Who Is ACRABAT and What Do They Stand For?
ACRABAT (The Assoc. for Certified Rope Access Bld. Assessment Technicians) is currently the ONLY professional organization dedicated to the promotion of ethical access / fall protection training and practice for Property Claims Adjusters that is in full compliance with the worldwide Rope Access & Fall Protection Communities. Their leaders are active and participating members of the SPRAT (Society for Professional Rope Access Technicians) committees that develop Rope Access Guidelines for today’s “Urban Environment”.
What Is Pitched Roofing System Rope Access?:
Pitched Roof System Rope Access is the safest and the most effective means for workers to gain complete access of a pitched roofing system. A form of rope access for Property Claims Adjusters, Forensic Engineers, Home Inspectors, maintenance and service providers that allows them to construct a system of fall protection from the safety of ground level that will provide them with the access that they need to complete their work.
What Is The Story of Modern Rope Access?:
The worldwide Rope Access Community began to get organized in the late 80’s with the founding of IRATA (the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association). IRATA started out as a rope access resource in the UK for the offshore Oil & Gas Industry however since then has merged into the mainstream of most all industries who struggle on a daily basis with work that is difficult to access.
SPRAT (The Society for Professional Rope Access Technicians) a North American based professional association that emerged in 1996 with the fundamental goal to advance the safe use of rope access through education, developing standards, and administering certifications. SPRAT’s crowning achievements include educating state and federal OSHA officials on the merits of Rope Access as a credible, essential form of fall protection and the creation of “Safe Practices for Rope Access Work”, a document that is viewed today as the most valid set of standards for the completion of rope access work.
Please Note: Both SPRAT and IRATA standards are very broad in scope and do not include standard operating procedures specific to all individualized trades groups (e.g. Pitched Roof Workers) who currently use rope access systems.
ACRABAT (The Association for Certified Rope Access Building Assessment Technicians) was created in 2008 by Property Claims Adjusters were fed up with the increasing personal risks associated with accessing aggressive pitched roofing systems of the modern housing industry. Their goal is to promote uniformity standards by developing professional consensus on pitched roof rope access guidelines for front line workers, the organizations and instructors who train them and the companies that employ them.
ACRABAT is currently the only professional association dedicated to developing guidelines for rope access on “Pitched Roof” structures that operates within the SPRAT standards for “Safe Practices for Rope Access Work”. ACRABAT currently holds the lead seat in SPRAT’s committee for developing pitched roof rope access guidelines under the category of “Buildings and Urban Environments”.
What Are ACRABAT's Standards?:
Who Is OSHA And What Is Their Opinion Of Rope Access?:
OSHA (The Occupational Safety and Health Administration) an agency of The United States Department of Labor, was established in 1971 to reduce the rate of worker injuries and fatalities by setting and enforcing safety standards within the workplace. OSHA impact on safety within the workplace is an estimated 84.5% reduction in worker fatalities (based on comparison of worker fatalities from 1970 – 2009) .
Fact: Human Beings in general are willing to put themselves at great risk for injury in order to provide for the financial wellbeing of themselves and their families. To put it in its simplest terms, OSHA put all employers on notice that there would be real consequences for exploiting this human tendency.
Please Note: Rope Access is a relatively new concept that has only been around for a couple of decades now and is NOT YET recognized by OSHA 1926.500 standards for fall protection. However, SPRAT has successfully taken on OSHA by educating them and getting them to agree to what is called a “variance” for rope access as a valid form of fall protection. To qualify for this so called “variance” employers must comply with what is written in SPRAT’s signature standards document; “Safe Practices for Rope Access Work”.
Who Is ANSI And What Is Their Opinion Of Rope Access?:
ANSI (American National Standards Institute) was started over 100 years ago when they began assembling a system of voluntary safety standards based on science and fact. Today, ANSI is recognized as the most professional and valid North American safety standards organization. ANSI has established standards for Fall Protection as well listed under the title of ANSI Z359.. When it comes to the topic of Fall Protection, ANSI safety standards are considered so valid that OSHA in fact will often simply copy and paste them into their own 1926.500 updates. ANSI recognizes Rope Access as a valid form of fall protection under ANSI standard Z359.8.
“Rope & Harness” / Rope Access certification is a very valuable tool for all Property Claims Adjusters. Property Claims service employers are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that a properly trained rope access workforce offers significant reductions in worker injuries AND the consequences associated with product liability. Please Note: Claim decisions made on roofing systems without the benefit of human access and touch are difficult at best to justify.
Choose Your Rope Access Certification Vendor Wisely: Do not select a rope access training program that is based on the principles of Sport Climbing. Most sport climbing equipment and technique is radically different from that which is incorporated with Rope Access systems for front line workers. True Rope Access programs are based on what has already been established by the worldwide rope access community.
