Applied Technical Services has expanded the scope of our personnel training capabilities to include a comprehensive rope access certification program. These capabilities allow us to offer classes, assessment, and ultimately certification to candidates who want to learn and apply rope access techniques professionally. Our training and certification courses are appropriate to first-time candidates as well as industry veterans seeking reaccreditation and advanced technical courses.
Often confused with related branches of work-at-heights such as fall arrest, suspended access, controlled descent, and rope descent systems (RDS), rope access is a discipline that allows technicians to quickly and safely move up, down, laterally, diagonally or onto another line. Rope access is safer than conventional methods of working at heights, as all standard procedures require the use of both a main line and a safety line attached to a fall arrest system. Furthermore, it is quicker and more efficient than renting specialized equipment or constructing scaffolding, which saves clients on service costs in the end.
While our own inspection department applies rope access techniques for the nondestructive examination (NDE) of clients’ structures, machinery, and other large assets, there is a wide range of other uses for this skillset, such as:
- Façade Inspections
- Installing Instruments
- Painting
- Scaling and Anchoring Rocks
- Pressure Washing/Sandblasting
- Repairing Concrete
- Preparing Surfaces and Installing Sealant
- Shooting Photos/Videos
- Installing Movie/Theater Sets
- Performing Geological Surveys
Our Rope Access Training Courses
Brandon Powers, ATS’ rope access training coordinator, teaches all of the classes we offer and administers the certification testing to approve candidates. He structures this 5-day course as a hands-on, intensive training program from which students will emerge with a knowledge of safe techniques for moving on rope. This will include learning about the proper use of rope access equipment, appropriate equipment maintenance practices, tying knots, rigging ropes, using existing anchorages or designating anchors fit for use, rigging and combining anchorages, and rescuing fellow technicians in distress, as well as the various standards, regulations, and procedures that pertain to their field. The final assessment consists of written, verbal, and practical exam sections where candidates will apply their understanding of the concepts and techniques covered during the class.
Rope access professionals, referred to as technicians, are recognized according to three levels of experience and achievement. Each level requires increasing proficiency in rope rescue techniques, ensuring they can safely assist in case of an incident. The following list briefly summarizes the duties of each level:
- Level I: these individuals perform work at heights using a rope access system while under the direct, on-site supervision of a Level II or Level III technician
- Level II: these individuals conduct rope access operations, perform safety evaluations of those operations, and maintain associated equipment under the direction of a Level III technician
- Level III: these individuals who assume responsibility for an entire rope access work site, can create and implement rope access systems, and can perform all work done by lower-Level technicians
Importance of Certification
Certification through our program carries the approval of the Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians (SPRAT), the rope access industry’s standardization body in North America. Each passing candidate will receive a certificate qualifying them to work as a rope access technician of the level for which they trained and affirming their proficiency in all the skills and knowledge appropriate to that level.
What sets ours apart from other training programs is the depth of instruction we offer. Having the ATS Consulting Engineering group — a national leader in fall protection consulting, design, testing, and inspection — operating out of the same building affords our courses the benefit of their real-life experience operating within relevant codes.
About Applied Technical Services
Since our founding in 1967, Applied Technical Services has offered inspection, testing, and consulting engineering capabilities of peerless quality. Our business has grown over the past five decades — from a three-person operation helping local businesses out of our founder’s basement into a multi-disciplinary firm of over 1,000 employees that serves clients around the globe. Candidates certified by our program stand ready to employ their skills serving a variety of industries, including but not limited to:
- Chemical
- Commercial Properties
- Communications
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Nuclear
- Oil/Gas
- Power Generation
- Pulp and Paper
- Renewable Energy
If you need rope access training and certification, contact ATS today for a spot in an upcoming class.
