Safety
Work at height, written down before it starts
Your building's drop plan covers the anchors, the access, the wind limit and the rescue, before a technician goes over the edge. This page is what it contains and what stops us.
On every drop
Two lines on every rope drop, each on its own anchor
A rescue plan written for your roof, not a generic one
Gear inspected and logged before every shift
A wind limit set for your building and posted
Fall protection for anyone near the roof edge
The drop plan
What the drop plan holds
One document per building, signed by the safety director and read with your manager before the first drop.
Roof survey and anchors
Where the anchors are, who rates them and the date of the last inspection.
Access method
Rope, platform or lift, and why the plan chose it.
Drop map
Which bays on which days, in the order they will be worked.
Wind and weather limits
The wind reading that stops work at your height, and the lightning rule.
Rescue plan
Who does what, with what gear and how a technician is brought down from any point of the face.
Public protection
The cordon, signs and spotter at street level, and the notice to residents.
Sign-off
The names of the safety director and the lead on site, and the date.
What stops us
When we stand down
These are rules, not judgment calls. Your manager gets a text the same morning.
Wind
Each building's plan sets a limit for its height. When the roof reading passes it, the ropes come off the face.
Lightning
Thunder we can hear ends the drop. We start again after the quiet period the plan states.
Rain
Light rain doesn't stop a rope drop. We don't work in a downpour or on glass we can't check.
A storm watch
When a watch is posted, ropes and gear come off your roof.
Choosing the access
Which access method, and what each one asks of the building
Our plans name the method and the reason. This is how the three compare.
| Safety question | Suspended platform | Boom lift | Rope access |
|---|---|---|---|
| What holds the technician | Suspended platformA platform on a rig, plus a harness tied to a separate point | Boom liftA platform on a lift, plus a harness tied to the platform | Rope accessTwo lines on two anchors, plus a harness |
| Who inspects what | Suspended platformThe rig's owner inspects the rig. We inspect our harnesses | Boom liftThe lift is inspected before each use | Rope accessWe inspect our own gear and the anchor |
| If something fails | Suspended platformThe tie-off takes the load, then the rescue plan starts | Boom liftThe lift lowers from the ground or from the platform | Rope accessThe second line takes the load, then the rescue plan starts |
| What the public sees | Suspended platformA cordoned strip and a notice | Boom liftA lift, cones and a spotter | Rope accessA cordoned strip and a notice |
Insurance and training
The paper behind the plan
A certificate of insurance goes to your manager or lender on request, before the first drop. Say which limits your building needs and we will tell you whether we carry them.
Insurance
General liability insurance, $2M per occurrence, $4M aggregate
Covers damage to your building and to people nearby while we work. A certificate goes to your manager or lender on request, before the first drop.
Workers' compensation insurance
Covers our technicians on your property. The certificate comes with the general liability one.
Training
Rope-access level · Named for each technician in the drop plan
Fall protection and rescue · Practiced on the roof and recorded in the building file
Questions about work at height
Do your technicians work alone?
No. A technician is always on the roof at the anchors, or paired on the face. The plan names who is topside.
What happens if a technician is hurt on the face?
The rescue plan starts at once. It names who brings the technician down, with what gear, and who calls 911 and your building contact.
Who rates the roof anchors?
The plan lists each anchor, who rated it and when it was last inspected. If a building has none, we say so and propose another method.
Can you work on a building with no anchors or davits?
Sometimes, from a lift or a pole. If neither reaches the glass, we tell you before the bid and recommend a rig or an anchor survey.
Do residents have to leave their units?
No. Notices say which floors on which days, and balcony doors stay closed while a technician is outside.
Want to read a drop plan for your building?
Send the address and the number of floors. We'll draw up the plan after a roof visit and share it before any bid is agreed.