Johnwas a 50 year-old farmer exploring parts of his land he did notnormally till while his wife was away for the weekend. The farm hadbeen in John's family for several generations yet there were parts ofhis property he had never seen before. So on a sunny Saturday morninghe was poking around in a field at the far end of the property.Unbeknownst to him, he was approaching an old well as he strolledback towards the house.

Inone step John went from an exhilarating morning of discovery tofalling into the well he never knew was there. After the initialshock wore off he realised he had broken an arm, a wrist, andpossibly even a rib. And the worst part was that no one would know hewas missing until his wife came home the following day. When his wifedid finally find him, John had been in the well for almost 28 hours.He was weak, cold, and in serious condition.

Asthe rescue crews arrived some 30 minutes later, one of the workerspulled an aluminium rescue tripod off the truck, laid down someconcrete slabs, and had the tripod ready to go in under threeminutes. The crew lowered a worker into the well to check on John'scondition and prepare him for extraction. It was a difficult rescuedue to the fact that John was not in good health and the well was soconfining. Nonetheless, the worker managed to secure John in astretcher and he was hoisted up using the rescue tripod and a winch.

Speedand Survival

Althoughspeed and survival are not always inexorably linked, in John's casethey were. Having been in the well for such a long amount of time hewas in grave danger of dying from hypothermia and shock. By gettingdown into the well and getting him up as quickly as possible rescueworkers were able to provide emergency medical care and get and Johnto the hospital. In this case, the speedy set-up of the rescue tripodproved invaluable.

RescueTripods not Always Practical

Becauserescuers had fairly level ground to deal with, using the tripod forJohn was pretty straightforward. But that's not always the case.Without level ground, or a way to properly balance the tripod,rescuers would've had to use a confined space rescue davit. Somerescue units have a truck mounted davit which makes using them muchsimpler. Others don't have the money for such specialised equipmentand must rely on installing a ground mount in order to use the davit.Since that takes more time, it's lucky for John that rescuers wereable to use the tripod.

Thanksto an alert wife and trained rescuers, John survived his experience;albeit with a few broken bones and some minor scratches. From now onhe will use caution when strolling on his land; he'll also carry hismobile phone whenever he leaves the house.

Arescue tripod is a great tool for helping perform successful confinedspace rescues. They allow for easy and controlled extraction of avictim from a confined space area, in a package that's lightweight,portable, an extremely easy to use. But rescue tripods have amultitude of other uses as well. For example, they are very usefulfor municipal and industrial company workers frequently working insewers and manholes.

Inmost modern cities manholes and sewers are built with ladder systemsthat allow workers to climb down into the space underneath. Yet thesespaces just under the street tend to be very damp, which meanscondensation can form on the ladders and make them inherently unsafe.Rather than use the ladders many companies are turning to rescuetripods to lower and raise workers' without the use of the laddersystem.

ControlledDescent and Ascent

Witha rescue tripod a sewer worker can control his descent into the spacebelow without risking injury. This can be accomplished with the helpof another worker who stays above, or with a remote control unit thatoperates the winch. For safety purposes it's always useful to have apartner on the job site at all times. But it's not completelynecessary. As long as the tripod is properly set up and a balanced,it is a fairly safe way to enter and leave confined spaces.

Andas an added bonus using rescue tripods instead of ladders greatlyreduces the chance of on-site accidents resulting in injuries. Thisreduces the number of medical insurance claims, temporary orpermanent disabilities, and lost work and wages. When workers arekept safer, everyone wins.

Portabilityis a Bonus

Forindustrial uses such as a sewer work, the portability of the tripodis indispensable. Where most rescue davits require a foot plate and apost to be used effectively, the tripod is a single, self-containedunit. It is made of lightweight but strong aluminium which canwithstand thousands of pounds of pull force. When workers need toutilize the tripod, it easily comes off the truck and sets up veryquickly. At the end of the job it is again collapsed and stored inthe truck without taking up much space.

Arescue davits system certainly has its place in a permanent location,or a remote location where using a tripod is not appropriate. Butwhere workers can effectively utilize the rescue tripod, it has a lotof benefits that make it favourable. It's safer than using ladders,it's easier for moving tools, and it's portable and lightweight.

Takea few minutes and think about all the possible confined spaces youencounter on a daily basis which could prove hazardous if you weretrapped in one of them. Most of us think of things like manholes,sewers, crawl spaces, and so on. For the confined space rescue crewall of these areas are commonplace. Yet they also work in otherplaces like collapsed mines, collapsed buildings, dried-up wells,etc. Depending on the specific rescue scenario, crews may usedifferent tools in different ways.

Twoof the most common tools for confined space rescue are the rescuedavits and tripods. Both have their pros and cons, yet thecircumstances of an individual rescue determine which piece to use.In relation to the tripod, its most attractive feature is the factthat it is easily portable. Where a rescue davit can be fairly heavyand cumbersome to move, the rescue tripod is just the opposite. Itcan easily be carried by a single team member and stored away in atruck without taking up much space.

Notonly that, its simple construction makes it a snap to set up on siteas well. As long as crews are ready for the tripod upon its arrivalit can be open and in position within a matter of minutes. From thereit's a simple matter of running the rescue line and down through thepulley system and commencing with the extraction.

HeavyDuty Aluminium

Whatmakes rescue tripods so portable are their lightweight construction.Aluminium is the perfect material for this application. It islightweight, easy to construct as a collapsible tripod, and extremelystrong all the same time. The average rescue tripod can withstand upto 3,000 pounds of total pull force. This means that for the averageaccident victim, it is a suitable means of extraction from confinedspace.

