Sean received a call at 2am to let him know that a large sheet of metal was hanging off a skyscraper, connected only by a few corroded welds. It was his job to go where no other tradie could physically go, for Sean is an Industrial Abseiller.
Sean’s company, Vertical, is mostly based in Melbourne. It’s essentially a window cleaning business, however, on occasion Sean needs to dabble in a quite a few other trades: but hanging from a twin rope!
Vertical also incorporates in it’s work installing abseiling access equipment, anchor points for installation, in addition to testing of anchor points. They also change billboards on buildings, telecommunications work with antennas on buildings, perform inspections and maintenance, including painting and concreting.
And all those tasks certainly keep the variety in the job – such as the sheet of steel hanging from the building. Within 24 hours, Sean had to rig up an anchor point system in which the team could access the sheet, cut the metal from the building and then create a separate independent pulley system in which the steel sheet, could be lowered to the ground safely.
And just how did he get involved in such risky business? “Industrial Window cleaning is a common industry in Canada,” Sean explains. He grew up in Canada, and was a rock climber – he had some friends in the industry and he thought he’d give it a go. When he moved to Australia, he brought his know-how to the very young Australian industry.
Being affected by the weather, the job is affected by heavy rain, high wind, lightening, and heat. In the hottest times of the day, they clean the side of the building without the sun. They don’t work if its hotter than 32 degrees; besides, laughs Sean, you’ll put the water on the window, and before you squeegee it off, the water has evaporated!
Jobs can be any size – one for job could take two men a single day – or a job for five people could take three weeks.
Vertical has 17 people working full time – with up to 35 (including casual staff) when needed – who are, Sean says, hard to find.
While the majority of workers are men, females have more attention to detail.
“I think also because they are a minority, they push themselves to prove themselves to others.” Sean has two women working in his company, however says that if employers have a choice between choosing a male or a female – they’ll choose a female, because they’re better workers. “Some women think it’s an industry of just men – but that’s just not true.”
What personal qualities are needed for the job?
Not be afraid of heights, and being fit, as this is a physically challenging job. To be physically flexible, as you need to use your arms and legs to pull you around. You need to like working outdoors – including in the wind and the rain. You need to have a good attitude toward work, create quality work and do a good job the first time round. You need to be aware of OH and S, follow instructions and work with people – as abseiling teams are in at least pairs, if not more.
The best part of the job?The best part of the job is the independence to do the work that needs to be done. There is the freedom to finish early if your work is done, or you can take a day off if you want.
The challenges of the job?The challenging part of the work is when you get an odd-shaped building: such as when you have a building which is bigger at the top, then gets smaller. It creates overhangs, which are hard to negotiate. Sculptures are also very awkward to work around. With overhangs, you would need to re-rig the support. When the building is damaged, you need to think outside the box in order to work out how you are going to access the area.
Greatest achievement within the work?Sean is proud to have worked on the world’s tallest structure, the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada – but he also sees the value of the simple things - such as being efficient and rigorous with his safety procedures. “You could have saved lives in the work you’ve done today – such as with the metal hanging from the building.”
