Sunday 23 February 2014
Monday 10 February 2014
Worlds Coolest Exterminator
Lets be honest, being seen as the Worlds Coolest Exterminator is perhaps not an ambition shared by many and therefore only achieved by few, if any...but could that be what makes it special?
So what could be needed to achieve the rare heights of Worlds Coolest Exterminator?
So what could be needed to achieve the rare heights of Worlds Coolest Exterminator?
- Work in very cold places? - (Mice have been known to live in industrial fridges)
- Wear 'Low Rider' Combat trousers, exposing the freshly ironed Calvins, and have your safety boots tied with different colour bootlaces?
- Show no fear in the face of 'creepy crawly landing on the head' type adversary? - Brush them off casually as if no never-mind even though inside you are cringing at the thought of possible Intra-shirt intrusion.
Perhaps to achieve Worlds Coolest Exterminator, you need to be all the above, or perhaps (dare I say it) none of these......
How about keeping it simple and provide professional service with a smile and a cheery word for all you see on a daily basis - (And I don't mean, 'Hey there, hows your bugs these days?'...could be taken badly.).
What do you think should be done to earn the coveted title: 'Worlds Coolest Exterminator'
Wednesday 4 December 2013
Industrial rope access abseil - It really is safe as houses!
Many people we deal with are a bit apprehensive at the
thought of people hanging on ropes on the outside of their buildings...'What
if they drop something?' 'Will they
damage my building?' and the biggy - 'Won't they fall?? They must be mad doing
that!'
I've put this short article together to outline just how
safe rope access is when carried out by properly trained rope
access operators.
The History
Industrial rope access (commonly referred to as abseil) has its roots in pot holing and
climbing sporting activities.
After development of more modern equipment in the 1970's, its use in the workplace was introduced however
it wasn't until around 20 years ago, after
the introduction of formal training and safe working procedures, that Rope
Access began to be recognised as a valid work at height method.
The key benefit of rope access is its suitability for completing temporary works at
height, maybe in awkward places, quickly and with minimal disruption.
Team this with its impressively low accident/incident statistics and abseil has become recognised and accepted across a wide range of industries with tradesmen undertaking formal rope
access training to enhance their own skill-set.
The Statistics.
The International Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA) was formed
in 1989, initially to help solve off-shore height access issues. It now has
over 40,000 individual members worldwide and is the UK standard for industrial rope
access with their Code of Practice recognised by the HSE and insurers alike.
IRATA members are required to keep log books as evidence of
their 'on-rope' working hours.
Worldwide, working hours logged between 1989 - 2011 are in
excess of 38.5 million man hours. In 2010 alone, 5.2 million on-rope hours
were recorded.
Rope access operator accident/incident statistics are
currently running at less than 3 per 100,000 hours worked with one fatality
worldwide since 1989. (This sad event took place in an off-shore environment in 2011)
(Source: IRATA Safety Statistics 2011)
The Training
There are three stages of IRATA rope access competency,
Levels 1, 2 and 3.
To be awarded Level one accreditation requires:
- · Medical certificate to prove physical fitness (Can be self certified)
- · Successful completion of a five day training course with assessment.
To progress to Level 2 accreditation which covers more
advanced rigging and rope access techniques, some rescue procedures and generally proves competency
as a rope access operator, the individual needs:
- · To hold a valid Level 1 certificate
- · To Provide logged evidence of 1,000 working hours 'on-rope'
- · To undergo another five day training course with assessment
To reach the maximum Level 3, who's responsibilities include
Team leadership, rescue responsibilities, risk assessments and rigging supervision, the individual
needs:
- · To hold a valid Level 2 certificate
- · To be a qualified first aider
- · To provide logged evidence of 1,000 'on-rope' hours as a level 2 in a wide variety of environments
- · To undertake and pass a further five day course with assessment
NOTES:
- ·Each Accreditation is valid for three years before a mandatory three day long re-validation course needs to be undertaken.
- Under IRATA guidelines, a Level one must always work under supervision of a Level three. HSE guidelines also state this.
The equipment
All the training in the world means little without using the
right safety equipment, key of which are the ropes which are Static (i.e. low stretch) 'Kermantle' ropes
These ropes are in two
parts, the 'Mantle' and the 'Kern'.
The Kern are the white inner strands that give
the rope its strength. whilst the Mantle is the protective outer sheathing that
protects the Kern against abrasion.
A typical 11mm
diameter rope has a breaking strain of 34kn (over 3000kg). Karabiners and the
like used to anchor, join and divert ropes, have breaking strains of 25kn (about 2500kg)
Standard practice is two independently anchored ropes per abseiler. (Known as Working Rope and
Safety Rope)
Ropes need to be anchored securely to immovable structures or features on buildings such as main steel-work, chimney breasts, brick/concrete features or natural objects such as tree limbs.
Abseil specific safety eye bolts can be used which need to be tested and certified to a direct pull-out test of 6Kn. (Window cleaners safety eye bolts for leaning out
windows etc are usually not suitable).
Small hand tools and materials are carried on separate lanyards secured to harnesses whilst larger tools have their own ropes independent of the abseilers so falling objects is rarely a risk.
Bird proofing is only one trade that can be effectively carried out with a rope
access team.
High level snagging or repair works including window cleaning/repair/replacement,
gutter clearance, minor lead and stone repairs, roof cleaning, facade cleaning & painting and inspection works are all examples of what is easily possible by rope access operators.
Monday 25 November 2013
Pizza place shut?...How about an oven baked Tarantula instead?
Top ten insect munchies... There must be others - can you name any?
http://blogpestcontrol.com/2013/09/top-10-edible-bugs/
http://blogpestcontrol.com/2013/09/top-10-edible-bugs/
Tuesday 19 November 2013
Access gate in anti-bird net
Anti-pigeon nets keep pest birds out we know, but they can also stop maintenance staff doing their work. Zips in the net don''t always cut it and bespoke fabricated gates are usually expensive.
We were asked to include in this net on a roof in London an 'access gate that will stand regular use, without damaging the tiled roof and not cost silly money'
So we did.
We were asked to include in this net on a roof in London an 'access gate that will stand regular use, without damaging the tiled roof and not cost silly money'
So we did.
Wednesday 6 November 2013
Slightly different day today spent repairing the anti-pigeon wires on the four plinths on Trafalgar Square, including the (in)famous big blue....'male chicken...'
EBS installers are IPAF trained to operate powered access equipment and we always have a Banksman at ground level to keep the public safe and in case of machine failure.
EBS installers are IPAF trained to operate powered access equipment and we always have a Banksman at ground level to keep the public safe and in case of machine failure.
Labels:
anti-pigeon wires,
Pigeon proofing
Location:
London, UK
Monday 21 October 2013
Pigeon Proofing on the High Street
As part of the bird proofing contract on this Bank in Essex carried out October 2013, EBS arranged the council permits which included full pavement closure and management as well as hiring the truck mounted hoist for access.
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