Ifa load will exert more than 3,000 pounds of pull force rescue crewswill instead use a rescue davit. A rescue davit, unlike a tripod, isnot so easily portable. It's also not necessarily as easy to set upand get going. Unless crews are using a rescue davit mounted on aportable platform, they will have to install a ground plate and postbefore they can use it. All of this takes time - which may notnecessarily be available in abundance. Therefore, most rescue crewskeep a tripod in their inventory and use it whenever possible.

ProperUse of the Tripod

Likeany piece of rescue equipment, the tripod is only as a safe as itsoperators. In order to use it properly they must have fairly levelground which will only require slight adjustments to keep the tripodlevel. Without level ground the tripod represents too high a risk.The tripod also must be properly balanced so that it does not moveduring the extraction process. Needless to say, a rescue tripod whichis set up and utilized correctly could end up being a lifesaver.

Haveyou heard the phrase "living on the edge?" We're sure youhave. It's a philosophy that many people employ in their daily livesas a means of keeping things exciting. But when it comes to aconfined space rescue scenario, living on the edge is the last thingyou want. Instead, you want safety and assurance. You want a rescuetripod or in davit that will get you out of a tight situation asquickly and safely as possible.

Tounderstand what we're talking about here, think of hoisting a largerock out of a hole with nothing but a rope and a couple of friends.If you picture that in your mind you'll undoubtedly see the ropedragging on the edge of the hole as you pull up. This friction cancause the rope to wear and fray, and possibly even snap during yourpull. While that's not a problem for a large rock, it's a big problemfor a human victim.

ArtificialHigh Directionals

Rescuetripods are sometimes known as artificial high directionals. Thisdesignation comes from the fact that they present the pivot point ofa rope and pulley system at a centred location, 7 to 8 feet above theopening of an access hole. This type of arrangement is artificial inthe sense that the natural pivot point if such a device were not usedwould be at the edge of an access hole. Using the previous example,without the use of a rescue tripod or davit system the pivot point ofa rescue line would also represent its weakest point.

Bycreating this artificial pivot point rescuers are able to lowerworkers into a confined space area and lift victims out in the safestway possible. There is no danger of friction between rope and edgeand therefore, a greatly reduced likelihood of a rescue linebreaking. The rescue tripod also offers a much more controlleddescent of rescue workers and ascent of victims - primarily becausethere is less friction in pulley system and the winch draws the ropeat a consistent speed. With the proper use of a tripod and otherequipment victims trapped in confined spaces are offered the safestpossible extraction.

ProperTraining Required

Aslightweight and easy as rescue tripods are, they should not be usedcarelessly. It is critically important that rescue workers beproperly trained in confined space rescue methods before attemptingto use a tripod in a rescue scenario. Without proper training victimscan be injured or possibly killed. The same can be said for confinedspace rescue davits, harnesses and lanyards, and even basketstretchers.

Inthe hands of a trained crew a rescue tripod can mean the differencebetween life and death. Fortunately, they are extremely commonplacein this day and age. Most fire departments and rescue units have atleast one in their possession; some have multiple units. They areextremely portable, lightweight, and easy to store and use.

Confinedspace work is by nature very difficult and dangerous, regardless ofwhether we're talking about a rescue effort or something that's partof your daily job. Often times confined space also involves heightswhich in themselves present further dangers. That's why it isextremely important that workers utilize every safety feature theyhave available to them - including inertia reels. The inertia reel iscommonly used in construction work, urban maintenance, rescueoperations, and industrial applications.

TheInertia Reel Defined

Ifyou're unfamiliar with what an inertia reel is, think of it in termsof the lap belt in your car. The device from which you pull out thebelt is actually an inertia reel. It is designed to immediately stopmovement of the lap belt at a point of rapid deceleration. Itutilizes fairly simple mechanics to take advantage of energy,applying the brakes and locking the belt during a crash. An inertiareel used in a confined space application works exactly the same way,except in reverse.

Theinertia real is designed to arrest a fall from height. Using aconfined space rescue as an example, a rescue crew may use a separatewinch and inertia real, or a winch with an inertia reel built in. Inthe event that the winch malfunctions and the individual being liftedbegins to fall, the brakes on the inertia reel will be activated andthe fall arrested. The inertia reel is one of the simplest, yet mosteffective, innovations ever added to confined space equipment.

AtHeight Applications

Withall of the at height regulations enacted in the UK over the lastdecade, it has become imperative for certain types of workers to takeevery safety precaution possible. At height occupations, such asconstruction work, utilize inertia reels extensively. Workers manyanchor to a vertical beam, a cantilever arm, or even a floor or wallplate. As long as they remain within one meter of their anchor pointthey should remain completely safe in the event of a fall.

However,in order for inertia reels to provide maximum safety they must beingused according to the manufacturer's instructions. For example, oneof the most common errors resulting in worker injury comes by way ofattaching a shock absorbing lanyard between a worker's harness andhis inertia reel system. Such a lanyard creates a vibration in thesystem during a fall which quite often renders the inertia reelineffective.

RescueOperations

Duringa rescue operation it's very important for an inertia reel to becentred over the access point or used in conjunction with a centredpulley system. Without centring the pivot point a rescue line couldrub against the edge of the access point and break. That's whytripods or rescue davits are normally used in a confined space rescueapplications. Nonetheless, the inertia reel provides an extra measureof safety to all rescue operations requiring the use of ropes orother lines.

