Safety Award

2001 SAFETY AWARD FOR "ROPE ACCESS" SYSTEM PRESENTED BY THE SAFETY COMMITTEE of the GREATER NEW YORK CONSTRUCTION USER COUNCIL FOR THE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT IN BROOKLYN NY

The Rope Access Demonstration project sponsored by Pierce Engineers was the recipient of the Greater New York Construction User Council (GNYCUC) 2001 Safety Award. The ceremony took place on November 20, 2001 at the Construction Industry Partnership's Safety Conference and Awards Luncheon.

The 2001 SAFETY AWARD program is co-sponsored by The Building Trades Employer's Association, the Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York and McGraw Hill's publication, "New York Construction News."

The presenter of the award was Mary Ellen Sacchetti, GNYCUC's Safety Committee Chair who is the Corporate Director for Safety at Plaza Construction Corp. Ms. Sacchetti said that "The prize was for introducing Rope Access, a safe and cost effective inspection and work positioning system, to New York City engineers, architects, contractors and governmental officials.

Mr. Ira N. Pierce, P.E., Project Director for the Demonstration said, "the system was demonstrated in Brooklyn NY on May 9th 2001, with follow-up trials thereafter at other sites in New York City, following demo approval by the New York City Department of Building (DOB)."

Mr. Pierce dedicated the award to the memory of NY City Fire Department Chief of Special Services Ray Downey. He added, "Mr. Downey, who perished in the World Trade Center disaster, participated in the aforementioned May 9th demonstration and was enthusiastic about the potential of the "Rope Access" system for safe rescue as well as for "self rescue" purposes,"

Mr. Gordon Bisset, a former International Vice President of IRATA and Project Director for the Demonstration added that, "Rope Access is an industrial system using redundant ropes and associated equipment that is specially designed for safe, flexible climbing, descending, horizontal movements and for rescue."

"It allows trained personnel the freedom to move around easily in three dimensions, and to perform closeup hands-on inspections as well as for work positioning for certain construction and maintenance functions," he said.

Mr. Bisset added that, "Rope access has been utilized in the U.K. for more than ten years, both onshore and offshore (on North Sea oil platforms) where these techniques are accepted as a mainstream method of access." He said that, " Tough equipment and training standards have been adopted by the International Rope Access Trade Association and with exhaustive testing performed and systems certified by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE, U.K.'s OSHA). "

"Exhaustive testing of Rope Access equipment was undertaken by the HSE earlier this year; but additional testing was required by the City's DOB and was completed recently, under our direction," Mr. Bisset said.

The May 9th Rope Access demonstration was presented as part of an actual façade inspection program performed under New York City Local Law 11 of 1998; except that the efficiencies of rope access enabled the engineers to perform close-up inspection on all facades of the structure.

Mr. Pierce said, "Under New York City's Local Law 11 of 1998, the minimum requirement for close-up inspection is to perform it from a single scaffold drop from the lowest set-back to the street, no matter how large the structure." He added that, "The remainder of the inspection typically is performed with binoculars from a distance."

Mr. Pierce added that "Permitted distance inspections can fail to identify properly unsafe conditions that do become apparent when viewed, touched and/or sounded utilizing requisite close-up inspection techniques." "Thus," he said. "the American Society of Testing Materials, ASTM, is preparing draft standards that would require minimum periodic close-up façade inspections that are several times more than NYC DOB's single drop, but less than Chicago's mandated 100% "critical examination." Thus, Chicago's revised building code says the following, "Critical examination" shall mean a close-up (i.e., hands-on") visual examination of the condition of the entire area of all elevations of the exterior walls and enclosure." Mr. Pierce added that "Rope access also is being readied for use by our bridge inspection personnel, working in small multi- discipline teams, offering the same double advantage; namely, a safe, cost effective approach to accessing the worksite while carrying out the inspections.