Every year, property managers and business owners flood the internet with search inputs like “rope access Sydney” or “the best rope access company near me.” At Arrow Abseiling, our rope access specialists have years of experience in high-rise window cleaning, various building maintenance services, and providing residential and commercial rope access services using certified height safety systems at the most cost-efficient prices.
A rope access technician is an individual who specialises in performing work at elevated heights or in hard-to-reach locations using ropes, harnesses and other climbing gear. These professionals are trained to carry out a range of tasks such as maintenance, inspections, repairs and installations on structures like buildings, bridges, towers and industrial facilities. They employ a technique called “rope access” or “abseiling” to reach and maneuver inaccessible surfaces safely.
For the safety and efficiency of their work, rope access technicians undergo training. They rely on equipment such as ropes, harnesses, carabiners, descenders, ascenders and other safety gear to securely position themselves while working at heights. These experts possess skills in trades like construction, painting, window cleaning,
maintenance and more. The rope access method is renowned for its adaptability to scenarios while having an impact on the environment. It also provides access to areas that might be challenging for techniques or machinery.
Our maintenance experts will detail how our rope access technicians provide top-notch service to our clients in Greater Sydney and all over Australia in this explainer.
We will also outline the extensive measures we take when performing maintenance duties on high-rise buildings and the high standard of safety we observe to deliver excellent results while keeping accident rates at 0%.
If you’re curious about the maintenance services that construction areas and buildings go through every month, this page by industrial rope access specialists is just for you.
Rope access refers to a building maintenance technique that has become the industry leader for the upkeep of exterior features. When you see people working on the side of a building on platforms and ropes, you’re looking at rope access technicians. This process prioritises efficiency by using the safest techniques and certified equipment in performing various building maintenance activities, such as window cleaning, glazing windows, painting, repair, and construction inspections.
Rope access is the safest way of working at height or the side of a building, allowing technicians to clean, repair, and perform maintenance on exterior features in difficult-to-reach areas. Building maintenance personnel generally don’t need specialised training to become rope access technicians. However, a rope access company relies on height safety certifications to ensure their maintenance jobs have minimal impact on the environment and are completed efficiently with 0% labour and material wastage.
To earn clients in the rope access business, companies need experts that are well-versed in using specialised cleaning, painting, and building maintenance equipment. Most rope access professionals in Greater Sydney start from modest window cleaning jobs before getting height safety certifications that let them tackle any project with hard-to-reach situations.
General building maintenance workers in Greater Sydney have to fulfil these requirements to become rope access specialists:
Most rope access personnel go through a Rope Access Technician programme where they learn all about height safety and completing a job with the highest possible quality of work no matter the class of building they get.
The Industrial Rope Access Trade Association will assign an assessor to measure their expertise and service capabilities with a practical and written exam. If they pass these tests, they receive certification as an IRATA Level 1 rope access professional. Like newbie pilots, they need to take on every cleaning, painting, and maintenance project they can find and start building their hours with safety as a top priority.
IRATA issues them a logbook where they can list every job and project they do along with the specific services they provide their clients. When they complete 1000 work hours as a rope access professional, they can progress to level 2. Another thousand hours on the rope, and level 2 professionals will graduate to level 3, where they can work in supervisory positions to oversee level 1 and 2 technicians.
Working on the side of a skyscraper can be daunting for technicians yet deceptively simple for onlookers. Professionals rely on a broad range of safety machinery, cleaning apparatus, and painting tools to keep their work manageable on every job and project across Sydney. They keep technicians efficient and free from injury while satisfying the safety requirements of site inspectors.
Mechanical ascenders allow workers to scale a building by climbing up a rope. Most rope access professionals use them as a safety measure as they lock into place if they feel a weight shift. Mechanical ascenders are also popular among mountain climbers and rescue workers.
Mechanical descenders allow technicians to lower themselves or a payload on the side of a building at a user-controlled pace. Like mechanical ascenders, descenders use an operator release and self-braking mechanism to lock into place during a sudden weight shift.
Like most rope access companies, Sydney technicians partner hydraulic energy absorbers with lanyards as a fall arrest system, which reduces the downforce from a fall.
Technicians can either use a seat harness or a full-body model, depending on the job. If they’re working on a construction project anywhere in Sydney, they might opt for a full-body harness as accidents are more commonplace on construction sites, and full-body models have more contact points. Seat harnesses are often sufficient for two to three-storey maintenance projects.
You can’t expect quality services from a technician who doesn’t use a helmet, as it is the primary building block of job site safety. Helmets shield workers from falling debris on construction sites and orthostatic hypotension when working at great heights on Sydney skyscrapers.
At Arrow Abseiling, our rope access experts in Sydney have decades of combined experience delivering services with safety and efficiency as the top priority.
Here are some exterior maintenance services we offer.
Our industrial pressure washing services can remove dust, mould, and debris from the sides of a building, giving it a brand-new look and shine.
We provide window washing services for apartment complexes that are only a few storeys high and skyscrapers that stretch hundreds of metres from the ground.
We can inspect and repair anchor points in your building that keep maintenance workers safe on the job.
Our technicians can use low-carbon paint that leaves minimal impact on the environment to paint your new residential or commercial structure in a new colour people will love.
Our IRATA-certified professionals can set up and optimise your rope access systems to help workers ascend, descend, and traverse the sides of your building more efficiently.