Intoday's working world of heavy equipment, specialized technology, anda limited workspace, it is more important than ever for employers andtheir employees to practice high standards of safety. Failure to besafe results in the thousands of injuries annually and unfortunately,some deaths too. In a confined a space environment safety is of theutmost importance due to the fact that mobility is limited. Withlimited mobility also come limited options for reaction in the caseof an accident.

Oneof the more common tools used in confined space to work is the fallarrest block, to protect both workers and loads. The fall arrestblock is part of an overall safety scheme which makes lowering andraising in a confined space much more safe. But it's only one part ofan overall scheme.

FourLevels of Safety Management

Interms of a working procedures there are for general levels of safety.The first level is to limit the possibility of falling by a workingat ground level. This is typically practised in the window washingbusiness which now utilises long-handled equipment to perform as muchwork from the ground as possible. In a confined a space arrangementthis is not always a possibility, nor is there necessarily a risk inn doing the work itself. Sometimes in confined space scenarios themost dangerous part of the operation is lowering or raisingindividuals.

Thesecond level of safety is to complete work in an environment whereyou cannot fall; for example, working from a scaffold surrounded by acage which prevents you from falling off.

Thethird level of safety is where fall arrest blocks come in. Fallarrest blocks and inertia reels will not prevent you from falling,but they will stop your fall once it is in motion. Typically the fallarrest block or inertia reel is used to make sure any eventual fallsdo not result in serious injury or death.

Thefourth level of safety involves the use of bucket trucks or hydraulicplatforms to raise individuals to their work. Both solutions are usedin conjunction with fall arrest blocks and user harnesses. That way,if the bucket or platform fails a worker is still protected from aserious fall.

Installationand Use

Partof a comprehensive safety program is to ensure that any and allequipment you use is installed by professionals. According to UK lawsuch safety systems must be installed in a very specific way. Failingto do so could cause you unnecessary risk.

Equallynecessary to professional installation is the proper use of allsafety equipment. If workers do not use safety equipment in the wayintended by the manufacture they are potentially setting themselvesup for great harm. Unfortunately, there are those workers who try tocircumvent some of the inconvenience of safety, only to their owndetriment later on. Whenever safety equipment is deployed, make sureis being deployed correctly.

OnAugust 12, 2011 an Armenian woman fell into a manhole near a trainstation in the capital city of Yerevan. The 34 year-old womansurvived the fall with no serious injuries and was pulled from themanhole by witnesses. Yet the accident highlights the need forcompetent and trained confined space rescue crews in the world'smajor cities. For this woman, had she been seriously injured in afall, confined space rescue would have been her best hope ofsurvival.

Confinedspace rescue is a very specific type of rescue which uses specializedequipment and techniques to extract victims from confined spaces,while reducing the potential for further injury. It is not somethingthat is done recklessly and without proper consideration of theaccident victim and his or her surroundings. In the case of theArmenian woman, some of the things that might have been done had shebeen injured would include a preliminary medical evaluation, and theinstallation and use of a confined space rescue davit or tripod.

RescueDavits andTripods

Inall likelihood the woman could have been removed from the manholeusing a simple rescue tripod. The tripod is typically made of highstrength aluminium which is a lightweight yet incredibly strong. Thistype of rescue device is easily portable by fire and policedepartments and can be set up in a short amount of time. And sincemost of tripods can withstand up to 3,000 pounds of full force, theyare suitable for extracting the average victim from a manhole.

Whereheavier loads or a more flexible extraction is needed, a rescue davitis a better choice. Rescue davits use a cantilever arm suspended oneither a permanent fixture or portable stand.

Rescueapparatus such as tripods and davits are most often used inconjunction with motorized winches, fall arrest blocks, and harnessesor stretchers. The tripod or davit provides a stable platform forfoisting mechanisms used to pull people to safety. The idea behindthem is to centre and the rescue line in relation to the access holeso that the line makes no contact with the edge of the access itself,thus preventing friction or breakage.

Speedis of the Essence

Althoughthe Armenian woman was pulled from the manhole by witnesses, thingscould have a much worse. Had she broken some ribs or a leg in thefall, or even been knocked unconscious, the bystanders would not havebeen any help. In that case, the speed of rescuers is critical. Thesooner they can be on scene and setting up equipment the better it isfor victims. This is why rescue units routinely train for confinedspace rescues.

A Seemingly Unimportant Device That Could Save Your Life

You've probably seen news reports of various individuals trapped in tight spaces like collapsed mines, wells, or buildings suffering earthquake damage. Unfortunately, these stories are all too common in a modern world where we spend as much time underground or in concrete structures as we do outside. If you're ever unfortunate enough to find yourself trapped in such a confined space, there is a device that could very well save your life - despite the fact that it doesn't look like much.

The device we're talking about is known as a confined space rescue davit.It is a piece of equipment usually consisting of a cantilever arm, a winch, a motorized or mechanical crank, rope, and a lanyard or other harness. The device allows rescue apparatus to be lowered into aconfined space in order to pull the victim out as safely as possible. Confined space rescue davits are sometimes the only way to extract avictim from an extremely tight space.

The Nature of Confined Space Rescues

Using a strict definition, confined space rescue is a specific set of techniques and protocols used by trained individuals to rescue victims trapped in tight spaces. It is a highly technical area of rescue training that requires attention to detail, patience, and the ability to adapt to ever-changing environments. When rescuing a victim from a potentially life-threatening situation the last thing arescue team needs is a piece of equipment that is either unreliable or altogether not up to the task.

