Rope access is the professional use of ropes to do inspections, maintenance, and other types of work. The use of ropes in industrial settings was pioneered by explorers who first used ropes in caving and climbing, and has since been adapted for many different types of work.
To reach difficult-to-access areas, rope access is often used in combination with various climbing techniques and, of course, safety equipment. This method is also utilized in challenging or hazardous environments, such as confined spaces, construction sites over water, or restricted areas within buildings. This allows workers to operate safely and efficiently at heights while navigating obstacles.
The main purpose of rope access is to provide access to hard-to-reach places without the use of scaffolding, work baskets, or aerial lifts.
A rope access technician uses ropes to rappel, ascend, or move along ropes while being secured by a harness system and sometimes a special work seat. The industrial use of rope access began in the 1980s. Since then, professional organizations like IRATA (Industrial Rope Access Trade Association) and SPRAT (Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians) have standardized this technique, making it a reliable method for getting people to difficult-to-access locations. Today, there are many different applications and professions that require rope access.
In the civilian sector, rope access is frequently used for window cleaning, maintenance, and support. In the industrial sector, the most common applications are non-destructive testing, also known as inspections. To meet safety requirements, rope technicians typically use multiple redundancies to ensure they remain secured in the event of equipment failure.
TWO COMMON REDUNDANCIES ARE:
- A fall arrest system that uses two ropes: a working rope and a safety rope.
- Additional anchor points: a primary anchor point and two supplementary anchor points.
The main advantage of rope access lies in the speed and safety with which workers can reach difficult-to-access locations to perform their tasks, often with minimal impact on other workflows and surrounding areas.
