Rope Access Tips, Tricks & Chats
129 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 days ago -Getting up-to-date information on rope access can be hard.... Every week Leigh Greenwood will share some tips and tricks, and invite guests for a chat about everything rope access. If you're involved in rope access or interested in it, this show is for you!
Homepage Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Keeron Le Busque Chat
July 19, 2021 21:00 - 1 hour - 62.4 MBThis week we have another chat, This time with Keeron Le Busque. Keeron turned a change in career into a 20 plus year life style choose. From cleaning glass in the city to building Oil facilities in the ocean, this is a good one, with lots of advice for anyone getting into or working in our rope access World.
The Rule of 60
July 12, 2021 23:00 - 10 minutes - 7.09 MBThis week we try something a bit different. I hope this one works. We sit down and explain the rule of 60, a great way to work out forces on anchors when in the field. Please let us know how we did, if it worked for you. Stay safe.
The IRATA TACS update explained
July 05, 2021 23:00 - 14 minutes - 10 MBThis week we try and explain the updates in the IRATA TACS. We chat about how the assessment day needs to run and what are your options if it goes wrong and in what circumstances you can have another assessment on the same day.
5 things you should know about tension lines.
June 28, 2021 14:00 - 7 minutes - 5.43 MBThis week we look at 5 things you should know about tension lines. How we should set them up. What you should look for. The basic do's and don'ts. let us know how you like to set up tension line, drop us a line on facebook, rope access tips tricks and chats. stay safe, see ya soon, cheers.
Willie Johnstone, How rope access started in a climbing club in Scotland.
June 21, 2021 23:00 - 1 hour - 50.1 MBThis week we sit down with Willie Johnstone and chat about rope access through the 80's, 90's to today. Willie is an Auditor, Assessor and consultant for companies. These chats are so real even his grandfather clock gets to chime in. The question is why didn't Willie want to jump in the Delorean to go back to where it started? Great chat with another Legend of rope access.
Pulley systems What's that all about?
June 14, 2021 23:00 - 7 minutes - 5.28 MBThis week we chat about pulley systems. How do you work out mechanical advantage? what's a compound system? We start with the basics of how to work out mechanical advantage, and what makes a compound system. Hope this sheds some light on what can be a confusing situation.
Chat with Richie Spence, How a rope ticket can take you around the World.
June 07, 2021 23:00 - 1 hour - 47.6 MBThis week we sit down with Richie Spence. Richie has gone from a Level 2 who didn't want to take the responsibility of being a Level 3 all the way through to Technical Authority to Evaluator, and IRATA Auditor. A great chat about how rope access can take you to places you didn't imagine, if you are willing to put in the work and take opportunities presented to you.
EN 12841 Whats that all about?
May 31, 2021 23:00 - 8 minutes - 5.61 MBThis week we have a look at the EN 12841 standard for rope access, try and explain how it works and what's covered in it. Don't worry I'm just a rope tech talking about a standard, i'll keep it a simple as possible.
Scott Appleby chat
May 24, 2021 23:00 - 1 hour - 42.7 MBHow a chance meeting on the streets of Melbourne can take you to the Red sand of Western Australia and back to the mountains of Canada. Once again a unique story of life in rope access.
IRATA, Whats that all about?
May 17, 2021 23:00 - 13 minutes - 9.59 MBThis week we take a look at IRATA. We all know IRATA and the level 1,2 and 3 system, but how is it set up and who is involved. We hope this answers a few questions you had, and maybe some you didn't know you wanted to ask.
A chat with Keeley Prockiw
May 10, 2021 23:00 - 46 minutes - 32.1 MBKeeley is a second generation welder and IRATA rope tech, having found some great support at Women Building Futures in Alberta, Canada, Keeley has kicked down some doors and created a great future for herself and her kids, She is now passing the baton to her daughter as a IRATA level 1, the first mother daughter rope techs I have found in IRATA. Great little chat about how taking opportunities can change your life, but always remembering to give back. https://www.womenbuildingfutures.ca
Load sharing, what's that all about?
May 03, 2021 23:00 - 9 minutes - 6.75 MBTime to chat about all things load sharing. Do we have to do it? Why should we do it? When don't we do it. Why you want to do it. Let us know what you do to load share. www.rattac.net
Charles Cooper chats about rope access in the 80's
April 26, 2021 23:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MBThis week i had the pleasure of sitting down with Charlie, this is where it all started for me back in '98. Charlie on the other hand has been on the ropes since the 80's. Developing his own techniques to ensure having a back up and using an Orange Chair??? A few trips down memory lane for me in this one. 2 mates having a chat. Hope you like it.
