Rope access

Rope access window cleaning of Portside Tower in Cape Town

Façade painting in Moscow. Note the unsafe behaviour: the painter is not wearing a safety rope and a fall arrester with shock absorber, he lacks a helmet and safety boots, and is using a Figure 8 descender which is not suitable for work.

Rope access to a turret clock

Rope access technician performing maintenance work on a building

Rope access or industrial climbing is a form of work positioning, initially developed from techniques used in climbing and caving, which applies practical ropework to allow workers to access difficult-to-reach locations without the use of scaffolding, cradles or an aerial work platform. Rope access technicians descend, ascend, and traverse ropes for access and work while suspended by their harness. Sometimes a work seat may be used. The support of the rope is intended to eliminate the likelihood of a fall altogether, but a back-up fall arrest system is used in case of the unlikely failure of the primary means of support. This redundancy system is usually achieved by using two ropes - a working line and a safety line.

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  Performing repairs on oil platforms and rigs in Iran

External links

• IRATA International - Industrial Rope Access Trade Association

• IRATA International Code of Practice (ICOP)
• SPRAT - The Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians
• SPRAT Safe Practices for Rope Access Work
• ISO 22846 - International Standard for Rope Access