That's why it's extremely important for rescue operations to have dependable confined space rescue davits. They need equipment that will always perform as it was intended; in some cases it might need to overperform. If rescuers are depending on a davit to save a life, and it fails, the consequences could be devastating. Thankfully, technology has come a long way since davits were first invented at the turn ofthe 20th century. Today's equipment is much stronger and more dependable than ever before.

The Davit Principle

Confined space rescue davits work on a very simple principle: suspending the pivot point of a rescue rope over the centre of an access hole inorder to provide a friction-free lift. In other words, without a rescue davit you might need to pull someone from an abandoned well by standing outside the well and heaving. Yet all the way up your rope will be making contact with the sides of the well preventing you from making a clean extraction. The davit solves that problem entirely.

Sometimes you'll see such them employed in helicopter rescues as well. In order to keep rescue ropes from contacting and tangling with landing gear,the davit suspends the pivot point of the rope out of harm’sway. It is a brilliant concept originally invented to help with the deployment of life boats on ocean going vessels. Thanks to some very inventive minds the technology was adapted and developed to create the confined space rescue davits of today.

A common use of rope access techniques is for building maintenance tasks at height. Usually by rigging from the roof and abseiling down the side of the building facade, rope access technicians can safely and easily access areas that would otherwise be inaccessible for normal building maintenance. The usual method of access to the roof for rope access technicians is via a roof hatch or from a top floor balcony or similar. Suitable rigging points on roofs are usually fairly easy to come by, from large chimney stacks to secure balcony railings, just about anything that is solid and secure enough can be used as a rigging point for a rope access technician to rig his dual lines from (two lines are always used, a working line and a safety backup line to ensure that the rope access technician is always working safely).

There are numerous building maintenance tasks at height that can be carried out off ropes by rope access technicians, and it can often be a quicker, easier and cheaper option using industrial rope access for these tasks compared to using traditional height access methods such as scaffolding and cherry pickers. Scaffolding can often be expensive to implement, time consuming to erect and dismantle and disruptive to pedestrian and traffic flow, while cherry pickers often require road closure permission, and are in fact still limited in their ability to provide access difficult or confined space areas. Using rope access as the access method bypasses these issues, and a rope access team can usually get in fast and perform their building maintenance tasks with the least disruption possible. The usual tasks for building maintenance that rope access is considered suitable for range from gutter cleaning, gutter maintenance and gutter repair, down pipe unblocking and repair, roofing work such as re felting, flashing and other rooftop work and maintenance, façade and facia maintenance and repair such as stone work, pointing, stone cleaning, external vegetation removal which is more often than not caused by leaking gutters either from a blockage at the top or by damaged joints in the down pipe, cladding, glazing solutions such as glazing replacement at height, high level electrics and wiring, painting and cleaning in difficult access areas, window cleaning at height, and more. In fact rope access can be used as the method for access to allow technicians to carry out just about any building maintenance task at height that might crop up.

Rope access is often used for building maintenance in an industrial or commercial setting. However it can also be extremely useful in domestic settings such as large tenement blocks and other similar multistory dwellings. Taking on a rope access company to carry out the required building maintenance tasks can afford residents decent savings when compared to the cost of other alternative work at height building maintenance solutions. What is more, the hassle free nature of the way industrial rope access techniques allow work to be carried out safely and effectively with minimal disruption often make it extremely an extremely appealing option for building maintenance.

Surprisingly still relatively unknown in the onshore and domestic sectors, industrial rope access techniques have been used for decades to provide work at height solutions, and are now being used to cater for domestic building maintenance problems, cleaning painting and maintenance at height, and industrial and construction work. We'll be focusing on the domestic / building maintenance side of industrial rope access (or industrial abseiling) in this article.

Rope access provides a safe and efficient mode of working at height. It is less obtrusive and in most instances quicker and cheaper than other work at height solutions and traditional height access methods such as scaffolding or a cherry picker. Rope access teams can be in and out with the minimum of disruption, generally for a fraction of the cost. Rope access enables work to be carried out effectively in awkward situations and allows access to difficult areas such as rooftops, building facades, gutters and downspouts. This makes it ideal for work at height on old tenement blocks and other multistory buildings, from cleaning to maintenance.

Examples of the type of work that can be carried out on ropes as an alternative to scaffolding are:

Gutter & Downpipe cleaning, repair & maintenance.
Vegetation removal from building facades, rooftops and gutters.
Stonework: pointing, cleaning and repair at height.
Roof repairs and rooftop maintenance.
Cleaning and Painting at height.
High level Electrics & Wiring.
Bird and Pest control solutions such as prevention netting.
High level Glazing Solutions.
Inspection and Testing services.

In fact rope access can be used in just about any situation where work at height is required. Leaking gutters and the consequent vegetation growth on building facades (to name one of the areas that can be tackled by industrial rope access techniques), can cause huge amounts of damage to a building and its stonework. The longer the problem is left untended, the worse the water damage and the damage caused by roots will be, and the more repair work and maintenance will be required in the long run, including stonework and pointing. The cost and logistics of using of most façade access solutions however, including scaffolding and cherry pickers, often makes it impossible to deal with these fairly minor issues before they become a major problem. They are therefore more often than not, left to continue to damage the building façade until it becomes a problem that can't be ignored, at which point even huger expenses and difficult lengths have to be gone through to fix it.

With rope access however, a team can get to the problem area easily and with minimal disturbance to the building or the public, fixing the maintenance issue cost effectively and efficiently.

As we have seen, an extremely useful and cost effective alternative to scaffolding and other height access methods, industrial rope access can be used in a wide variety of scenarios in domestic settings, from cleaning and maintenance to repairs, allowing work to be carried out where other solutions would simply be too expensive or logistically difficult to achieve.

