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T W E N T Y T H I R D E D I T I O N T H E B U I L D I N G C O N S E R VAT I O N D I R E C T O R Y 2 0 1 6 4 9
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BUI LDING CONTRACTORS
It also causes minimal disruption to
surrounding areas: consider a few dangling
ropes compared to the footprint of scaffolding
and the access problems that the scaffold’s
footprint often causes at ground level. There
is also the consideration of damage from
scaffolding or MEWPs to the structure itself,
whereas the impact of a rope is usually slight
or non-existent.
Furthermore, the carbon footprint of
rope access is extremely low compared to
other forms of access, because the only carbon
costs are those associated with transporting
personnel and equipment to the work site.
WHAT ARE THE DISADVANTAGES?
The weight of the repair or investigation
equipment and any other materials required
is a key consideration. Although the work
equipment can be lifted to the work location
by separate ropes or hoists, the rope access
personnel still have to manually operate
the equipment. However, rope access
personnel occasionally work with cranes (see
illustration above).
The need for anchor points for the ropes
is a key consideration. These may be built in
to the fabric of the building or they may be
temporary fixtures. Either way, to comply
with IRATA International’s requirements for
a two-rope system, there must be at least two
separate load-bearing anchor points.
WHAT SHOULD A CLIENT LOOK FOR?
Understanding the health and safety
implications of rope access is key to
The Industrial Rope Access Trade
Association (IRATA International)
sets standards to ensure the safe use of
procedure and equipment and provides a
formal training and certification scheme.
To comply with these standards (which
are not compulsory), all members of the
rope access team must be certified by the
body, and at least one of them must be
certified to the highest level (Level 3). The
association monitors accidents reported
by its members and publishes statistics
showing a better safety record than for the
work-at-height industry as a whole.
WHAT IS IT BEST SUITED FOR?
Rope access is best suited for situations
where the point to be accessed can be
reached from above because the ropes
must be attached to something that will
bear the weight of the operative and
associated equipment. Additional rope
drops can be set up to allow operatives
to traverse a structure horizontally by
either transferring from rope to rope
(rope transfer), or by being able to pull
themselves sideways, using the other
ropes as anchor points. It is clearly
possible to climb up to the work location
and then fix an anchor point there, rather
than fixing anchor points above the work
site, but this is less common.
A wide variety of work can be
carried out using rope access, from
defect investigations and minor repairs
to more comprehensive maintenance.
In conservation, preparatory investigations
are often required at the survey stage,
prior to full scaffolding. This may be to
assess priorities for conservation work and
appropriate methodologies, and it may also
be essential for budgeting, for example.
Some investigations can be made remotely,
either from the ground or by using cameras
attached to aerial drones, but they are
limited to surface inspections only. Often
problems are hidden by layers of dirt or by
the surface itself, requiring closer inspection,
and sometimes openings have to be made.
Conversely, close inspection may reveal
that the substructure is sound, reducing the
scope of the subsequent project and avoiding
unnecessary fundraising, scaffolding and
repair work.
Close inspection at this stage in the
development of a project usually involves
a MEWP, a tower scaffold or rope access,
depending on site conditions and the
availability of a rope access specialist with the
right skills for the job.
One big advantage of rope access over
other methods of working at height is the
safety and speed with which the work
location can be accessed. If one compares
the time needed to set up the ropes and
climb to the work area, to that needed to
erect a 10m-high scaffold, then the time
and cost advantages of rope access are
clear. This speed of access and reduced
working time has the added advantage
that personnel spend less time exposed
to the risks of working at height.
achieving a safe project, which often
goes hand-in-hand with an efficient
project. Find a contractor to carry out
the work who is both experienced and
trained, and therefore competent to
carry out the type of work, as well as
the rope access, that you require. When
assessing whether someone is competent
to work at height, the Health and Safety
Executive recommends that clients
should ensure that ‘people with sufficient
skills, knowledge and experience are
employed to perform the task, or, if they
are being trained, that they work under
the supervision of somebody competent
to do it’. A competent contractor will be
happy to discuss the implications of your
proposals with you.
A quick search of the internet will
reveal a great deal of discussion about
rope access, as well as a little confusion.
When considering the use of rope
access, there are two essential sources of
information to digest before embarking
on your particular project: BS ISO 22846
and IRATA International’s code of
practice (see Further Information)*. As a
minimum, a contractor should be working
to BS ISO 22846. This ISO standard
superseded BS 7985:2009 .
According to the ISO:
ISO 22846-1:2003 gives the
fundamental principles for the use of
rope access methods for work at height.
It is intended for use by employers,
employees and self-employed persons
who use rope-access methods, by
those commissioning rope-access work
and by rope-access associations. ISO
22846-1 is applicable to …situations
where ropes are used as the primary
means of access, egress or support and
as the primary means of protection
against a fall.
In summary, rope access has advantages in
terms of cost and speed over more traditional
methods of elevated access. The downside of
rope access is the restriction on weight. It is a
worthwhile consideration where access above
the work area is easily available because of the
versatility of this type of access.
Further Information
The Association of Technical Lightning and
Access Specialists
Health and Safety Executive, ‘Work at Height’,
Industrial Rope Access Trade Association
* A ‘comparison study between ISO 22846 and
IRATA International code of practice for
industrial rope access’ is available and can
be downloaded from the IRATA website.
TIM BELDEN is a civil engineer with over
25 years of experience in a wide range of
engineering projects above ground, below
ground and even sub-sea. He is a senior
partner in Norfolk Millwright Alliance whose
IRATA-trained personnel undertake rope
access works, predominantly on windmills.
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Rope access being used in conjunction with a crane:
the weight of the windmill’s sails are borne by the
crane while the rope access specialist fixes them to
thestock.