It was encouraging to see the following quote on this site recently - 'Getting your Irata ticket is the best way to go as it opens up a whole wider work spectrum for you.' We wholeheartedly agree, of course, and this 'wider spectrum' can be seen in recent new member applications which, in addition to those from the UK and established overseas sectors, have included approaches from Bulgaria, Denmark, the UAE and Turkey.
This shows that there are even fewer regions of the world where rope access is not being practised and the IRATA ticket not accepted. The IRATA standards of training,working methods and safety- first culture continues to blaze its trail and is enjoying its responsible development of safe rope access around the world.
We hope to see many of the Rigg Access site users at our AGM and the Lyon Symposium being held in Cumbria in September. The Lyon event has many fans and entrance is by ticket only so contact Lyon Equipment
(
http://www.lyon.co.uk/workandrescue/showitem.asp?Id=313)
if you do not have your ticket yet.
You can find other details of the September meetings on the new IRATA Diary that features on the front page of our website -
www.irata.org This is one of several new features we shall be introducing to the site over the coming months so please be sure to access it regularly to pick up these changes.
IRATA continues to play its role on the many Committees that drive through regulations, recommendations and events that benefit our industry worldwide and the Association is constantly alarmed by the number of 'secondary service' providers or 'middlemen' who look to offer advisory services and certification 'on the cheap' or, more correctly, on the 'expensive' when the final bills are added up. Such operations offer no more, and regularly much less, knowledge and service back-up than an IRATA member company.
We have recently seen documents from a European company offering a national standard which is clearly based on the IRATA Guidelines yet abbreviated to one-side on an A4 sheet! This prejudices the industry's reputation and undervalues the high level of ability achieved by IRATA-trained technicians. We would be pleased to hear of any documents circulating from advisory companies, dubious standards authorities, consultancies and the like that, which in your view, do damage to high-quality rope access work of the type IRATA seeks to employ.