Industrial rope access has a huge expanse of potential applications for carrying out work at height. Often used onshore as a cost effective alternative to scaffolding or cherry pickers, the onshore applications of rope access range from building and facade maintenance tasks such as gutter cleaning, maintenance and repair, window cleaning at height, external vegetation removal, roofing and rooftop work, stonework and pointing in difficult access areas, painting and cleaning at height, bird and pest control such as the installation of high level netting, banner and sign installation, through to multiple industrial and construction uses, work on bridges, glazing solutions and maintenance on towers, Geotechnical work, as well as inspection and testing purposes. Similarly in the offshore sector, which in the UK and Scotland is generally on North Sea Oil Platforms, rope access allows work at height to be carried out in areas that other work at height alternatives wouldn't be able to reach, and provides a safe and efficient mode of working at height for just about any required scenario.

Rope access techniques originated from caving and climbing techniques and were developed and adapted into safe access methods for industrial purposes several decades ago. The continuing evolution of these techniques has allowed industrial rope access to maintain the lowest instance of access in the whole access sector. In Scotland and across the UK, all aspects of work at height must be undertaken in line with British Standard BS7985 (2002) and the Work at Height regulations (2005).

There are several factors that make industrial rope access so useful for work at height tasks. Firstly the time taken to install access systems is minimal. The impact on the structures that work is being carried out on, as well as on the surroundings (including traffic flow and pedestrian access) can also be kept to a minimum. Work can be carried out safely in almost any scenario, and there is no height limit at which technicians can operate safely. This makes industrial rope access an invaluable tool for carrying out tasks in difficult to reach situations and locations.

Rope access technicians use a variety of gear to allow them to perform the tasks required of them safely. Obviously ropes are one of the most important, both the working and safety lines used should be low-stretch kernmantle type, between 10 and 11mm diameter. Descenders, Ascenders, Fall arrest devices, Harness, Pulleys, Carabiners, Cows Tails, Lanyards, Anchors and Rope Protectors are also all part of the rope access technicians arsenal, enabling them to get to difficult to reach areas and carry out the various required maintenance, cleaning, painting or inspection work.

Now that it is becoming more and more widely known and recognized as a safe, reliable, cost effective and viable work at height solution, the applications of industrial rope access techniques have an important role to play in the future of all work at height scenarios, from domestic maintenance to construction and the petrochemical sectors, not only in Scotland and across the UK, but also worldwide.

The job of cleaning windows is a tricky work and if it is the world's tallest building, the job is even more difficult. Burj Khalifa in Dubai, rising 2717 ft into the sky and having almost 1,292,500 sq ft of the glass poses a real challenge for the window cleaning firms. Mr Dale Harding, the general manager of Cox Gomyl, a window cleaning firm informed that their company's hi tech equipments are worth £5 million that includes window-cleaning carousels which his firm has designed to give the best look to Burj Khalifa.

There were twelve machines that weighed 13 tons having the capacity to carry about 36 window cleaners. Washing the 24,830 reflective windows of Burj Khalifa is an extensive process in which ordinary soapy water is used taking almost three months to finish the job. There are machines specifically designed to clean the windows of this structure. The cleaners stand on these machines that emerge from a number of cavities in the building tracking along rails covering its curved towers.

Mr Harding informed that the company that is based in Melbourne has been working very hard to make Burj sparkling for the extravagant opening ceremony going to take place on Monday. He told that the cleaning job of the iconic structure was a great challenge and the architects expected a lot. Commenting about the tight targets the builders had to face a few months prior to the completion of skyscraper's construction, he said it was surely a superb construction standing too high, probably equivalent to 10 to 15 conventional buildings.

It was an extremely fine construction, but there was a spectacular blunder just a few months before its opening ceremony, which about 6000 people attended. Samsung Besix Arabtec Joint Venture, the builder of Burj Khalifa had to seek the help of brave Mick Flaherty, when they realized that they had totally forgotten to put lights at the tip of the burj. It took the 35-year old Mick Flaherty and the firm he worked in, Total Solutions Middle East almost a month to work on the building's pre-fabricated spire before its official imaugration. Mike's daily job involved getting to the 160th floor by first taking five lifts and then further going up seven tiers on straight ladders before finally squeezing into the spire that was barely 6 ft in width.

It was indeed a tough and extremely brave effort on the part of Mick, yet it was a breathtaking moment watching the building from so high up in the sky. As he said later, it felt like he could view the whole world from there once he reached up the ladders and opened its door seeing only vast blue sly around him and even feeling closer to the sun. He rated this experience as the highest point of his career, twitching with fear even after being in this profession for over 9 years.

The correction of this massive blunder took almost a month from beginning of last August. The task was so risky and tiring that the team of workers who were involved in it, nicknamed themselves as the 'Men of Steel'. The job was tremendously tiring because the workers had to climb up and down the ladders the entire day. There was a platform where they could eat their lunch, but the closest toilet or water supply was too far off from where they worked. It was a stupendous job that is set to get into the Guinness book of records as the highest ever rope access work finished.

Cranes are extremely powerful and very large pieces of machinery which can lift enormous weights, thus making very heavy objects much easier to move. If they are not operated safely and properly, they can also be an accident waiting to happen, and costly incidents such as accidents and injuries can be avoided if operators learn how to practice crane safety.

Crane maintenance is a very important aspect of crane safety and crane preventative maintenance and checks must be carried out in accordance with a crane inspection list to verify that the crane and all its related equipment and working parts are in first class working order.

