At Height legislation
is usually drawn up to provide a working framework and guidelines for the industry. Most of the national
bodies are closely allied to IRATA, and their policies parallel that of the
the strict IRATA methods and systems.
What are some of the jobs you have been involved in ?
Onshore - Power station shutdowns (stack cleaning, inspection, repair), Refineries (NDT Inspection etc),
Hydro penstocks (concrete repair & inspection), Paper mills (shutdowns, tank inspections), Demolition jobs,
Shipyard works (Lloyds & DNV inspection, drilling rig construction), Sign repair and installations.
Offshore - Linear Heat Detection Systems, Painting & Blasting, Inspections, Cable Running, Electrical 'EX' works, heat shield installations, top-drive sheave change-outs, PROD boom IRM,
Pipework, Radar installation, etc.
 
An Overview of my own experiences
I have worked from refineries in California to offshore platforms in the Atlantic. Paper mills
in Alberta, Hydro dams in central Ontario, 600 foot stacks in New Brunswick, and a horde of other
interesting and challenging locations and environments. We have carried out tasks inside boilers
at 40 degrees Celsius (over 110 F) using supplied air, in confined spaces, and tasks exposed to freezing wind
chills in a Canadian winter. It is all possible, just about any job you care to
think of can be seen to a safe, successful completion.
I started rock climbing in 1986, in the crags and mountains of Scotland. I was lucky in that I went
along with some solid, experienced guys, who were willing to 'carry' a third man on the rope, and pass on
knowledge of the various techniques.
I followed a typical, but very neccessary 'apprenticeship' in my climbing career. Early days involved
long but less technical mountain routes, on places such as Ben Nevis (Tower Ridge, The Long Climb , for example) or Buchaille
Etive Mor (eg..Crowberry Ridge, Agags Groove etc). In between times it was visits to smaller crags, such as Craig-y-barns, north
of Perth, where shorter but harder lines were attempted (Ivy Crack, Rat Race, Coffin Corner etc).
Over a number of years, grades improved, harder and longer routes were accomplished. We went overseas,
to Spain, Majorca, France, The United States. It all proved to be a tremendously worthwhile and satisfying
pursuit. Great satisfaction was achieved in managing routes of all grades, different types of rock, locations, and
always with fantastic guys- solid, reliable, humourous, - truly the camaraderie of the mountains.
Of course, as the years went by, I had work and family to attend to also, and like many before me, climbing began
to take a bit more of a backseat. I always swore it would not, but it happened regardless, and my
climbing diary became less busy. What to do ?
It was in the late 90's I decided to go and obtain my IRATA Level 1 ticket. I decided that I had certain
background skills and the obvious thing to do would be to try and make a bit of money out of it.
Living not too far from Edinburgh, Scotland, I signed up for a 1 week Level 1 course,
at The WEB,
a well established IRATA trainer and operator. The week went past quickly, and on the saturday afternoon
I passed the assessment in reasonably good style, no small thanks to the excellent instructor there.
One year later, and I was living in Nova Scotia, Canada. I had managed to obtain a reasonable amount of
rope access work with a local company,
Remote Access Technology Ltd, ran by ex-patriot Scotsman, Angus Borland.
RAT (as the company is commonly known) provided various services to many Clients, such as Nova Scotia Power,
Ontario Hydro, New Brunswick Power, Sable Offshore Energy, and many others. RAT was, and I think may still be,
the only IRATA Member Company in Canada. Further extensive work with TJ Engineering & Inspection also
provided valuable experience, especially offshore, and in various NDT techniques.
In 2002 I managed to obtain Level 3 certification. Since then I have managed to put it to good use, finding regular work offshore eastern Canada. It's enjoyable and the greater responsibilities keep you focused.
Every day I am at work I think I learn something new, or refine and improve the techniques I have.
It is an on going process, and one which is enjoyable, satisfying, and interesting.
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Click here to go toRope Access Equipment
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