the Use of Rope Access in the maintenance of buildings.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that buildings old and new require ongoing maintenance if they are to survive the relentless onslaught of the weathering process. The chemical, physical and biological effects of weathering are the same for buildings as they are for the geomorphology of the earth.

The result of these processes provide rope access companies with their building maintenance work.  In general rope access maintenance is divided between maintaining modern and heritage buildings. Examples of the maintenance tasks rope access companies undertake within these sectors are listed below.

Rope Access Maintenance tasks

The above list is not exhaustive but serves to illustrate that rope access building maintenance favours small tasks of short duration.  Larger tasks of a longer duration are better suited to scaffold and mechanised access solutions.  Scaffold and machine access separate the access system to facilitate the maintenance from the worker who completes the maintenance.  Rope access combines the access and the worker; this benefits clients approaching building maintenance from the rope access perspective in the following ways:

The Benefits of rope access maintenance

• SAFETY - Rope Access maintenance is the safest form of maintenance work at height.
• SECURITY - Rope Access maintenance will leave premises & buildings secure, each day, after work cessation.  
• MINIMAL IMPACT - Rope Access maintenance can be expedited quickly and causes minimum environmental and physical impact.
• VERSATILITY - Rope Access maintenance is versatile, its applications are endless.
• COST EFFECTIVENESS - Rope Access maintenance provides access and the worker, saving client’s money.

The rope access industry
Clients selecting rope access maintenance companies are advised to seek the services of a full or probationary member of the industries governing body; IRATA - Industrial Rope Access Trade Association. The association’s main aim is to promote the development of rope access techniques and to ensure that its members work in a safe and effective manner.   IRATA has worked for several years in close conjunction with the HSE, to produce a code of practice (BS 7985:202) produced by the BSI under Licence No. 2002SK/0130 and a set of IRATA Guidelines for all rope access work.

There is a commonly held misconception that rope access is a new, young industry. It would serve clients to be aware that modern rope access is simply the ongoing development of an industry that has been around since mankind swung on jungle lianas and were able to join fibres into continuous lengths. The Second World War accelerated the availability of better equipment. The need for access since then, especially in the North Sea to maintain oil rigs, has led to rapid growth in rope access.

Modern building considerations
Every new building is subject to the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 1994 (CDM). These regulations, place a responsibility on designers to make provision for the future ongoing maintenance of the building. Rope access companies welcome consultation at this stage of the design process.  Close consultation with rope access companies results in better access system design. Many new buildings have fall arrest or fall restraint access systems fitted in construction that fulfil CDM criteria but are limited in their access versatility. Well designed rope access systems require less ongoing testing and maintenance and insure only trained, competent and fully insured personnel work at height. Reducing the accident statistics and further bolstering the industries enviable safety record.

Heritage building considerations
Heritage buildings, with their inherent architecturally diverse nature, present rope access companies with interesting access and maintenance problems.  CDM did not exist in their construction and much of the maintenance work carried out upon them calls for innovative techniques if Health and Safety criteria are to be adhered to. It is in the heritage realm that rope access companies utilise skills more akin to rock climbing and caving.  This is the lure and the reason why many climbers come to rope access; it is an opportunity to combine one’s passion with one’s work. The minimal impact of the rope access system is particularly suited to heritage work and is sympathetic to the fabric of the building.

Conclusion
The decision to hire a rope access company to carry out building maintenance is one levelled directly at the people responsible for the maintenance of their building.  The challenge facing rope access companies is one of education, i.e. to target those decision making people and turn them on to the idea of rope access maintenance.  Once they are aware of it, the time and cost savings to their business are considerable.

Author - Paul Cooper