Industrial climbing
Rope access technology (SZT) (also rope access and positioning technology (SZP) , colloquially industrial climbing and technosport (GDR), international Rope Access ) is an access method for working in high, deep and difficult to access workplaces.
The rope access workers, also called industrial climbers, rope workers or SZP / SZT users, are always redundantly (double) secured. For work you always position yourself with the help of two systems or two ropes: the support rope and the safety rope.
The rope access during work is done using techniques that have developed from the single rope technique of cave exploration, from abseiling and from climbing techniques .
Considered separately, the PSAgA application (application of p ersönlicher S chutzausrüstung g ay A bsturz): Safe working and rescue in crash risk. PPE belong to the personal protective measures. They protect against falling either by preventing a fall (restraint system), catching a free fall (fall arrest system) or by positioning at the workplace (workplace positioning system).
Basics of function and area of application
Differentiation from other climbing techniques
SZP / SZT distinguishes itself from climbing as a sport, as the motivation here is not to conquer an obstacle, but to enable work to be done in a place that could not be reached in any other way or only with expensive and material-intensive means.
In terms of approach, it cannot be compared with technical alpine climbing , as in most cases access is from above by abseiling. This corresponds to the procedure in caving , which established the single rope technique for the first time.
In contrast to mountain sports , the possibility of falling into a rope is excluded, the job is reached through special workplace positioning procedures. This is done by using a kernmantle rope according to EN 1891 (semi-static kernmantle rope made of chemical fiber (predominantly polyamide 6.6)), which would not be suitable for catching a fall. If the support system fails, an additional safety device (according to EN 353-2; accompanying fall arrest system on a movable guide) ensures effective fall prevention.
Rope access technology
Reach workers are well-trained users in Germany today - unsecured work is no longer permitted according to modern work safety standards . They abseil down mainly using standardized special equipment and do their work. Then, depending on the local conditions, they rope themselves down to the ground or rise again on the rope.
In order to be able to react quickly to dangers such as hanging trauma , the training also teaches the procedure for rescuing yourself and rescuing other people.
Areas of application
Reach workers are mainly used when scaffolding or lifting platforms are compared to dangerous or economically unreasonable:
- Assembly z. B. wind turbines , steel construction work and other things in high-rise construction , bridge construction , drilling rigs , etc. and other work in which technical collection equipment cannot be used.
- Roof repairs and wood protection - in particular of church roofs, chimney restoration, installation of pigeon defense and lightning protection systems , facade restoration, corrosion protection on metal and concrete in technical structures, painting work, joint restoration and sealing work
- Maintenance work on tall buildings, window and gutter cleaning, cleaning work in industrial and power plant areas
- Rock protection ("rock plastering") in traffic route construction and above settlement areas
- Carrying out photo documentation and building appraisals
- Installation of advertising banners
- Installation of personal safety nets, dust protection nets and protective mats in advance of blasting
Organized height rescue and mountain rescue services , on the other hand, are usually not areas of application for height workers. Reach workers, however, are sometimes used to ensure a quick rescue z. B. used on large construction sites.
In event technology, experts for event rigging work who can have an additional qualification as SZP / SZT user.
In film, television, show or theater productions, event, stunt or show rigs work that can have an additional qualification as SZP / SZT user.
See also
- Rigging , areas of application with rope technology
history
First missions
The first large steel and iron structures were erected between 1879 and 1900, such as the Forth Rail Bridge , the Eiffel Tower , the Blackpool Tower , the Müngsten Bridge , the Garabit Viaduct and other structures.
At that time the climbers climbed onto the structures without any safety in order to work. This was known as lattice climbing .
Beginnings and establishment of backups
Safety ropes for working at height have only been common since the 1930s. One of the first prominent construction sites where workers were required to secure themselves was the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge in the later 1930s, where Joseph B. Strauss was able to keep the mortality rate well below the then average.
Industrial climbing as it is today was developed in Great Britain in the 1970s. The construction, maintenance and rehabilitation of the drilling rigs in the North Sea motivated British climbers to work with rope techniques. However, rudimentary rope-assisted working methods were already being used when harvesting bird eggs on cliffs at the beginning of the 20th century - especially in England. The work procedure with a second safety rope was created due to European requirements for occupational safety. The oil and gas industry required redundant rope and rope-trained workers. The Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA) was founded in England in the early 1970s. With over 15,000 licensed industrial climbers worldwide, it is the largest association in the field of rope-assisted work methods. In the meantime, there are associations for this work in various countries, such as the IRAA in Australia, the SPRAT in the USA and the FISAT (professional and interest group for rope-assisted work techniques) in Germany.
History in Germany
Around the same time, this technology was also used in the GDR . For example , mountaineers were used to seal joints in prefabricated buildings , as erecting scaffolding would have meant much more effort. These working methods were recognized by the state and referred to as technosport . The GDR had its own technical rules (TGR) for this. After reunification, industrial climbing in Germany was stopped in its development because this form of job positioning was not recognized by the employers' liability insurance association as an accident insurance provider. In 1995, the professional and interest association for rope-assisted work techniques eV was founded in Germany . In cooperation with various expert groups and through participation in various national, European and international bodies, the association has achieved the approval of these working procedures and implementation in European accident prevention regulations.
In 1995 the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude further established industrial climbing in Europe by obtaining a special permit for the use of rope-assisted working methods to cover the Reichstag .
Establishment as an industry in Germany
In Germany, rope-assisted access and positioning processes have only been formally approved by the professional association for the construction industry (BG-Bau) since the mid-1990s . There were activities beforehand, but these took place in a legal gray area. Companies operating in the GDR worked in accordance with the technical standards, quality regulations and delivery conditions (TGL) that had been in force since 1988 , which were suspended with reunification. The professional and interest association for rope-assisted work techniques acts as an umbrella organization and representative of the industry. In 1997 the association issued guidelines on training and occupational safety for rope-assisted access techniques. Since then, users of rope-assisted work processes in Germany have been able to complete training recognized by this association.
The training standards represented by the association correspond to international standards and must be recognized within Europe. An international standard for safe working on the rope has been developed (ISO 10333-1 to 10333-3), but is not adopted by the European Union in its set of standards because these standards regulate working procedures. The use of rope-assisted work processes is mainly regulated in Germany by the technical rule for operational safety TRBS 2121-3. Forerunners of this rule were the ZH 709/710 and then the BGR 198/199 .
The activity is not a recognized profession in Germany . For commercial use, appropriate training in rope access technology SZT (level 1–3) has been established in Germany, which requires passing an examination and training in work and rescue procedures. A valid basic first aid course and a G41 occupational health check-up are required. No previous manual training is required for admission to training.
Situation in Austria
- 14 ASchG instruction ,Austrian Employee Protection Act
- ÖNORM Z 1700 Secure access to antenna systems ( Weblink , Austrian Standards International )
Situation in Switzerland
- Factsheet Suva: 33016.D Working on the hanging rope
- Construction Work Ordinance (BauAV) Art. 82
Normative and legal references
- TRBS 2121-3: Danger to people from falls - Provision and use of access and positioning procedures with the aid of ropes ( download )
- Switzerland: Construction Ordinance (BauAV), Chapter 9: Working on the hanging rope
Web links
- Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA)
- Professional and interest group for rope-assisted work techniques (FISAT)
- Swiss Accident Insurance Fund (Suva) - "Working on the hanging rope"
Individual evidence
- ↑ Explaining Industrial Rope Access → Where is industrial rope access used? ( Memento of the original from May 28, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , IRATA
- ↑ The Golden Gate Bridge. Report by Stefan Kremer, n-tv December 14, 2009
