To begin with, it is very important not to allow rope access by tying the ropes to building elements. It is an unheard practice abroad and not permitted as per safety at heights practices and laws wherever they exist. In India, it is rather unfortunate that there is no regulation for safety for working at heights. It is very essential to provide safety eye bolts (a pair every 1.2m) located in the centre of the glass in a RCC parapet on the terrace. These bolts should be capable of taking one tonne load individually because universal safety factor is 10 for ropes.
While inviting the tenders or placing the orders for facade cleaning using rope access, there are several precautions that are necessary. The building owners must ensure that the window cleaning company provides their window cleaners with descender unit that has been tested and certified by international organisation who have the expertise. They also need to ensure that the company has staff trained by IARTA, the only body who has resources to train rope access. If not, the cleaners should be trained by the trainers who are trained to be trainers in rope access.
Besides, the window cleaners should have a medical check up certificate, specially a medical check up for working on heights, clearly checked up for diabetes, vertigo, epilepsy, etc. Certainly, these window cleaners should not be drug addicts or alcoholic.
Besides, checking of the descender unit, one needs to ensure that the ropes being used are not in use for more than 1200 hours. This is a norm and this is a practice that is followed world over. The facade cleaning company should be insisted on to check the rope hours and check the descender unit hours and record them. Besides, the owners of the buildings should ask the cleaning company to bring the descender unit, ropes and most important, the safety shunts, to be shown to owners of the building, clearly checking for its working or worn out condition.
In case of doubt, the building owners should ask the company to use new descender unit which is certified or get third party inspection to ensure that the equipment being used is safe. Unfortunately, in our country, there is no regulation but fortunately there is British Standards available for both permanent suspended access equipment and rope access namely EN1808 and BS7985. It is advisable for clients to read through these standards and ensure that their cradle kit and rope access contractor is following these norms.
In case of system that is suspended, it is important that the system is maintained with a proper AMC, but more than that, every time the people go on heights, all the safeties should be checked at the ground level itself. It just takes a few minutes to check the safeties but it saves all possible problems and better worst still if not practiced, it may land up for both the building owners and the cleaning companies, into massive problems due to possible death.”
While working with Rope Access
1. Ensure that the operator is in good health and not suffering from any ailment of the nature that does not permit him to do the work.
2. Ensure that the materials required are all available. This includes:
a. 2 Nos. ropes of sufficient length
b. Descender unit that is not worn out and fully functional
c. Sit body harness
d. Safety shunt
e. Karabiners for attachment of water bucket and a small rope connecting to the shunt.
f. Safety shoes for the operators
g. Hard hat / helmet with a strap
h. Cleaning tools, squeegees, applicators, blade and bucket that is half full with water
3. Check the rope if it is proper without any cuts, or bird cage. It must have sealed ends.
4. Check the descender unit in conjunction with the rope confirming that it is locking with the load. This is to be done every time and not once in a while.
5. The operators should be with complete personal protection.
Please ensure the oft repeated mistakes are not made:
a. The helmet is not for just keeping on the head. Essentially it is to be tightened on the head and strapped under the chin.
b. Sit body harness should be sufficiently tight. Any looseness may result into cracking of bones on an impact.
c. Shoe laces are tight. Some of the jobs especially the ACP panels, etc. may call for removal of shoes. This should be discussed with the client.
d. The descender attachments, Karabiner attachments, shunt attachments is positive and rechecked by both the operator and the supervisor.
6. It is preferred that while the operators are at work, the supervisor is fully attentive and watches the operators from the bottom of the building with full attention. He should also at that time prevent people / public from walking across the location where the window cleaners are on the façade.
7. On completion of the job, proper removal and storage of the gear is essential.
8. If the rope is drenched or wet the same cannot be used till it dries up.
9. Each of the team must have one operator who is trained in rescue work.
10. The bucket full of water if to be transported from the roof to the middle level, the knot of the rope on the bucket handle should be checked and the bucket handle itself having attachment to the plastic part should be rechecked.
11. Operators should be discouraged from receiving any calls while on work. It is preferred that they put their phones in ‘switch off’ mode.
Important: Should the winds go beyond 20km per hour, the work should be stopped and operators should come to their position of rest in a professional non-panic mode.
Rope Access Kit
A basic rope access kit would typically include the following:
Working line: This is the main line with which the worker descends
Safety line: The line adjacent to the main line. Worker should be connected to both lines
Ascender: Used when the cleaner needs to climb up the rope
Back-up device: A back-up rope adjustment device attached to the back-up safety line protects the technician from a fall if the main working line fails or if the technician slips or loses control in any way. The back-up device is intended to lock on to the safety line without causing damage to the rope, and absorbing any shock load that may occur, thus preventing a fall from occurring.
Helmet: A helmet is used to provide head protection to the wearer from injury of any type. There are two European standards governing helmets for work at height. Unfortunately in India, helmets are not used to full advantage.
Chest harness: A chest harness is used to convert a regular work positioning harness into a fall arrest harness, with a suitable attachment to connect the two. The chest harness is worn around the upper body when working and is essential for ascending the rope. The ascending device is usually attached between the chest harness and the sit harness thus connecting the two harnesses for total body support. This harness will keep the cleaner safe in the event of failure of the rest of the equipment as he is preparing to climb down a building.
Chest ascender: An ascender is a rope adjustment device which, when attached to an anchored rope of appropriate type and diameter, locks under load in one direction and slides freely in the opposite direction.
Work harness: Used while coming down the building.
Descender: A descender is a manually operated, friction inducing, rope adjustment device, which when attached to an anchored rope of appropriate type and diameter, allows the user to achieve a controlled descent and to stop with hands off anywhere on the anchor line. Descenders are normally used in industrial rope access for descending the working line or positioning the operative.
Besides the above features, it is important to install safety anchors on the sides of the buildings before commencing descend for cleaning. Chemically grouted anchors called safety anchors that have been tested for a pullout load of 1000k should be fixed into the RCC. The main and the safety lines go through the two eye holes of the anchors to safeguard against accidents in the event of any single bolt getting unplugged. The anchors need to be retested on an annual basis.
To conclude, it is a must to include some safety standards within the organisation, if such safety regulations are not drafted by the industry. Ensuring employee safety at all times ensures employee loyalty.
