Rigging, Lifting & Steel Erection Support
Steel erection and lifting work is won or lost at the connections: access to pick points, tight bolt-up zones, awkward geometry, and high-consequence interfaces where delays quickly become downtime. We provide rope access support to rigging, lifting and steel erection activities, giving safe, efficient access to high-level work positions while keeping the footprint tight and disruption low. Rope access is delivered as a planned system of work, with rescue and supervision built in.
Rope Access support for high-level lifting interfaces and bolt-up work
We provide rope access support to steel and crane teams for the awkward “last 10%” tasks that slow progress — connections, bracketry, walkways, cable routes and temporary works at height. Typical support includes guiding and securing loads, minor fit-up and adjustments, installing restraints, and checking/torquing fixings where access is restricted. The result is smoother lifts, safer handovers and fewer delays waiting on access equipment.
Lifting operations and steel erection demand control: competent planning, clear supervision, and disciplined execution. Our role is to support your appointed lifting team and steelwork contractors by solving the access problem at height—reaching connection points, preparing interfaces, and working methodically through the stages that make lifts and erection progress smoothly.
Rope access is particularly effective where MEWPs or scaffold would be slow, where work fronts move frequently, or where the job is concentrated on specific high-level details rather than full elevation coverage. We can support pre-lift preparation (access to shackles, slings, beam connections and landing points), bolt-up assistance at height, removal of temporary items once a frame is secured, and close visual checks of fixings and interfaces during close-out. Throughout, work is coordinated around exclusion zones, dropped-object controls, permit requirements and SIMOPS so the lift area remains calm and controlled.
All rope access is planned and supervised in line with IRATA good practice and the IRATA ICOP approach, including two-rope protection and a credible rescue plan for the structure and worksite.
Typical tasks
- AAccess to high-level connection points for steel erection and structural modifications
- Bolt-up assistance, alignment support and secondary fixing works at height (as scoped)
- Pre-lift and post-lift access to pick points, landing points and interface zones
- Tag line management support and snag clearance around lifts (under site controls)
- Installation/removal support of temporary items (brackets, guides, minor secondary steel)
- Inspection access during erection: connections, fixings, guards and handrails
- Photo-backed close-out notes: what was accessed, what was completed, what remains
Assets & locations
- Steel frames, gantries, towers, platforms and stair structures
- Pipe racks, access bridges and high-level service corridors
- Roof steel, plant supports and awkward internal bays
- Port/yard structures and industrial sites with restricted laydown space
- Shutdown/turnaround environments with multiple workfronts and permits
- Congested zones where scaffold/MEWPs are impractical or disruptive
Planning, permits & safety
Lifting operations must be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out safely. We integrate our rope access support with your lift plans and permit controls, keeping exclusion zones practical, communications clear, and dropped-object controls disciplined around live work areas. Rope access is delivered as a complete system under IRATA good practice (two-rope protection and rescue planning), with set-ups adjusted as the workfront moves so the method remains workable and defensible throughout the programme.
Arrange rigging and lifting support
If you have steel erection or lifting activities where access to connection points is driving programme risk, we can support with rope access planned around your lift strategy and site controls. Provide the scope, structure type, working heights, interfaces (lifting/hot work/SIMOPS), and programme window — and we’ll propose a practical access and sequencing approach that helps the job run cleanly.