Top training in Linlithgow
Learning new skills on an IRATA training course at Arco Training, Linlithgow: this week we climb the behind the scenes to find out what’s involved in being a Rope Access Technician and the thorough training that is involved to ensure the highest levels of safety in the workplace.
Tim (right) and colleague (left) in Rope-to-rope rescues with a casualty at Arco training centre in Linlithgow.
Rope access techniques are used in a wide range of repair, maintenance, installation and inspection roles in industries such as construction, renewable energy and utilities. We also use them for field research when accessing under licence bird nests on cliffs and trees as well as setting up wildlife cameras and rigging for tv and filming. Essentially, its a highly adaptable system for working in hard to access spots like the peregrine’s nest recess on the great spire of Glasgow University.
“Technical competence is paramount when performing rope access techniques in your working environment”
As Rope Access Technicians, we go through rigorous evaluations to ensure the highest levels of safety. This includes courses, maintenance of kit and learning new skills. A big part of this is the thorough practical re-evaluation every 3 years. And it doesn’t matter whether you are a relatively new Level 1 or a super-dooper L3 ninja, everyone has to strut their stuff for the examiners. This helps maintain superb safety in the workplace which is great for everyone, employers, climbers and production crews alike. And it’s amazing how quickly those 3 years seem to go by!
This week was my ‘re-val’ as a Level 1 on the IRATA training course at Arco Pro Services, Linlithgow. Arco offer excellent training facilities with “IRATA instructors who aim to go above and beyond the IRATA syllabus”’ to prepare attendees for operational industrial rope access work. Guided by their friendly, approachable and highly-skilled professionals, I was able to upskill with a series of for me, highly advanced manoeuvres which, whilst not part of my final exam, were incredibly helpful on my journey to the next level. Along with some funky kit and new techniques plus a whole lot of sweat and graft we definitely earned our coffee breaks!
Relaxing after a bunch of rescues up on the horizontal anchors
The training centre has all kinds of set ups and there’s even a big outdoor tower. We focussed indoors and manoeuvres included Horizontal aid climbing on fixed anchors and with moveable, sling, anchors, Vertical aid climbing and Climbing with fall arrest equipment.
The really fun challenge for me was the rescue element. Rescues are a real mixture of physical and mental challenge, using the toolbox you have in your head and all the possible uses of the kit on your harness. For sure, it would be easy to take every item of kit you might possibly need, but then you get to a point where you’d never be able to leave the ground, so efficiency is the key. Even so, it’s amazing how much kit you end up carrying to solve all the problems. Out of interest I brought my scales in weighed my kit (see pic of it all laid out below) and it was a good 13kg, no wonder I was sweating!
Top kit items of the week were the Petzl Rescue pulley which was a godsend for setting up an efficient 3:1 haul system, a spare wire sling made for a positional spare anchor point, and the Petzl Adjust was so useful. However, the star of the show was always the Petzl Grillon. Useful in so many circumstances, as an adjustable ‘cowstail’, as a haul for a casualty, as a connector for passing obstacles, it really made life so much easier, and I am sure going to add one to my own kit. See below for two in action on the horizontal aid route where I have a 45kg dummy suspended on me. The red dummy is 70kgs (see top image) so efficient technique is definitely the name of the game!
Moving along horizontal aid anchors with a casualty
Casualty rigged for haul from above ready to lift
As well as practising the Level 1 ‘Rescue from descent mode’, I was also keen to try more advanced methods and so I got to drill lots of the L2 ‘Rescue from ascent mode.’ This has an added ‘haul’ component as you have to ‘lift’ (using a 3:1 set-up) the casualty up to take the weight of their toothed chest ascender to allow you to release them from their system. Other L2 rescues tackled were Rope-to-rope transfer with a casualty (see top image), Passing a small re-anchor with a casualty, Rescue from aid climb and Rescue from fall arrest equipment. With a bit of coaching, I even achieved L3 manoeuvres which was so satisfying and also tons of fun. The exercises were Passing a double-anchor deviation with a casualty, Passing mid-rope knots with a casualty and Rescue from aid climb - short connection. Passing the knots with a casualty is a really neat exercise with lots of checking the newly rigged re-belay and weight transfer goes ok. But in essence, the rescues are all kind of the same thing, just using different techniques, kit and how you get to the potential casualty. Now, I won’t be sitting my L3 anytime soon, but it was great to get a glimpse of what it looks like.
Harness, helmet and all the kit that was on my harness after day 3 - all 13 kilos of it!
Casualty in the Drop Zone
Retrievable Anchor on a beam
Just gotta love that Drop Zone!
We had 4 full days of exercises and Friday was the practical exam. After a short briefing from our assessor, we cracked on with the rope manoeuvres, rigging, knot craft and a simple haul system. Being first to finish I got to head home early and muse on where I’ll be this time next year when I reckon I’ll take the plunge for the full L2 exam. Oh, and I’m delighted to report top marks in the assessment so thanks to all the staff at Arco Services in Linlithgow and I look forward to an exciting year working on the ropes.
Knotcraft is an essential part of the course.
Happy author having passed his assessment!
