12.10.18 38 390 32
Lots of risk, lots of money
An industrial climber is someone who cleans the windows of skyscrapers, installs advertising, works with lighting and metal structures at many meters high.
Mara Chulkina
former industrial climber
I did some of this work.
I’ll tell you how the work of the promalp works and how much you can earn with such a profession.
Who is a promalp
Industrial mountaineering, abbreviated as “promalp”, is a technology for performing work at height, where there is and will not be any support.
An industrial climber uses the usual climbing equipment: ropes and cables, a belay system, descenders, carabiners and other things necessary for safe work at height. The list of equipment and tools is standard, but the methods of using them may differ depending on where the person works and what he has to do.
8000 R
the average cost of promalp equipment
In any city, there are usually jobs that only an industrial climber can do. For example, high-rise buildings have areas with a negative overhang and complex terrain, just hard-to-reach places at high altitude. Where it is impossible to lower a person in a "cradle" or on a "scaffolding", they invite a promalpa. You can, of course, use special equipment that will lift a person to a height, but usually it costs more than hiring a team of climbers.
Work is always associated with the risk of falling or injury, so only trained people are allowed to work.
What kind of work does promalp do?
The list of works is huge. Here's an example (this is just a part).
Washing windows and walls: There are separate orders for washing the walls of a high-rise building. Sometimes it is necessary to wash stained-glass windows in business centers and office buildings, shopping galleries. Vertical glazing at the ends of industrial buildings or in the area of flights of residential buildings also needs to be cleaned sometimes.
Installation and dismantling of advertising: banners, billboards, light boxes or letters. If the advertising area is large, then the promoters have to mount it piece by piece on the wall and wash it off if it gets dirty during installation. And all this is suspended on a rope, without support.
Working with lighting: you need to install lamps, change burnt out lamps, hang light garlands, decorative and festive elements.
Cleaning and painting everything that is on top: buildings, beams, trusses, communication masts, towers, bridges, lattices and so on.
Building seam sealing: both old structures that need to be “patched up” and insulated, and new ones, where these works are carried out after the construction of the frame, require attention.
snow removal, ice and icicles from the roofs.
Welding and assembly of structures. Welding at height is the most difficult type of work for a promalp. This is necessary when it is necessary to assemble or strengthen an advertising structure, fix fire escapes or weld small parts into place.
Working on tall trees: pruning and removal of branches.
Reviewing all of the above: in what condition, how long will it stay idle, what to do to make it better.
Sometimes there are non-standard orders, for example, to paint the facade of a building or congratulate a person through a window, but this is rare.
Risks and safety rules
Quality in work is a default condition, and for a promalp, the most important thing is safety. It concerns everything: equipment, survey of the place of work, access to the roof, organization of insurance, attachment of the tool, hanging over the edge, the work itself on the descent and the assembly of all equipment. Now in order.
The equipment must be strong, intact and protect you from falling. This means that ideally, before each work, a full check should be carried out:
- Check all seams and lines on the harness.
- Go through the entire rope in order to notice in time the places of chafing, cuts or braid that has gone.
- Inspect the integrity of the details of the descenders, belay devices and carabiners.
- Check if the teeth that cling, for example, a jumar (clamp) to a rope, have worn out there.
- Check the board on which you will sit - if it has cracked, if the rope has frayed.
The place of work is also inspected before starting. This is necessary to find out how and where it will be more convenient and safer to work; where it is necessary to block access to passers-by so that something does not accidentally fall on them from above. They also always watch where people park their cars in order to warn them in time about the start of work and close this parking space.
invert Special attention you need to go to the roof in two cases: in winter, when it is slippery and there is ice, and on a sloping roof. Usually there is always a fence at the edges, but you can quickly “ride” and fly over this fence. And it happens that it hangs on a couple of bolts and can easily fly off with you. In these cases, no matter how lazy, it is important to organize insurance.
Organizing insurance is the most important thing. Life depends on it. One rope is not enough: it can break. Therefore, promalps always hang two on the descent. They go down one at a time, insure the second, and tie knots at the ends of the ropes.
The same applies to belay points - the places for which each rope is tied. There should be at least two of them, and both are reliable. Brick or concrete buildings, iron structures, air ducts, solid pipes, strong railings, stairs are suitable. In this case, the points of insurance of each rope must be independent of each other: always count that one point of insurance can fail.
