Membership Requirements

Minimum requirements to apply for Operator and/or Trainer membership:

• You must be an incorporated entity (a registered company).
• You will need to have documented rope access operating and / or training procedures.
• You must employ a current or expired IRATA qualified level 3 technician, who will be nominated as your Technical Authority.

IRATA members are required to:

• Comply with the IRATA International Code of Practice (ICOP) for industrial rope access and the IRATA Training, Assessment and Certification Scheme (TACS)
• Abide by the IRATA Bye-Laws and the Articles of Association.
• Ensure compliance to the IRATA Membership Requirements [QP-300ENG] by completing an internal audit which covers the full scope of the membership requirements, undertaken annually as a minimum.
• Ensure all rope access technicians employed or sub contracted by the organisation are IRATA qualified.
• Ensure that all rope access operations are supervised by a level 3 rope access technician and that all rope access personnel hold current IRATA qualifications (including first aid for level 3 rope access technicians).
• Ensure that all rope access operations are carried out under their IRATA rope access procedures and controls.
• Have an operational and/or training centre that meets the requirements of the ICOP and the Training, Assessment and Certification Scheme (TACS).
• Employ a Technical Authority and a Rope Access Manager.
• Appoint a Training Officer in the case of trainer member companies.
• Be subject to audit in accordance with the membership audit cycle.

Associate Members will be required to:

• Abide by the Associate Membership Terms and Conditions, the Articles of Association, Bye-Laws, ICOP and TACS where applicable.

Principle Documents

You will be required to demonstrate compliance to the IRATA core practice methods and requirements documented in the following publications.

International Code of Practice (ICOP)

The ICOP gives information on the use of IRATA International rope access methods, including training, to provide a safe system of work. Companies are required to comply with this document.

Training, Assessment and Certification Scheme (TACS)

This document details the requirements for:

• The levels of certification for new and existing IRATA rope access technicians, and explains the training syllabuses and assessment criteria required to attain and revalidate them
• Guidance for candidates, including pre-training requirements and topics covered
• Requirements and guidance for IRATA trainer member companies
• Requirements and guidance for IRATA International Instructors
• Requirements and guidance for IRATA International Assessors, including the evaluation process
• The scheme does not provide operating or training procedures; these are drawn up for the specific task by member companies and in line with the IRATA ICOP. The ICOP also includes more information on the applicability of IRATA rope access qualifications in the workplace.