The thought that we could miraculously become safer by adopting standard rope industry tools or techniques, specifically two ropes, is laughable. This is just a short, randomly picked article, but it gives a fair explanation of typical SPRAT and IRATA protocols.
I have not trained a ton of climbers, but the few that I did stayed under my direct supervision for each days work. It took about 3 years of this to produce a well rounded climber.
Rope access offers better safety, cost savings and efficiency—if it’s done correctly
www.enr.com
"SPRAT a well-respected training and regulation organization for rope access in the U.S., requires an access work plan to be completed before beginning rope access work. That plan should include provisions for providing secure rope anchor locations, an accident response plan, and a risk assessment that identifies all hazards and outlines solutions to mitigate them, among other things.
For example, if technicians cannot find enough secure anchor points to tie off the ropes, or if technicians cannot work out a proper rescue plan based on the location of the job, then traditional scaffolding may make more sense.
Rope access cannot and should not be forced upon every site. If safety can be assured, then your team can reach new heights.
It’s About Time
Aspiring rope access technicians can’t expect to step on a site and wing it. They have to log plenty of rope time before they can get to work.
To be certified as a Level I technician by SPRAT, a worker must undergo 40 hours of classroom time, then be assessed on a jobsite by a third-party evaluator. To reach Level II, a technician has to put in 500 verified hours of rope time on a jobsite, which can take up to a year. Level III requires an additional 500 hours. The Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA), an international rope access governing body, requires 1,000 hours logged to reach Level II and another 1,000 hours for Level III, along with first aid training."
