Many abseiling enthusiasts are looking to turn their passion into a career as a rope access technician. This is currently a fast-growing industry that finds new uses for this skill set all the time.
However, is the rope access technician industry a fad, and is it a future-proof job? Current data trends show that rope access work is here to stay.
This article will discuss the many benefits of utilising rope access technicians for height risk work and why Abseilers United are industry-leading service providers for supplying a rope access technician in Sydney.
Rope access technician: a future-proof solution
When people think about height risk jobs, they tend to think about more traditional height-access methods, such as:
- Scaffolding
- Scissor lifts
- Cranes
- Window cleaning platforms
- Cherry pickers and more
Common sense would seem that the safest way to work at heights is with a sturdy platform underfoot. However, statistically, rope access technicians have a significantly better safety record than all of these traditional height work methods.
So, what is a rope access technician, why is it a safer method of performing height risk work, and why is the industry seeing so much growth? Read on to learn more.
What is a rope access technician?
A rope access technician is a highly skilled worker trained and experienced in the art of abseiling.
Abseiling, also known as rappelling, is the skill of controlling the ascent or descent of an abseiler off a sheer face, such as a cliff or high-rise buildings, utilising harnesses, ropes and rope friction systems.
Rope access presents a range of benefits over other height-risk access modalities. A rope access technician can also perform a vast amount of the height risk work traditionally conducted with machinery and height access platforms.
Benefits of rope access
There are several factors that set rope access work apart from other height and high-risk work modalities.
Safety
Safety is the number one priority of a rope access technician, and the secret to their safe working record is due to several factors that set them apart from other height access methods.
Rope access professionals utilise two separate rope systems to perform their work; a mainline to control their ascent and descent and a fail-safe line that kicks in should the mainline fail. A well-trained, experienced rope access technician is also adept at finding a secure ‘anchor point’ on which to rig his rope and harness system, ensuring both rope systems are secure.
Many high-rise buildings are designed with various types of anchor points to provide height-risk and abseiling professionals with safe access to the facilities height-risk areas and external faces. Rope technicians work in pairs as a bare minimum, ensuring that help is always available in an emergency.
Tools and utilities are also tethered to the rope access technician to ensure that staff, other workers and bystanders are not at risk of falling objects should a technician lose grip.
This reduces or prevents the risk of catastrophe for both workers and bystanders and can potentially negate expensive insurance claims with heavy excess fees if something was to go wrong.
Efficiency
It takes considerably less time for a rope access technician to set up and pack down his rig compared to other height access machinery and methods, like scaffolding.
As an example, work using a scaffolding system can take approximately 32-hours from start to finish:
- 12-hours set-up time
- Eight hours of productivity
- 12-hours for pack down
In comparison, the same job performed by a rope access technician would take approximately 10-hours:
- One hour for set-up
- Eight-hours of productivity
- One-hour for pack down
A rope access rig also minimises disruption to the surrounding commerce or civil activity, allowing business to continue.
Cost-effectiveness
Rope access technicians’ safety and efficiency factors transfer directly into operations costs, meaning significant savings for rope access clients.
Clients, like property managers, not only save significantly on operations hours. They can also save on council permits for heavy machinery and added security measures while work is being performed.
Versatility
Rope access technicians can reach places other high-risk professionals can not; this makes them a versatile option for a wide range of height access and high-risk applications.
Window cleaning and maintenance
A rope access professional can often perform window cleaning and maintenance duties on high-rise and multi-story structures more thoroughly and efficiently than a trade professional on a traditional platform rig. This makes rope access a popular option for facilities like high-rises, multi-storey residential buildings, and industrial complexes.
Rope access electrician
There are many reasons that electricians may need to access high spaces or long drop confined spaces. From mining to multi-story building maintenance, working with electricity is dangerous enough without adding fall hazards to the job.
A rope access technician can perform all essential electrical maintenance and repair work, including jobs like:
- Electrical tower work
- Underground confined space electrical work
- External electrical maintenance
- Height risk lighting work
- Security technology integration
- Electrical safety inspections and more
If you are looking for a rope access electrician in Sydney, contact one of the abseiling professionals here at Abseilers United. We work to the highest safety and performance standards and has provided solutions by expert rope access electricians in Sydney for the last decade.
Other rope access professions
A rope access technician can safely, efficiently and cost-effectively perform the work of many other trades and other specialist operations.
Examples of some of these trades and specialist services include, but are not limited to:
- Building defect rectification
- Glazing installation and repair
- Landscaping
- Painting
- Pest control
- Plumbing
- Signwriting
- Rigging and lifting
- Confined space access
- Standby rescue and more
The future looks bright for the rope access industry, and services will likely continue to expand over the next decade.
Whether you are looking to become a skilled rope access technician or are looking for abseiling services for height-risk work, there has never been a better time to align yourself with this versatile industry.
Abseilers United’s expert rope access team has provided services for rope access technicians in Sydney and surrounding areas since 2007. Every crew member possesses the highest industry qualifications in Australia, Europe, and the USA.
For more information about our comprehensive range of rope access services, call us by phone, or send your enquiry via our online contact porthole.