An Arizona-based tower safety and training company, Tower Safety & Instruction (T.S.I.) owned and operated by Kathy Gill, received its SPRAT certification for teaching safe practices for rope access work.
Gill’s class last week gave five students their independent evaluation for certification in rope access techniques following a four-day course at her Phoenix facility. The Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians (SPRAT) is a member-driven organization that advances the safe use of rope access through education, standards development, and certification administration.
“We’ve joined an elite group offering SPRAT certification,” Gill told Inside Towers. “The Phoenix Bomb Squad, DPS Aerial Rescue, Phoenix Fire Department, and MasTec Network Solutions, all have similar programs for their personnel. It’s an important skill that builds confidence by understanding a two-rope system,” Gill said.
“Rope access, by definition, is a means of access by descending or ascending a main line while the worker is protected by a safety line. The tools and techniques differ greatly from traditional ‘controlled descent’ used throughout the industry,” she added.
The four-day training course is followed by a physical and written test provided by a third-party examiner. Gill said having learned how to apply SPRAT standards and techniques gives her students, using the latest Petzl-brand gear, the knowledge to be safer and more efficient riggers by understanding how ropes, knots, anchorages can work for the tower industry. “Thank you, AHS Rescue, Petzl, AZ Public Safety, and MasTec for making education and safety #1!” Gill said.
March 4, 2019
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