Sponsored by Turner Industries
Industrial facilities face a persistent challenge: how to safely and cost-effectively maintain, inspect and repair equipment in hard-to-reach locations. Traditional methods like scaffolding or heavy machinery can be time-consuming, costly and disruptive to operations.
Enter rope access services — an innovative solution that’s changing how facilities approach maintenance, inspections and repairs in challenging environments. Rope access is a specialized method that uses ropes and precision equipment to reach difficult locations without traditional access infrastructure.
Turner Specialty Services (TSS) has taken the basic advantages of rope access and elevated them further, cross-training already skilled craftspeople — welders, pipefitters, ironworkers, etc. — as certified rope access technicians. This dual capability creates a powerful combination of specialized access skills with expert trade knowledge.
Accessing the inaccessible
Rope access offers many benefits that extend beyond simply reaching elevated or confined spaces:
- Cost savings that add up: By significantly reducing the need for extensive scaffolding or heavy lift equipment, rope access minimizes associated costs and production downtime. At one facility alone, TSS helped a client save over $7 million through its rope access services.
- Safety advantages beyond compare: With a lower risk profile compared to traditional access methods, reduced workplace congestion and a minimal equipment footprint, rope access enhances overall safety. The TSS rope access team has logged over 2 million workhours since its inception.
- Versatility that opens new possibilities: Rope access excels in accessing complex structures and confined spaces across different industries, including petrochemical, power generation, LNG and pulp and paper. Its adaptability also applies to severe weather conditions.
Creating opportunity out of obstacles
TSS’ rope access group is the largest and most experienced on the Gulf Coast. Their craft-certified rope access technicians offer a vast array of mechanical capabilities, including pipefitting, boilermaking, welding, ironwork, electrical and instrumentation installations, valve maintenance, rigging and more.
Beyond mechanical tasks, they also provide complete inspection services, from advanced NDE and CUI program management to ultrasonic thickness testing and API/AWS inspections.
TSS’ expertise is demonstrated by a portfolio of successful projects:
- Complex demolition & repair: At a Texas chemical plant, TSS completed heavy mechanical work, including demolishing 200 feet of steam line and conducting external inspections and welding repairs, all without incident.
- Emergency infrastructure repair: A four-person TSS rope access team performed a temporary repair on a massive storage dome, installing over 500 concrete anchors to prevent further damage from high winds.
- Large-scale construction support: During the construction of a new polyethylene plant, a team of 22 multi-crafted TSS rope access technicians completed 100,000 work hours with zero recordables, performing fabrication, structural installations and cable tray work.
- Specialized remediation: At a Louisiana polyurethane facility, TSS rope access technicians safely removed over 100,000 pounds of deteriorating fireproofing material from structures in an active process unit.
Reaching new heights together
As industries continue to seek more efficient and safer ways to maintain their facilities, TSS’ rope access services offer a solution that combines cost savings, safety and quality. For more information on Turner Specialty Services’ rope access capabilities, visit turner-industries.com/services/tss-rope-access.
