According to Grako, a UAE-based solutions and services provider for cleaning at heights, one of the most challenging aspects in the region’s high-level cleaning is calling for solutions when the building structure does not provide the required support for rope access. Alain S. El-Tawil, Grako’s head of sales and marketing, says that most of the developers and architects do not take into consideration how some buildings would be accessed at heights in future. He therefore recommends that “points for access at heights need to be considered right from the conceptualization stages of projects, in order for cleaners and maintenance specialists to incorporate various access systems into the building.”
Talking about the operational challenges that are associated with cleaning and maintenance at heights, Alain further notes that every high level cleaning project is a challenge, since every building is constructed based on different architectural plans. “Different buildings come with different surfaces like glass facades, etc, and accessing them at heights poses challenges. We are therefore faced with a hurdle to provide for and coordinate all the different access techniques in order the give the clients better value for money,” he said.
He added: “I think the Municipality and the concerned authorities should devise an approval system for buildings on which the access points are clearly installed. I have seen so many buildings without cradles and BMUs, therefore very few plausible means can be used to access heights.”
The risks and challenges that are involved in executing cleaning and maintenance projects at record heights are the cornerstone for Grako’s opportunities in the industry. Grako therefore plays a complimentary role in the cleaning and FM industry, by offering its high-access solutions in areas where others cannot reach. The company offers its services to property landlords, developers and facilities management providers; while also “taking business from other cleaning companies.”
“The professionalism and equipment that is required to access and clean tall structures call for high capital investment, making it hard for an average cleaning contractor to invest in them. We therefore stand here to offer such services, in case a cleaning company might need them. Our workers are IRATA certified, professional and experienced, who go through a very long training process. They also undergo in-house training, after which we bring in someone from a third party institution to come and do the assessment and certification. They pass through a certain level of heights, in order to be certified for a particular level.”
Reflecting on the opportunities that come with these challenges, Alian said: “Cleaning companies, developers, property owners and maintenance service providers come to us because they don’t want to expose their workers in harm’s way, and cannot afford to compromise on the efficiency on the project. The market has been hit hard during the economic downturn, but even during such difficult economic situations, we are still getting job inquiries and contracts, and we are still recruiting more access personnel to supplement the available workforce that we have.”
Rope access: a quicker alternative for problems at heights
For more than six years, Grako has pen to paper on many high-access cleaning and maintenance projects in the Gulf, because of its ability to access buildings at any height and offering consultancy services as well. Due to the big number of opportunities that come along with access-at-heights services, Grako earmarked a separate division, Gecko Middle East, to cater to only such contracts that the company gets.
Despite the fact that the BMU systems are the commonest access at heights mechanisms in this region, compared to other access techniques, Hardev Singh, the division manager for Specialist Access Services, prefers the rope access technique as a safer and faster alternative to inaccessible problems at height. He says that BMU systems can easily breakdown, calling for high capital financing to fix them. “The BMU system requires more downtime to finish a cleaning project, since you have to send only about three cleaners at a time.”
Despite seeing many robots engineered for high-level cleaning purposes, especially in events and trade shows, Hardev concedes never to have seen such a robot at work in this region. Comparing robots to the traditionally available systems, Hardev says: “For instance, the cradle system is made of steel and metal and it is supposed to last for years. But putting this region’s environment into account, cradles in this region have a shorter life span. I therefore think that from a capital investment viewpoint, high level cleaning robots may not suit well in this region.
Industrial rope access is therefore gaining momentum in the Middle East, and is becoming a much sought after alternative, for it minimizes disruption at ground level and allows for the normal building operations to smoothly continue, even during the cleaning and maintenance operations. Its proven ability to limit shutdowns and downtimes in cases of emergencies or routine maintenance procedures; clearly highlights it as a better choice for high level cleaning and maintenance; as compared to scaffolding, robots, cradles or mobile elevated platforms.
Industrial rope access involves a specialist using two ropes - a working rope and a back-up safety rope. Each rope has a separate anchorage point, which, in the unlikely event of the working rope becoming damaged or unusable; the safety rope prevents a fall. The equipment used, though, is regularly inspected and well maintained.
“However, we also consider the clients’ time factor before deciding on what access technique to use. If clients are looking for cost-effective methods, we advise them to go for a BMU system. However, this can take about two weeks to finish up a building, yet rope access might only take about five days. We have processes and solutions for everybody and every budget. We also look at the property’s design, height, the access, location, building material, etc; before we decide on what high-access solution to use, in order to give our client the best and most cost-effective solution for their budget.”
Hardev recalls an incident when Gecko’s IRATA level 3 technically certified specialists were sent to work on an emergency project in Bahrain. All necessary IRATA documents, including task-specific risk assessments, method statements and rescue plans were already in place.
“Some clients wanted to change the glasses on a five year old high tower in Bahrain, and no body could do the scaffolding at that level. The glass itself was 45 kilograms. We sent our rope access specialists from here to change the glass, and within three days the job was done. Because of that we got so many jobs,” Hardev recollects.
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Etisalat FM sponsors conference during CityScape 2009
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