Industrial rope access has a huge expanse of potential applications for carrying out work at height. Often used onshore as a cost effective option to scaffolding or cherry pickers, the onshore applications of rope access range from building and facade maintenance tasks such as for example gutter cleaning, maintenance and repair, window cleaning at height, external vegetation removal, roofing and rooftop work, stonework and pointing in difficult access areas, painting and cleaning at height, bird and pest control including the installation of advanced netting, banner and sign installation, through to multiple industrial and construction uses, focus on bridges, glazing solutions and maintenance on towers, Geotechnical work, in addition to inspection and testing purposes. Similarly in the offshore sector, which in the united kingdom and Scotland is generally on North Sea Oil Platforms, rope access allows just work at height to be completed in areas that other work at height alternatives wouldn't be able to reach, and provides a safe and efficient mode of working at height for virtually any required scenario.
Rope access techniques comes from caving and climbing techniques and were developed and adapted into safe access methods for industrial purposes several decades ago. The continuing evolution of these techniques has allowed industrial rope usage of maintain the lowest instance of access in the complete access sector. In Scotland and over the UK, all areas of work at height must be undertaken consistent with British Standard BS7985 (2002) and the task at Height regulations (2005).
There are various factors that make industrial rope access so ideal for work at height tasks. Firstly enough time taken to install access systems is minimal. https://ropeaccessspecialistsuk.co.uk/best-rope-access-specialists-london/ on the structures that work has been carried out on, in addition to on the environment (including traffic flow and pedestrian access) can even be kept to the very least. Work can be carried out safely in nearly every scenario, and there is absolutely no height limit of which technicians can operate safely. This makes industrial rope access an invaluable tool to carry out tasks in difficult to attain situations and locations.
Rope access technicians use a variety of gear so they can perform the tasks required of them safely. Obviously ropes are perhaps one of the most important, both working and safety lines used should be low-stretch kernmantle type, between 10 and 11mm diameter. Descenders, Ascenders, Fall arrest devices, Harness, Pulleys, Carabiners, Cows Tails, Lanyards, Anchors and Rope Protectors are also all area of the rope access technicians arsenal, enabling them to get to difficult to attain areas and perform the many required maintenance, cleaning, painting or inspection work.
Now that it is becoming more and more widely known and recognized as a safe, reliable, cost effective and viable work at height solution, the applications of industrial rope access techniques have a significant role to play later on of all work at height scenarios, from domestic maintenance to construction and the petrochemical sectors, not merely in Scotland and over the UK, but also worldwide.