Most cranes require various different checks to enable them to be operated safely and reliably. These checks will involve several different stages of inspection, and will include:

· Rigging checklist

· Mechanical checklist

There may be around sixty various checks (depending on the type of crane) when checking the rigging and just a few of these may include:

· Boom head section - Boom immediate sections - Boom butt section lattice/ hydraulic

· Rope terminations - Ropes

· Winches and drives - Winch pawl and ratchet wheel - Winch clutch - Winch brake

· Rotating elements

· Gearboxes and Torque converters

· Slew ring bolting - Slew drive, brakes and hooks

· Hydraulic Luff cylinders - Hydraulic system and hoses - Hydraulic lock valve

· Load weight indicator - Load radius indicator

· Engine shut down service - Log book

Other types of checks will include mechanical inspection, and these are also fairly numerous. Some of these mechanical checks will include safety items such as:

· Effective brakes for all conditions

· Headlights fitted and working

· Tail lights fitted and working

· Rollover protection

· Orange beacon and Strope fitted and working

· First aid kit - Fire extinguisher fitted

· Seat belts

· Auto Fire suppression fitted

The above includes only some of the checks for crane safety and other inspections and checks will be made for Automatic shutdown devices, the general condition of the machine and gas test results if the machine is to be used underground.

Health and Safety is a serious issue when it comes to window cleaning. It may well be your responsibility to ensure that contractors on your site are working safely and complying with the relevant guidelines. Responsibility will certainly lay with the directors.

More information about these guidelines is available from the Health... Safety Executive and specifically at the HSE website, enter falls and guidlines. "Every year more than forty workers die following a fall from height and more than three thousand are seriously injured." According to the HSE.

Reducing this unnecessary injury toll is a priority and Shattered Lives is the HSE's latest campaign. Find out what happens when workers are put at risk and what you can do to stop falls from height in your workplace by visiting HSE website and entering "shattered lives " (c) HSE "Every month over a thousand people suffer serious injuries as a result of slips, trips or falls in the workplace.

These shattering injuries can be avoided by sensible and proportionate management of the risks." (c) HSE For more information go to: Shattered Lives: http://www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives Make sure that you check carefully the safety record and procedures of any contractor you intend to use. Your contractor should provide you with a copy of their comprehensive Health... Safety Policy. This should be site specific to your requirements and not just a generic statement.

Abseiling: Definition: Rope access from the top of a building working downwards. Reason for use: On buildings five plus storeys high that cannot be accessed by cherry pickers/platforms or cradles. Requirements: Access to a flat roof. Some form of fixed structure to which abseilers can anchor themselves. Highly qualified and competant abseilers can test strength loadings before using fittings that are already in place and provide a certificate of conformity valid for six months. If no such fittings exist, abseilers can supply free-standing fittings. These are heavy and need to be transported to the top of the building, ideally in a lift.

Please be aware that according to IRATA guidelines, abseilers should always work in teams of no less than two and no more than four of which one has to be of level THREE qualification. The rest of the team can be a mixture of levels twos and or ones. Always demand proof of qualification by asking for copies of certification etc to keep for your own records.

You would think that descending down a rock at 100 feet on a clothesline is playing Russian roulette? It is safer than you think....

Abseiling is literally safer than crossing the road and the majority of abseiling accidents have occurred due to avertable human error. Accepted that dangling on a rope while descending a rock is not a normal thing to do, abseil paranoia is healthy as it leads to a methodical and thorough checking process, which leaves nothing to chance. This is what keeps you alive in dangerous situations.

Pre-Abseil Preparation:

Preparation is indispensable in making an abseil run safe. All roads start from the venue. Most abseils use natural or artificial sites, the first thing to ensure is that the surface is rigid. This can be done by a qualified instructor.

Equipment checks are vital to an abseil. Most accidents have occurred due to faulty equipment. Abseil gear should be thoroughly scrutinized for any sign of wear and tear. A log of how many times the equipment has been used and schedule of cleaning and up keep. Other essential gear is a helmet and gloves. That will protect participants from gnashes and bruises that can be caused by coming in contact with rough surfaces.

Certified instructors are required to give participants a thorough briefing that identifies the equipment used for abseiling. In this step, participants are educated on the function and safety checks on the gear. Each participant is also given a list of safety precautions and made aware of the hazards that come with the sport. The instructor also teaches them the adequate speed of descent and the possibilities of injury should participants deviate from the required descent speed.

During Abseiling

The belaying and the harness system carry all of your weight and after the extensive routine check that you did on solid ground, the only anxiety one might be handling at the moment could be fear of heights. Abseiling ropes can hold a van, unless you weigh a ton, worry should be far from your mind. Abseiling allows you to have control of your descent speed. This is done as one hand is gently releasing a specially designed knot while a professional is holding on above in case you let go to get dust out your eyes! This gives you a sense of control that helps to ease some dread of falling to the ground.

Descent's End

As risk is always eminent, the awareness of it should still be kept intact even when reaching the far end. Aim to land softly on the ground as opposed to a clunk as you may twist an ankle or jar a knee. As you do, immediately clear the base as there may be others descending your same trail.

Prior risk assessment of location, proper qualified instruction, good equipment, together with common sense and a very cautious frame of mind, you will enjoy long and hospital (morgue) free life of abseiling.

A head to toe survey is an evaluation of the trauma patient. In this evaluation, the "look, listen and feel" approach is used to evaluate the skin and everything it contains.

There is an ordered approach to this survey as with ABC's so it can be rapidly performed to minimize time at the scene. This is done region by region beginning at the head and proceeding through the neck, chest and abdomen to the upper and lower extremities. It is important not to miss anything when treating a casualty.

