Rope Access Industry Statistics
Rope Access as an employment category, vocation or industry grouping is a modern phenomenon.
Prior to the late 1980’s rope access was described solely as abseiling and was generally regarded as a recreational activity.
In the early 1990’s things changed dramatically as the work environment evolved. The oil and gas industry had a particular need for trained work positioning professionals hence the advent of Irata International.
The graph at right which shows the number of certified Irata member companies demonstrates the spectacular growth of the major international trade association. In the last 30 years Irata International has trained more than 150,000 technicians.
In Australia the growth mirrored the international trends. In the same period the numbers have increased from 1 to over 40 Irata member companies employing over 1,500 trained technicians which represents approximately 20% of the sector.
However, 80% of the Australian rope access companies and rope access technicians are operating outside of the Irata system.
Given that rope access is not an Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS, recognized employment category then who are Rope Access Technicians and what do they do? There is very little statistical information available other than the records maintained by Irata companies which tend to deal with training numbers, employment levels and safety.
An Industry Survey and Study Results
In 2017 the University of Lyon (France) undertook a study of 478 rope access workers.
Whilst the study concentrated on health and injury levels of rope access technicians it also provides a useful insight into the sociology and demography of the rope access industry.
The study is available in full at the following link.
https://www.petzl.com/fondation/Rapport-blessures-cordistes_EN-web.pdf?v=1
Snapshots of the Rope Access industry
What prompts a rope access technician to enter the profession?
The main motivations of rope access technicians centre on the fact that they work outdoors (91% of workers), perform a job that is unusual (88%), enjoy the physical exercise (81%), and are autonomous and independent (78%). Also cited are the idea of rising to a challenge and surpassing oneself (65%), and the lucrative nature
Keeping fit and (excessive) physical exertion
As anticipated, rope access technicians are generally experienced sports enthusiasts. We have already mentioned that their bodies are relatively athletic. We will now identify the sports in which they partake. 81% regularly take part in sport (more than one hour per week), while just 10% state that they do no sport at all. The proportion who regularly enjoy sport is much higher than average, given that just 46.7% of the population participate at least once a week.
Age
Where they work and What they do
Only 10% of rope access technicians always perform the same work.
In the urban environment this applies to those specialising in construction or in the removal of loose material from cliff faces or buildings. While this type of work is frequently performed by 47% of rope access technicians, they are also often involved in masonry (41%), painting (36%), window cleaning (14%), building cleaning (14%) or net installation (23%). This demonstrates the versatility of these individuals. Some activities are more exclusive: for instance, 95% never hang high-voltage transmission lines, 91% never erect mobile phone masts and 79% never assemble event structures.
Technicians working in the Oil Gas and Mining sectors were not surveyed.