Rope protectors are required. In places where the rope touches the elements of the roof - around pointed pipes, at the edge of the canopy - friction is created. Not all situations can be foreseen.
What happens to promalps 😱
Once our team was doing welding work. One drop of molten metal fell on the bituminous coating, it caught fire. For technical reasons, it was not possible to go upstairs. I had to urgently think of ways to get away.
Another time we were shoveling snow on a low building with an almost flat but slippery roof. At one point, the weight of the scraper with snow pulled the person down, his legs slid along the corrugated board, there was no fence. On the move, I had to push off from the edge of the roof in order to jump further and dive into the snowdrift. It is good that there were no solid objects in the snow.
In the summer they painted lattices on the windows of a five-story building. Part of the rope broke, so I hung on one without additional insurance. Everything else was taken care of: two points of attachment of the rope, protectors on it.
But it turned out that the visor above one of the windows protruded further than the visor of the roof itself. I moved along the wall horizontally to paint over the entire facade. Due to this horizontal friction, the rope was cut by two-thirds of its thickness. I noticed this by accident. Holding her breath and not taking her eyes off the remaining thin part of the rope, she slowly went down. I never hung on the same rope again.
Everything you work with should stay with you. If in the mountains a stone falling down can cripple several people, then in the city this danger increases. Any object that falls from a height, from a self-tapping screw to a perforator, can damage a person, a car, and a building wall. You will have to pay for property with money, but for a person you can go to jail.
All liquid to a height should be taken in moderation and in strong balanced containers. Light items - tie, pull together or put in a bag. Solid - cling to yourself with a carabiner. It is important to pay attention to containers. If a paint bucket has a weak handle, it will result not only in loss of paint, but also in a building, cars and people smeared all over the height.
Start and end of work
Hanging over the edge of the roof is perhaps one of the scariest moments in the work of the promalp. Not everyone admits this, but it is true. From a reliable standing on a hard roof, you move into a state suspended at a height of many meters. That's what the promalp checks before posting.
How the rope is tied. Under weight, it can shift from 10 centimeters to a meter to the side and spoil the comfortable position of the promalp on the wall.
How knots are tied. It is extremely rare to get really bad - after all, prepared people go out onto the roof. But the knot can "ride", that is, begin to untie, after a certain time, if it is tied erroneously or carelessly.
Where are the protectors? Under weight, the entire belay system stretches depending on how far away the belay points are. Therefore, the protectors can slide down, and the rope will be exposed on the sharp edge of the roof. It is better to tie the protection to this rope directly. There are also protectors for the roof, when it is thin and can sag at the edge. In this case, due to the displacement of the tread, the roof may be damaged, all this also leads to injuries.
Are all tools prepared? The right ones are taken, tied to a rope below, or standing so that they can be taken from the edge of the roof. For example, a bucket of water - it is inconvenient to take it with you right away. It’s good if the partner is still upstairs and is ready to give you everything forgotten, but if you work in this place alone or just pretend to be professional, then it’s better to think through everything in advance and prepare.
Each type of work has its own nuances. When washing glass, you need to take into account the movement of the sun and the direction of the wind, otherwise dirty water will splash on clean glass. Washing hot glass under the sun increases water consumption, reduces quality and turns into a game of "Hurry up to wipe before it's dry."
After finishing work, you need to collect all the tools, pull the ropes to the roof, remove the fence. This is also done carefully and carefully. When the rope is pulled out, watch how it rises. If the dirty end of the rope stains clean, washed glass, then the work may be forced to redo.
Strictly after the end of work and fees, you can remove the fence below. Only after that it is considered that the work is completely completed and it is now safe to walk here.
Another story
One winter, our team was removing snow and ice from the roof on one of the central streets. The traffic was great, so there was not only a fence, but also a person below.
After the command “Release” was given from above, I began to roll up the fence and let people through. And suddenly, from above, one of the workers throws down the remaining large block of ice, which lands half a meter from the passing old woman. She gets frightened, swears, but leaves, and we are left without sad consequences. It was luck and a lesson for everyone.
Gear and equipment
Equipment for an industrial climber is almost the main thing in the work. Here are the main items that are required.
Strappings from the manufacturers "Vento" and "Vertical" can be found for 1500 R.