5 bits of kit for your harness
April 19, 2021 14:00 - 6 minutes - 4.41 MBThis week we have a quick chat about 5 bits of kit to have on your harness. I bet you have a few bits of kit of your own. let us know what you carry, send us a message on face book rope access tips tricks and chats.
Mikey Stevenson from RAAC podcast, chat.
April 12, 2021 23:00 - 45 minutes - 31.5 MBThis week we sit down with Mikey Stevenson from Rope access and climbing podcast. We chat about how he got into rope access and represented Canada in the Petzl rope trip and the team walked away champions. Have a listen to a couple of rope techs comparing working, training and podcasting.
5 things a Supervisor should check.
April 05, 2021 23:00 - 6 minutes - 4.18 MBThis week we have a fast and dirty episode on what a supervisor should check before a project. A good listen for supervisors or soon to be supervisors.
5 things a Supervisor should check.
April 05, 2021 23:00 - 6 minutes - 4.18 MBThis week we have a fast and dirty episode on what a supervisor should check before a project. A good listen for supervisors or soon to be supervisors.
Daniel Thornton Chat.
March 29, 2021 22:00 - 1 hour - 42.1 MBThis week we chat to Daniel Thornton, From one of the first guys at RAT to Vegas and back to his Celtic roots with Keltic Falcon. I hope you enjoy this chat as much as I did, I think he was talking to his kids more than me and I loved it.
Daniel Thornton Chat.
March 29, 2021 22:00 - 1 hour - 42.1 MBThis week we chat to Daniel Thornton, From one of the first guys at RAT to Vegas and back to his Celtic roots with Keltic Falcon. I hope you enjoy this chat as much as I did, I think he was talking to his kids more than me and I loved it.
Slings, what do you use?
March 22, 2021 22:00 - 12 minutes - 8.53 MBThis week we chat about the types of slings we use in rope access, what are the advantages and disadvantages of them all?
Ryan Graney
March 15, 2021 22:00 - 37 minutes - 26 MBThis week we sit down with Ryan and chat about going from sweeping the floors of a rope access company warehouse to sitting in a massive fridge in the dessert, and how he is to blame for any Global crisis with his travel plans.
One Year in and we say, Thank You !!!
March 08, 2021 22:00 - 8 minutes - 5.92 MBFirst of all thank you for listening for a whole year. that's where I wanted to end this, but Damo had other ideas, hope you enjoy. X
Andy Corbe how he built the Vertech family.
March 01, 2021 22:00 - 55 minutes - 38.2 MBAndy went from a shop assistant to starting the company that every rope tech in Australia wanted to work for. With the dream team of Laura, Denis and Andy, Vertech began. Could this really get you to a catamaran in the Caribbean? Have a listen to see if dreams can come true. And is that story of Andy and his shoe really true? can we belive everything Denis B said way back in episode 10.
Petzl ASAP, that's a bit fancy.
February 22, 2021 22:00 - 15 minutes - 10.6 MBThis week we have a look at the ASAP from Petzl, see how it came about and when and where it is good and not so good to use.
Laura Prinssen, The first female IRATA technician in The Netherlands
February 15, 2021 22:00 - 32 minutes - 22.1 MBThis week we chat with Laura about getting into rope access as a female in Europe and working her way towards becoming an Assessor. www.rattac.net
Some Tricks for The Singapore Special
February 08, 2021 22:00 - 12 minutes - 8.28 MBAfter all the interest in the Singapore Special we discussed back in episode 43, we thought a chat about some tricks to help make for a quicker faster rescue. Kit list 3 cowstails, 1 Karabiner on each Descender, 1 Karabiner (no clutches or sirius) Hand ascender with a footloop 2 S Tec Duck R's 1 pulley 1 karbiner www.rattac.net
A chat with Ben Houghton IRATA number 173
February 01, 2021 22:00 - 35 minutes - 24.2 MBBen has been abseiling since SRT turned up in the UK back in 1982, a cave diving passion turned into a job offshore as a commercial diver, while on a platform abseilers went past him on the ropes and he found his new career. He remembers back in 1989 there were about 50 guys and now IRATA has over 170,000 technicians trained. Let's see how you go from a Willans harness in the lake district to oil platforms in Bruni. You will need a brew and a bacon butty for this one.
How do you protect your ropes when using a Grinder?
