IRATA Standard for Wind Turbines

Posted: Monday, 17 January, 2011

International Standard for Rope Access use on Wind Turbines from the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association IRATA International

 

Following its highly successful publishing of the International Code of Practice for the Use of Rope Access methods (ICOP) in early 2010, IRATA International convened the International Working Group in Amsterdam on 13th January 2011  and will bring this new guidance document to publication in 2011.

 

It will be the first International Standard covering this already highly successful technique and its obvious excellent applications in the Wind Energy market.

It will be aimed at giving clear guidance to Rope Access Operators, Trainers, Specifers, Turbine Manufacturer’s owners and all those who use Rope Access on these structures

 

As well as International Working Group representation from the Association, Renewable Associations, including Renewables UK are included to enable the whole industry to have input

Some of the areas that Guidance will cover includes:

 

• Specific Hazards and Risk Assessments
• Selection of Anchorages
• Typical Access Tasks and Methods using Rope Access to access Blades, Hubs etc
• Rescue and Evacuation
• Rescue and Access Rigging Methods
• Team sizes and levels of supervision
• Training requirements
• Working with non rope access operatives

 

Graham Burnett IP Chair of IRATA International and Working Group member commented after the formation of this vital working group. “Rope Access has been used safely, cost effectively and successfully since the introduction of the very first of the mass-produced turbines in the 1980s. The specific guidance on the use of Rope Access techniques has come of age. Our Association has recognising its international responsibility to pull together the expert advice on the subject for the benefit of all those in this sector.

 

The ICOP can be downloaded from IRATA: http://www.irata.org/publications.htm and this Turbine Guidance will form a significant new Annex to this document and will also be available as a download later in the year.

 

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