Zhumar, crawl, stopper, figure eight, lattice, gris-gris, grasping knot. Thanks to these devices, the promalp descends, rises and is held on a rope. Usually they use equipment from Petzl, Kong, Vento, Camp and Vertical. Descenders without automatic blocking from "Petzl" and "Kong" can be found from 900 R. With automatic blocking more expensive: 4-16 thousand. At "Vento" and "Vertical" trigger devices cost from 470 R without blocking and from 1600 R - with blocking.
Rope clamps such as jumar and crawl, which are needed for climbing a rope, cost from 4,000 to 10,000 R for Petzl and Kong, and from 900 to 5,000 R for Vento and Vertical. Some climbers note that the jumars from the Petzl and the Vertical are almost the same in terms of characteristics.
ropes are static and dynamic. The first one does not stretch when loaded. Since industrial mountaineering is not rope jumping (these are such rope jumps), the static rope is used here. The diameter is usually 9 to 12 mm. There are auxiliary ropes for lifting a load or securing a tool. Their diameter is from 4 to 8 mm. Often used static rope cord - 6 mm.
Russian ropes from Kolomna, Dzerzhinsk or Irkutsk can be found for 37-56 R per meter. Expensive ropes from Petzl can also be found for 170 R per meter, but it is a pity to use such ropes, especially for dirty work.
150 R
there is a protector for the rope. If you try, you can find free
protectors protect the rope in dangerous places for it. They are made from different materials: Velcro banner fabric, hose and pipe clippings, fire hoses. In stores they cost 150-300 R, but you can find them for free.
Seat. Long work in a hanging position has a bad effect on blood circulation in the legs. Then the whole body can still hurt. Industrial climbers use a special seat - usually a homemade board that you can sit on. For the seat, you need a simple piece of plywood with a thickness of at least 0.8 cm and a piece of rope. Ready-made can be purchased at the store: in "Vertical" this costs from 1200 R, and in "Petzl" - from 11 500 R.
Helmet required by the rules, but not always used. Someone is too lazy to put it on, someone thinks that it is safe without it. In my opinion, in vain. Helmets cost from 3000 to 7000 R.
3000 R
worth a helmet. Wearing it is a must.
Miscellaneous accessories: carabiners, hooks, suction cups. Carabiners are connecting links, at a height they attach the necessary things, equipment and parts of the rope.
To fix on the wall in one place, you need a skyhook and a suction cup.
Skyhooks- These are hooks of different sizes in the shape of a beak. They cling to the ledges and recesses of the wall in order to pull themselves aside or hold themselves in place.
Sucker needed on a smooth surface like glass or tile. To remain motionless, the promalp sticks a suction cup to the surface and fixes itself. You can really find a hook for 550 R, suckers in any hardware store - from 170 to 900 R.
 |  |
The cost of promalp equipment is 8000 R
| Helmet | 3000 R |
| Rope 50 m | 2000 R |
| strapping | 1500 R |
| belay device | 900 R |
| descender | 600 R |
3000 R
Rope 50 m
2000 R
1500 R
belay device
900 R
descender
600 R
Training and Documents
Promalpas are mainly people from mountaineering, rock climbing or speleology. But there are also those who came here from the street in the hope of earning big money. If the first ones are already trained in technology, then the second ones need to be trained. For this, there are courses for industrial climbers. They are usually held in training centers and vocational training centers.
Before the start of classes, you are asked to bring photographs, an application, a passport and a medical certificate. Details may vary, but this is usually the base set.
Knowledge is given on work techniques, safety, psychological preparation, first aid. Some centers add more blueprint reading and basic electronics. There will be practice with an exam. After training, you will receive a certificate of course completion and a high-altitude certificate, which then will need to be confirmed every 3 years.
After completing the training, you will be issued a certificate of an industrial climber. These crusts of the organization are always asked for admission to work.
width: auto 10 500 Р width="1414" height="1076" class=" outline-bordered" style="max-width: 707.0px; height: auto" data-bordered="true"> Tuition fees can vary greatly in different cities and different companies. Here the training costs 9500 Р width="1414" height="1652" class=" outline-bordered" style="max-width: 707.0px; height: auto" data-bordered="true">
Beginning of work
You can't really start working alone. An experienced climber can afford to do simple work alone, but this is generally not recommended for safety reasons. If something happens on the wall, and you are alone there, then no one will help.