January 25, 2021 22:00 - 12 minutes - 8.76 MBSimple question really, what do you do to stop you from cutting your when using a grinder or other scary spiny disk things? We have a chat about what we see people do, what they could do and different methods we have used over the years. https://www.5thpoint.com.au/product/beal-rope-defender/ https://www.5thpoint.com.au/product/dmm-k-pro-rope-protector-80/
Chatting with Nathan Hoette about working with Kong to develop equipment.
January 18, 2021 22:00 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MBThis week we sit down with Nathan Hoette and have a chat about how you go from a dirt bag climber to working with the Kong to develop equipment and open an IRATA training centre at Kongs amazing facility in Italy, but still maintaining the love of being a dirt bag climber. If you have ever wondered the process to get a product from idea through the testing standards and into production, then this is the episode for you.
Rig for Rescue, what do you think that means?
January 11, 2021 22:00 - 9 minutes - 6.52 MBThis week we have a chat about Rig For Rescue, If I ask you what you think of when I say set the site up Rigged For Rescue what do you imagine? We spend some time breaking this down and how we could set it up for different situations.
Ropes Pro Vortex and Edge with Dirk Dorenbos.
January 04, 2021 22:00 - 44 minutes - 30.7 MBThis week we sit down for a chat with Dirk from Ropes edge and discuss the great edge barriers they have produced using 3D printing. We chat about how long it takes for an idea to go from a white board to the finished product, and how we have both seen these great products used in the field. Ropes Edge also have offered some products for our competition this week, listen to the end to get the details and a chance to win. if you haven't seen the Ropes Edge products here are some links below...
2020 Wrap up, and looking forward to 2021
December 28, 2020 22:00 - 11 minutes - 7.77 MBWhat a year!!! Not sure this is what we signed up for when we started this podcast nearly a year ago. We look back on how 2020 was, and how we dealt with it, we also look forward to projects we are planning for 2021. We couldn't have got to where we are with this podcast without you, and for that we thank you. Stay safe, see ya soon, Cheers.
Let's answer some of the questions we have been sent.
December 21, 2020 22:00 - 25 minutes - 17.6 MBThis week we work our way through some of the questions we have been sent from listeners and people in our training centres. Here is a taste of the questions we try to answer. Am I a member of IRATA as a technician? I have been told that a chest ascender is half a point, what's the story with that? When did we start using two ropes and why did this happen? If you think we are way off with our answers let us know, we are happy to stand corrected. Let us know any questions you would like...
James Hollingsworth Protecting ropes and competence
December 14, 2020 22:00 - 56 minutes - 38.5 MBThis week we sit down with James Hollingsworth from White Dragon Access and talk about how we protect our ropes, what is competency and how do we measure it. This chat took place a few months back after James had up published some great information on LinkedIn about Hazard identification and Risk Assessment https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hazard-identification-risk-assessment-james-hollingsworth/?trackingId=p9bHx%2BihH4xjRVtWCg%2Bs%2FQ%3D%3D James has added more publications since we had ...
5ish Features of the Harken Clutch
December 07, 2020 22:00 - 8 minutes - 5.89 MBThis weeks episode is sponsored by Harken, check out all of the great industrial products. https://www.harkenindustrial.com/en/home/ We have a look at the 5ish features of our new favourite descender/hauling device. The Harken Clutch is the device that everyone wants to get in the kit bag. We also have the easiest competition ever in this weeks episode, so check it out. www.rattac.net
Marcus Raby chats about The TACS survey.
November 30, 2020 22:00 - 58 minutes - 40.5 MBThis week we catch up with Marcus Raby, we get to hear how he got into rope access and where it has taken him, watching London be lit up from the moonlight while working night shift and his first offshore project. We also chat about the TACs survey on what should and shouldn't be in the IRATA assessments. You will need a cup of Yorkshire tea for this one.
5 features of the 3D and Thor harnesses
November 23, 2020 22:00 - 7 minutes - 5.43 MBThis week we have a look at the Singing rock and Ocun harnesses, Long gone are the days where you only had 1 or 2 options for a harness. We take a closer look at our 2 favourite harnesses and 5 features of both. https://www.5thpoint.com.au/product/singing-rock-expert-3d-speed/ https://www.5thpoint.com.au/product/ocun-thor-access-4q/
Brecon Holroyd chat
November 16, 2020 22:00 - 31 minutes - 21.4 MBTime for a chat with Brecon, how does an ex Commando find out about rope access? Brecon has been in the rope access industry for over 30 years starting with a Q number, now with an extensive Global career. Don't forget to follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RopeAccessTTAC/ Follow us on your favourite podcast platform. https://open.spotify.com/show/0SO23cDT4WbmgAM8j8aemX
5 features of a Petzl Grillon
November 09, 2020 22:00 - 7 minutes - 5.01 MBMore products under the spot light with our 5 features series, This week we are back with Petal and the Grillon. I have always been a big fan of the Gillion, back in the 90's before Petal had even made one, i had to take a gri gri and a length of rope to make one.
