ROPE ACCESS
FEATURE SPONSOR
GENUINE ROPE SKILLS LEAVE NOTHING TO CHANCE
ROPE ACCESS… WITH SAFETY BUILT IN
Some people still see rope access skills as some sort of scary Black Art, according to accredited trainer John MacDonald. All too quickly, they opt for the expensive and operationally tricky option of bringing in a cherry picker or crane, when a little knowledge could get the job done in half the time, and with infinitely less hassle and cost.
KNOWING THE ROPES
John explains: “Rope access is regularly overlooked as a credible strategy for inspection of turbines; for blade repair and painting; even for tasks such as internal cable pulling and torque tensioning. Yet it’s one of the safest techniques on any windfarm development if you literally, know the ropes. “It’s essential to always think of the law of two. There should always be two points of contact; two ropes, with one taking a safe, working load and another as full backup. These should have two separate places of attachment, both at the tethering point and on the safety harness worn by the technician.
“It’s a no-brainer really as anyone working on ropes has twice the security as by any other means, but with the advantage of a lot more mobility to reach less accessible areas.” John has been working safely within the
rope access industry for 16 years. He is an accredited trainer and regrets that so few developers invest in giving their technicians this vital, traditional skill, augmented by the development of strong and comfortable safety harnesses and lightweight ropes developed to carry loads way beyond that of a technician, (no matter how many pies they may have eaten).
TEAM WORK John MacDonald
John adds: “We work in teams where all team members are IRATA (Industrial Rope Access Trade Association) certified. Each team will have a L3 team leader and the rest will be certified in relevant trades to carry out the task in hand i.e. riggers, pipefitter, painters, NDT inspectors and blade repair technicians. “Even before we start, all work is assessed by the L3 and planned so that Technicians can work safely in areas that are normally inaccessible. All
Rope access specialist and trainer Prontoport
ropes are rigged in what is known in the industry as “Rig to Rescue”; a system were the L3 can conduct a rescue (if ever needed) in the simplest and quickest way, without putting himself or anyone else in harm’s way.”
LEAVING NOTHING TO CHANCE
John concluded: “Frankly, it’s extremely difficult to get into trouble using a well- designed rope system but if something unforeseen were to happen, we can move quickly to get the casualty out and lowered to safety. Genuine rope skills leave nothing to chance.”
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www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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