Pharaohs Ants - The Basic Facts

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?

• 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'

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.

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/

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.

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.

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.