b'ROPE ACCESSROPE ACCESS ON THE RISEExamining its place in the hierarchy of riskBY IGOR STOMP, EYOLF CANADAD id you know that the largest rope access companies areThese days many people use innovative methods of rope access scaffolding companies? You might not realize it, but ifwhich are continually being developed and are often used together your business operates in the scaffolding industry, youwith more traditional techniques such as scaffolding.have likely been exposed to rope access work.I often explain that if you need access you first have to think of the By definition, rope access is nothing more than a tool to get a jobhierarchy of risk. How difficult is it to access the location you need to done in a hard-to-reach place. Rope access is, literally, access bywork at? If a permanent installation cannot be achieved, scaffolding means of rope. It fits under the overall umbrella of fall protection andis a solution. After that, we see swing stages, and mobile access is nothing more than work positioning combined with fall arrest. work platforms (MAWP), like scissor lifts, playing an important role. Beyond the collective protection against falling, we go into Rope access as a tool is using modern work at height equipment,the personal protective equipment side, in which ladders, fall arrest derived from 1980s mountain and caving gear. In Europe, it is asolutions and rope access are represented. standalone system with its own standards for equipment. With the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) creating itsBesides the hierarchy of risk, we also have to think of level of own Z459 standard for rope access equipment, rope access will becompetency, training required, cost associated with the solution, the standardized equipment in the U.S. as well. ratio of person-hours versus accident rate, and what the solution is. In Ontario, the Ministry of Labour (MOL) is looking intoIn 2001, the CN Tower, along with the federal government, began recognizing the certification behind industrial rope access. Theinvestigating how the upper radome could be efficiently maintained. Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians (SPRAT) and theAfter considering many other possibilities, rope access was found to Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA) are the two most- be the best solution. Choosing rope access was not an easy choice. used certification organizations and are already recognized by theThe project took six years in total, while if it had been on the ground, other provinces.I estimate the job could have been done in six months. In the end, it was the right choice, as no accidents occurred, nothing was dropped With equipment and technicians being certified, rope access isand the job got done. here to stay.Rope access has a place in the hierarchy of risk, and if done right by So, who is pushing for rope access? We first saw rope access beingprofessionals, it is an extremely safe system. Still, it is the last choice used in its modern methods by the oil and gas industry with theirin the hierarchy of risk and can only be done if everything else has drilling platforms. In the early 1980s, oil companies saw their fleetbeen looked at, hence why SPRAT and IRATA require companies to of drilling rigs in need of repair and maintenance, but crawlingperform a risk assessment prior to starting a project. under deck was such a difficult task that climbers were brought inMany trades these days have integrated rope access as a solution to get the job done. Since then, over the last four decades we havefor those hard-to-reach places, especially inspection companies, as seen an influx of customers asking for rope access if conventionalinspections often come with time constraints. We also see the wind methods are not sufficient enough to do the job safely, quickly andindustry being a big user of rope access for small blade repairs, cost efficiently.where they lower the blade to the ground for large objects. 16THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SCAFFOLD INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF CANADA'