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Wider adoption of ActSafe Ascenders increases safety of UK rope access workforce, says Altitec


Altitec, a leading distributor of ActSafe Ascenders, sees greater numbers of businesses investing in reducing operational costs and increasing site safety over the last 12 months.

London, Tuesday 8th January – Smart rope access businesses are increasingly making the move to using powered ascenders. New figures from Altitec show a marked increase in demand for the technology in businesses across the wind, structural maintenance and construction sectors. Up from leasing 15 ActSafe Ascenders to rope access businesses for 38 weeks in 2017, 2018 saw Altitec leasing 58 Ascenders for a total of 419 weeks. ActSafe powered ascenders can trim the time technicians spend on-site by as much as a third; the uptake in ascender leasing levels over the last 12 months indicates that companies are looking to reduce business costs and with it, technician fatigue.

Working as a personal elevator and equipment lifter that moves tools and technicians up and down rope access systems safely and at speed, power ascenders assist traditional, manual climbing methods and can be used in places where it is impossible to use a crane, scaffolding, or powered platform. Equally, the conditions that make manual climbing methods necessary can be challenging for personnel. Investing in technology that reduces the time technicians spend in these challenging conditions means that fatigue and accidents can be reduced.

Leasing figures from Altitec show no sign that the brakes are on for businesses investing in powered ascenders. The use of a powered ascender can save technicians significant amounts of time when moving and positioning themselves on the job, but the benefits don’t stop there.

“Powered ascension is transforming the way rope access maintenance, inspection and rescue procedures are conducted, saving significant amounts of both time and money, reducing fatigue and preventing accidents on site” says Claudia Gomez, Sales Manager at Altitec, the exclusive distributor for ActSafe products in the UK, Baltics, and Ireland.

Altitec’s new leasing figures provide a unique insight into how the technology is taking off for rope access businesses across multiple sectors. Businesses that invest in powered ascension can save time on rope access sites, reducing fatigue for technicians and personnel and making them less prone to injury.

About Altitec:

Altitec is an independently operated, specialist rope access blade inspection and repair business, headquartered in London, Berlin and Cape Town.

Since 2010, Altitec technicians have provided regular inspections on more than 5,000 blades and 1,500 turbines throughout the UK, South Africa, Europe and key emerging wind markets around the world.

Using ActSafe powered ascenders to aid access, the firm’s technicians provide a full range of blade inspection, repair and maintenance services. Altitec is an established provider of blade repair training for technicians through its industry certified Altitec Academy, and runs end-user and trainer training for ActSafe customers in the UK.

Altitec holds distribution rights for the Actsafe Ascender in the UK, South Africa, Baltics, and Ireland.

For more information, visit http://www.altitec.co.uk