The Importance of Diverse Experience

Once you have 1000 hours of rope access work logged, you are allowed to upgrade to a higher certification level.  But, this may not always be a good idea.   It's possible that you may not be ready for an upgrade, even with 1000 hours of experience under your belt, and here's why: lack of diversity in experience.

You may not have been exposed to many different rope access scenarios in the jobs you have been working. It could be that your job requires you to perform the same maneuvers over and over and that the setting doesn't change much.

When you attempt to upgrade to level 2, you must be proficient in all of the Level 1 maneuvers. If you haven't had the chance to practice these maneuvers in your current position, you will likely not be successful in demonstrating your expertise in them. Additionally, it is highly unlikely that you will be able to master the more complex Level 2 maneuvers. 

If you are concerned that you may be one of these rope access technicians lacking in diverse experience, never fear!  Help is available. There are several things you can do to prepare yourself for the upgrade.

First of all, you can seek out supervisors who can mentor you on maneuvers that need practice. Secondly, you can take a refresher course at a rope access training facility. It's likely that there will be a cost associated with this, but it will be less expensive and time consuming than failing your Level 2 course, and being required to do a reassessment. At Pacific Ropes we have a free refresher day for technicians wishing to upgrade. This is based on availability, so sign up as soon as possible. 

Another useful tool for practice is our YouTube channel.  We have recorded most of our Level 1 rescues and  maneuvers and uploaded them to YouTube.

If you are thinking of upgrading and are unsure if you're prepared, please don't hesitate to contact us!  We will help you to decide the best course of action for maximizing your chances of a successful upgrade. Register for a refresher course, or if you're feeling ready for your upgrade session!