Advantages of Rope Access

CAN was responsible for the introduction of rope access to the offshore industry in 1986 and were founding members of the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA) as a result of an initiative by a number of leading companies involved in industrial rope access techniques, to provide a safe working environment for industry. Rope access is not CAN’s core business today, but instead a method of access to perform an inspection, engineering or maintenance task.

CAN currently provide inspection and rope access services to a wide variety of clients at various offshore and onshore locations. CAN (Offshore) hold a number of term contracts both in the UK and internationally including inspection and rope access contracts with: ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil North Sea, Talisman Energy, Shell, ChevronTexaco, Canadian Natural Resources, British Gas and Hydrocarbon Resources Limited, amongst others.

The advantages of rope access are unlimited:

  • Access provision can be a significant proportion of any project’s costs. Rope Access techniques can replace traditional solutions and offer clients significant savings.
  • Single point of contact for the client – as CAN provide both access and contracting.
  • Rope systems are quick to install and dismantle. By removing operational and time constraints, rope access services are often able to extend the ‘time window’ available to undertake work.
  • Rope access offers better flexibility for rescheduling thereby exploiting favourable weather conditions.
  • Rope access is statistically safer than scaffolding and uses fewer men. Ropes can be removed from site at the end of each shift – this is a particular benefit for works on, for example, high rise building and sports stadia where there is the potential for vandalism.
  • The versatility of rope access services permits a more flexible and comprehensive ‘point and shoot’ service on, for example, inspection programmes. The Inspection Manager is no longer constrained to areas that can be easily reached by conventional means.
  • Rope systems are unobtrusive. This is a benefit forclients who own historic properties and wish to retain the visual integrity of the structure during inspection or maintenance works.
  • By minimising disruption at ground level, rope access often allows other trades to continue working when compared with the disruption caused by scaffolding.
  • By avoiding loading a project with high initial costs, rope access may allow work to proceed earlier thereby minimising structural damage.

For more information about Rope Access Support Solutions click here

In addition to specialist rope access techniques, CAN offer a range of unique specialist access solutions which further complement and enhance standard rope access techniques. For more information about our Specialist Access solutions click here






The CAN Group offices at: Aberdeen, Falkirk, Chesterfield, London UK; Stavanger, Norway; Abu Dhabi, U.A.E; New Orleans, New Jersey, Houston, USA; Baku, Azerbaijan; Luanda, Angola.