To ensure that you absorb all the information available, irrespective of your internal turmoil and near panic, it is important that you approach the incident in a confident and methodical way.

Assessment of the head (remember to have on disposable gloves to protect yourself at all times!)

Look for - 1- Lacerations
2 - Bruising
3 - Blood or cerebrospinal fluid (straw coloured) from ears or nose (this suggests a basal skull fracture)
4 - Check that pupils are of equal size and are reacting to light
5 - Bruising around eyes and behind ears (known as Raccoon eyes and Battles sign)
6 - Sweating
7 - Cyanosis (blue lips, earlobes with grey ashen face - indicating poor oxygen perfusion)

Feel for- 1 - Bleeding from scalp 2 - Depressed areas of the skull 3 - Facial tenderness and fractures

Listen for- 1 - Airway 'noise' suggesting obstruction 2 - Breathing depth and rate - average adult should be 16 - 20 per minute

Assessment of the Neck

Look and feel for- 1 - Lacerations and bruising 2 - Deviation of the windpipe 3 - Distension of the neck veins 4 - Check pulse rate and volume

Assessment of the Chest

Look for- 1 - Wounds and evidence of penetrating injury 2 - Deformity and abnormal movements 3 - Breathing distress and pain on breathing in

Feel for- 1 - Tenderness 2 - Instability and irregular movement - should be equal on both sides

Assessment of the Abdomen

Look for- 1 - Penetrating wounds and bruising 2 - Abdominal enlargement

Feel for- 1 - Tenderness 2 - Guarding - involuntary muscle spasm on gentle touch Assessment of the Pelvis

Feel for - (do not at any time spring or push the pelvis) 1 - Tenderness and instability Assessment of the lower and upper extremities

Look for- 1 - Obvious wounds and bruising 2 - Deformity and swelling associated with fractures (to be covered in later session) 3 - Voluntary movement

Feel for- 1 - Tenderness and deformity 2 - Sensation to touch and pain

On completion of the head to toe survey, immediately stabilise any located injuries, for instance by the application of a splint to a fracture. (Fractures to be covered in next newsletter)

THE TRAUMA PATIENT MUST BE REASSESSED FOR ANY DETERIORATION!!

These First Aid articles are designed to improve the knowledge of all who read them, keep them in a safe place, you never know when you may need them!

**Standard Disclaimer**:-The information provided above should not be used to take the place of a licensed physician or suggest that any person use the information as a sole resource for diagnostic or educational purposes. Rigg Access does not warrant that the information is in every respect accurate or complete and they are not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of such information

Controlled rope access provides a means for window cleaners to access large buildings safely and efficiently. It provides the perfect tool for high level window cleaning, stone and masonry maintenance, and structural inspections. In order for this to be carried out correctly and safely there are a number of factors that need to be taken into account.

Risk Assessment

A full risk assessment should always be carried out prior to the work. This should include assessing the ease of access, the likely duration of the work, the presence of any dangers or hazards, and the possibility of using a safer alternative method.

Management

A member of the team should be nominated and identified who will be responsible for managing the work. They should have sufficient experience and training, particularly relating to the type of work that the company is carrying out.

Planning

A plan should be drawn up with details of risks involved, rescue arrangement, and details of team members with the relevant level of training and experience to carry out the work.

Personnel

The competence of the personnel must be evaluated prior to the work. Personnel who is competent to carry out the work must be fully trained and have sufficient practical experience to carry out the required duties, understand the potential risks, and recognise any problems with the operation, enabling them to take necessary action. 

Levels of responsibility

Rope access work involves team members with different levels of responsibility. These include a rope access manager, supervisor and operatives. The rope access manager will be responsible for defining the operation plan, and ensuring it is maintained safely. The supervisor will be responsible for managing the team of operatives, and overseeing the implementation of the operation. The operatives will be responsible for carrying out the rope access duties under supervision.

A common use of rope access techniques is for building maintenance tasks at height. Usually by rigging from the roof and abseiling down the side of the building facade, rope access technicians can safely and easily access areas that would otherwise be inaccessible for normal building maintenance. The usual method of access to the roof for rope access technicians is via a roof hatch or from a top floor balcony or similar. Suitable rigging points on roofs are usually fairly easy to come by, from large chimney stacks to secure balcony railings, just about anything that is solid and secure enough can be used as a rigging point for a rope access technician to rig his dual lines from (two lines are always used, a working line and a safety backup line to ensure that the rope access technician is always working safely).

There are numerous building maintenance tasks at height that can be carried out off ropes by rope access technicians, and it can often be a quicker, easier and cheaper option using industrial rope access for these tasks compared to using traditional height access methods such as scaffolding and cherry pickers. Scaffolding can often be expensive to implement, time consuming to erect and dismantle and disruptive to pedestrian and traffic flow, while cherry pickers often require road closure permission, and are in fact still limited in their ability to provide access difficult or confined space areas. Using rope access as the access method bypasses these issues, and a rope access team can usually get in fast and perform their building maintenance tasks with the least disruption possible. The usual tasks for building maintenance that rope access is considered suitable for range from gutter cleaning, gutter maintenance and gutter repair, down pipe unblocking and repair, roofing work such as re felting, flashing and other rooftop work and maintenance, façade and facia maintenance and repair such as stone work, pointing, stone cleaning, external vegetation removal which is more often than not caused by leaking gutters either from a blockage at the top or by damaged joints in the down pipe, cladding, glazing solutions such as glazing replacement at height, high level electrics and wiring, painting and cleaning in difficult access areas, window cleaning at height, and more. In fact rope access can be used as the method for access to allow technicians to carry out just about any building maintenance task at height that might crop up.

