A particularly interesting project undertaken by one of our IRATA (Industrial Rope Access Trade Association) abseil teams was the inspection and testing of the abseil anchor systems on the air traffic control tower at Heathrow Airport. They needed to be brought up to date with the required certification and technical information.
PTSG’s Access and Safety division deployed a team to the control tower at Heathrow Airport. Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) ensure lifting equipment is fit for purpose and require that any anchor points and rails are suitable for use by operatives and subject to thorough examination.
Over several visits, our operatives performed inspection and reporting and the reverse engineering of the systems to assess design loads and structural integrity. This ensured abseiling anchorages and rails were up to date and in line with statutory LOLER 1998 9 (2) compliance standards.
This work was carried out alongside the facilities management company and the insurance inspector. We have also taken on further reverse engineering projects at several sites and expect the requirement for this service to increase in the coming year.
Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in Europe, and the sixth busiest in the world. PTSG has provided services at Heathrow Airport since 2008, carrying out a variety of testing, remedial and maintenance works at Terminals 2,3,4 and 5. The Group also provides safety testing and maintenance services at many other international airports including Doha International, London Stansted and Aberdeen International, amongst others.
