Where there's rope there's hope
June 1st 2008

Where methods such as work platforms or scaffolding are unsuitable, hard to access areas can be tackled using rope access services, says Stuart Wilson, director of Easyreach. Flexibility with an emphasis on safety is the company's aim

Rope access is a specialist service that is playing an increasingly important role in window cleaning services.The method was initially developed from abseiling techniques used in climbing and caving, and enhanced and refined, to allow access to difficult-toreach locations. From a window cleaning perspective, rope access offers an effective solution where cradles, scaffolding and mobile elevated work platforms are not suitable.

The major cleaning companies have tended not to incorporate rope access services into their overall operations, preferring to outsource demand to specialist businesses when required.However, with a range of issues including building designs, legislation and accessibility affecting the window cleaning sector, ongoing growth in the future is all but certain. Last year, Easyreach recognised the potential of rope access services when it acquired Wesco Access, a specialist in high-level cleaning and maintenance company.The company says it now possesses the ability to select the most appropriate cleaning method, from an extensive range of techniques, which is best suited to the task in hand.

Solving access problems Much of the demand for rope access window cleaning and maintenance is as a result of problems with traditional access systems, even on new buildings where legislation requires them to be constructed with window cleaning access taken into consideration.While many buildings have cradle access, the complex nature of many modern designs means that this method is unable to reach 100 per cent of external glass surfaces. On top of this, cradles need regular maintenance checks, so it is a costly and timeconsuming certification process.

Rope access provides added flexibility compared to other cleaning solutions. For example, if a building doesn't possess a permanent anchorage system, a transportable anchorage point can be easily utilised,making it suitable for any type of building. Furthermore, this method does not have height or access restrictions like vehiclemounted or self-propelled mechanical platforms. Equipment of this sort has a maximum reach of around 55m,making it suitable for a maximum of five of six storeys. Moreover, there is the added issue of access around the base of a building, especially in urban areas, which can prevent access to certain external areas of a building or require permits for temporary road closures.

Safety In the past, rope access has also been unfairly judged as being a dangerous window cleaning method in some quarters, with the biggest obstruction often coming from a company's health and safety function.However, Easyreach believes this view 'could not be further from the truth', with rope access 'possessing a safety record that is unmatched by most other areas of the working at height sector'.

IRATA, the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association, was formed in the late 1980s following an initiative by a number of leading companies, to provide a safe working environment for the industry.

This has ensured that safety is paramount, assessing and training technicians and auditing member companies. Easyreach manages and supervises each job using a level three IRATA-trained professional, the highest available level of accreditation, to guarantee optimum levels of safety.

Easyreach maintains that rope access window cleaning offers an effective tool that complements and challenges established techniques, providing a flexible and cost-efficient solution to accessing customer properties. It believes the method is not only here to stay but will also form an essential part in the future of window cleaning at heights.