Paul Bingham, Chatting about making the IRATA safety videos.
November 02, 2020 13:00 - 1 hour - 42.2 MBThis week we sit down with Paul Bingham, the brains behind the IRATA safety videos, he walks us through how it went from an idea to the videos we get to share with old and new technicians. He also explains how you could skip level 1, 2 and 3 and go straight to Assessor. here are the links to the videos if you want to take a look. https://irata.org/media/videos/safety-awareness-video-edge-and-rope-management https://irata.org/media/videos/safety-awareness-video-management-and-safety-culture
5 features of a Skylotec Sirius
October 26, 2020 22:00 - 8 minutes - 5.99 MBThis week we are back to our 5 features series, its time to get serious with the Sirius. See if you can work out which feature i showed to Skylotec last week that they didn't know about. Let us know on our facebook page which one you think it is.
Alan Forrest chat, why was he asked if he needed a 3rd rope?
October 19, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 47.9 MBThis week we have the great pleasure of chatting to Alan Forrest. It has been estimated that Alan has helped over 25% of IRATA member companies achieve membership status. Have a listen to how a young man of 18 could turn a summer job into a lifelong career and travel the World. Want to share your story? drop us a line at :- www.rattac.net
5 features of a Petzl ID
October 12, 2020 22:00 - 8 minutes - 6.04 MBThis week we start a new batch of episodes on 5 features of products we know and love, starting off with the Petzl ID, some of these features you may know or they might be a surprise to you that you didn't know. let us know if we missed any cool features that you like, drop us a line at www.rattac.net
Sandy Allan, IRATA number 3
October 05, 2020 22:00 - 51 minutes - 35.2 MBEver wondered how the 3 levels of the IRATA training syllabus came about? I guess if you have a chat with Sandy Allan, IRATA number 003, you would hope he would shed some light on the back story. Having started rope access back in the early 80's Sandy has a tale to tell, you may need a cup of tea or a dram for this one.
Double Protection and Rigging Plates.
September 28, 2020 23:00 - 11 minutes - 7.85 MBThe topic of rigging plates and double protection seems to be at the top of the list of hot topics at the moment, We thought we would take the time to explain the back story on the IRATA statement on double protection. We would love to hear your thoughts on this topic, please contact us at www.rattac.net
A Chat with Jaime Wood
September 21, 2020 23:00 - 35 minutes - 24.8 MBThis week I had the pleasure of sitting down with my dear friend Jaime Wood, our journey together started long before we knew what rope access even was. Jaime has taken a rope access ticket and traveled and worked in places many of us would say 'i'm all good thanks" too. He has returned to the passion for educating he had before he started rope access, through training and Assessing. Have a listen and see how a boy from the West country can end up in some amazing places after doing a 1 week...
Gear bags.
September 14, 2020 23:00 - 11 minutes - 8.2 MBThis week we are going to chat about some of the different types of bags we have used for transporting gear to site and using on the job. Big news this week, we have set up a webpage to make it easier for you to chat to us and we can get information out to you. have a look and let us know what you think. www.rattac.net If you are interested here are links to the bags we chatted about here are some links; Black Diamond 35l https://www.5thpoint.com.au/product/black-diamond-stubby/ Black Dia...
Sarah Hyland Rope Access in Sydney
September 07, 2020 23:00 - 37 minutes - 25.8 MBTime for a chat with a Sydneysider rope tech, Sarah worked in Sydney through the 2000 Sydney Olympic building boom when rope access was just becoming established in Australia, She chats about what she learnt from some great supervisors and how that has shaped how she works today.
Jackie Dodd chatting about NDT offshore as a Female
August 31, 2020 23:00 - 38 minutes - 26.5 MBJackie Dodd is a long time serving level 2 who has worked in the North Sea, Norway and Australia, she is also a NDT expert and legend. If you want to know what its like being the only female on a 150 person oil platform, have a listen. We also find out why Jackie realised she needed to become an Level 3 as the industry changed and she didn't like what she was seeing.
Applications open for IRATA Assessors!!
August 24, 2020 23:00 - 8 minutes - 5.66 MBIRATA have sent out a request for applicants who wish to become an Assessor under the IRATA banner to put an application in. We let you know where they are looking at appointing new Assessors and the requirements you need to meet. Good luck to anyone who is applying.