Rope access is often used for building maintenance in an industrial or commercial setting. However it can also be extremely useful in domestic settings such as large tenement blocks and other similar multistory dwellings. Taking on a rope access company to carry out the required building maintenance tasks can afford residents decent savings when compared to the cost of other alternative work at height building maintenance solutions. What is more, the hassle free nature of the way industrial rope access techniques allow work to be carried out safely and effectively with minimal disruption often make it extremely an extremely appealing option for building maintenance.

When you land that all important first offshore Rope Access job, you'll be thinking what most people think; what will it be like working in a strange, unusual and difficult environment?

From your first offshore trip, your life will change substantially. Your wages will take a boost (about the same as a middle management salary onshore and much more than most onshore Rope Access technicians), you will also be living in your place of work, sometimes many miles from shore with no land in sight.

Some parts of this industry have above average staff turnover, this is partly due to individuals being unable to adjust to the lifestyle. I'm not trying to create the wrong impression here, and I'd hate you to think that offshore working is not as difficult as some think it must be, conditions have improved substantially over the years (especially with regard to safety) and are continuing to do so. It must be said though, there are compromises to be made and therefore working offshore isn't everyone's cup of tea.

On arrival at the rig or platform (there are many types: jack up, semi submersible, fixed platform, FPSO, tankers etc) you will be issued with a T card or tag that has your name and room allocation on it. You'll then be given a platform safety induction, normally a video or lecture by a platform staff member. This normally follows with a guided tour of the whole installation - mainly pointing out escape routes, lifeboat stations, muster points first aid stations etc. Various alarms and their meanings will be explained to you along the way.

As in any profession, a positive attitude will make your offshore life much more enjoyable and may increase your chances of promotion or retention of a good position. It's important to keep focused on why it is that you are working out there, try to concentrate on the positive points of the job you are doing. Most have very different and varied reasons for doing this type of work.

Normal shift patterns cater for a twelve-hour shift system, typically with a break in the morning, lunchtime and afternoon. "Tea shacks" are at various places throughout the rig and at designated times filled rolls or cakes etc. are provided. Some allows smoking, others don't (there are only one or two designated areas in which you can smoke). For lunch you will remove your off work gear (PPE) and go into the galley. In most international situations, the food is usually very good quality with a wide selection at every mealtime. It's common for the catering companies on some rigs and platforms organise theme nights with Indian / Italian / Chinese etc. food making up the majority of choices on the menu. International platforms naturally cater for their 'local' cuisine so expect some totally brand new culinary experiences!

Quiz / bingo / racing nights may be a weekly event, often held early evenings and may include a small prize. Some Christmas raffles have been known to contain some pretty decent prizes (some are complete rubbish but you get a good laugh!).

Offshore installations run for twenty four seven, depending on your job you may have to do night shift (most Rope Access radiography jobs for example are permanent nights). With some jobs you may have to do a combination of days and nights, depending on task at hand. There's no outboard (over the sea) work allowed during hours of darkness.

Most companies have their own shift patterns - 7am-7pm 12pm-12am etc. Sometimes, if shifts are involved, you could start your trip on day shift and then move to night shift on your final days before going home. For example if you do two weeks on-two weeks off, you may do a week of days and a week of nights. Most Rope Access jobs are carried out during the day though so there should be minimum upset to your routine.

Facilities vary from place to place. Depending on the company who own the rig (operating company) Off shift facilities vary from rig to rig. expect everything from make shift gyms in engine rooms, to decks of cards and porn as rig leisure pursuits.

Most modern rigs/platforms have cinemas, satellite TV in your rooms, selection of videos and DVD's, computer games, computer clubs (with net access), gym and sauna equipment quality will vary but in eneral are very good.

Your trip may have went rough, you may be tired by the end of it (even a little grumpy) but the feeling you get when you get on the helicopter home can't be beat. For the right people, working offshore is a great way to earn a living, combined with Rope Access you have a world class job that pays decent rates and allows international travel.

I don't read as much as I should, and I almost never recommend books, but one book that I think should be standard reading for anyone who wants to get in to rope access is: "The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman.

You don't have to agree with with every point this books makes for it to change your perspective on (your work) life. Maybe take it as a large bitter pill of contemporary reality if you may, but the statistics and stories that are presented by this book deliver a knockout punch to anyone who thinks that they are immune to the pressures of the international job market. Rope access is at the epicenter of this job market by default due to the ever emerging worldwide offshore rope access requirements. As rope access is becoming universally accepted as a safer and more efficient (not only financially - those bed spaces that large scaffold teams take up offshore have more of an implication to the overall rig performance than we realize) option to accomplish work at height it will become a known and expected part of offshore installations worldwide. With that come the technicians of the world.

We all owe the North Sea credit for being here in the same light that the world owes the Wright Brothers recognition for flight. Respect and reverence, but only in a historical sense. Sir Richard Branson is not going to give any USA airline any slack when he is establishing a new intercontinental route. Air travel is an extremely competitive industry that requires investment and innovation (Government handouts notwithstanding) to stay at the front. Rope access is the same.

My opinion is that the only way forward is to be the best. Offering companies a specialization is an excellent way forward. Another way is if you paint, be the best painter that you can be. Don't complain about things that the company can't control, they don't want daily emails about how the food is not edible on board. It takes a great deal of effort to get ahead offshore, and it will not get any easier any time soon.

Article written and supplied by: Tom Rigg