29 September 2011

Safety training for work at height

Leading height safety consultancy and training provider, Height Wise, officially opened its upgraded training academy in Midrand, Gauteng in June. The academy offers essential safety training for workers whose work involves them in operations more than two metres above the ground.

Height Wise is a subsidiary of Skyriders, a market leader in the provision of expert rope access aided inspection, non-destructive testing (NDT) and high-elevation safety solutions. Skyriders boasts a zero-fatality record throughout its 22-year history. 

Height Wise director Penny Fabricius says that the academy has invested in new infrastructure and equipment at its Midrand training facility, which specialises in fall arrest and rope access training. The new facility is designed to provide a simulated work-at-height environment for clients that do not have on-site training facilities available. 

The academy was first established in 2007 to assist companies to become compliant with the work-at-height laws that form part of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) of 1993 . 

“To date Height Wise has trained more than 1 200 people from various industries, including the mining, telecommunications and energy sectors in Africa, in the basic principles of fall arrest systems, which are all compliant with the Institute for Work at Height (IWH) and National Qualifications Framework (NQF) standards,” says Fabricius. 

Height Wise Academy offers two fall arrest training courses, at Level 1 and Level 2, as well as the more comprehensive rope access training courses which cover three progressive levels of training. 

Fabricius notes that rope access training is complex and the OHSA states that only persons 18 years and older, who are medically and psychologically fit, can qualify for the intensive training. “Trainees who meet the criteria are provided with world class training at the academy, from expert rope access technicians employed by Skyriders who have extensive experience in various industries across Africa.” 

In addition to providing dedicated training at its academy, Height Wise provides training on-site for its clients. “On-site training is more cost-effective for the client and, more importantly, it provides trainees with a hands-on approach to learning essential safety skills in a real-life environment,” says Fabricius.