Among the industrialists, there is a story about a girl at a construction site in Moscow, whose partner once did not show up for work. The workers on the roof saw the rope and did not even think that a person was hanging from it. They cut the rope to take for themselves. The girl survived, but broke her spine.
A beginner promalp has two options.
Option 1. Get a job in a company that specializes in high-altitude work. You can start with the maintenance of residential buildings. Now management companies often recruit climbers who clean the roofs from snow, seal the seams, paint and so on. They usually work on a salary of 25,000 rubles a month full time. It will be hard, monotonous, but you will gain a lot of experience.
Option 2. Find yourself a more experienced partner. It’s better to start with a survey of acquaintances - this way you at least get recommendations about the person you meet. There is another option to search for private ads, but here it already depends on the case: you can get on dishonest businessmen.
A survey among climbers showed that a newcomer to the team can be taken if he already knows how to do something. In terms of salary in the first jobs, he receives a little less, because a certain percentage is deducted in favor of the foreman. This is not practiced by all teams. Much depends on the quality and speed of the beginner's work. Often they first hire as an assistant “give, bring and see how to do it” with a lower salary.
1000 R
receives for a grassroots shift - a person who stands at the bottom of the fence and warns passers-by about the work
There are also grassroots - these are people who stand below the fence and warn passers-by about high-altitude work. They receive about 1,000 rubles for a 2-5 hour shift.
Payment. How much does it cost to risk
An industrial climber does not run on the ground and does not stand on the scaffolding, he descends from the top down the rope, doing his job. This should be taken into account when determining the prices for services. The more a climber can do for one "temple", the cheaper the work as a whole will cost. To wash the windows above the entrance is one price. Washing a number of windows on the same floor around the perimeter of the building is much more expensive. There are standard works, where it is easy to calculate the cost, there are complex ones, where the calculation is individual.
Everything that is painted and washed is calculated from the cost per square meter. Everything is long - from the cost per linear meter and the complexity of implementation: electrics, painting metal structures, work on drains and air ducts. There is a calculation per piece: air conditioning unit, antenna or pipe.
Everything that does not fit into the framework of conventional measurements is calculated on the basis of N rubles per hour, day, or as agreed. This may be a small physical effort, which is complicated by a long or difficult access to it. For example, change a couple of light bulbs on a communication tower 50 kilometers from the city at a height of 70 meters.
Sometimes additional work comes up. For example, they come to install a slope or window sill, but instead they have to cut a tree on the same window sill. And only because the customer was not aware of the situation.
Promalp in the company works according to one of three options: deal, salary + deal, salary. If only the salary, then in the regions on average it is 25 thousand per month with a five-day working week, if you work for the management company. In Moscow, prices are higher. Under this option, you will have a permanent job.
25 000 R
earn promalps in regional management companies
I interviewed my acquaintances "free" freelance promalps. Most are ready to go to work with earnings of 5,000 rubles a day. In Moscow - an average of $100 per hour. There may be more or less, depending on the type of work. A good order can be found thanks to your experience, skill and extensive customer base. But such orders happen irregularly.
Pros of working with a promalpo
Freedom of choice is the reason people stay in this job. And the basis of this choice is the following:
- Convenient schedule.
- Quick earnings.
- A variety of objects, types of work, partners, customers.
- A high level of physical activity allows you to keep a good shape.
- Work at height, where there are few people and no bosses.
- Beautiful views.
- The opportunity to find yourself in places where not everyone gets: the bell towers of churches, the winter garden at the National Bank, the barracks in the pre-trial detention center, the stars of the Kremlin, the rolling shop of the plant.
Cons of work
It's really dangerous. The climber is threatened with cutting the rope by embittered, drunk or mentally ill people, falling objects from above, breaking the rope under unforeseen circumstances, strong winds and hitting the wall.
Sometimes you have to "knock out" money for work. The more promalpov, the lower the price of the work. There is a risk of non-payment, fraud attempts. Even proven customers can let you down.
Physically hard. You have to constantly go up and down with all the equipment both on a ladder and on a rope, work in a sitting position without support under the sun, in frost, dampness, in mud, dust and stuffiness. If work goes to mall then only at night. As one climber with twenty years of experience said: “It is like professional sports with a high level of injuries and occupational diseases.
Diversity creates tension. There will always be something missing or something new. At the facility, everything may not be as described by the customer. The new team has to get used to. Specific equipment, tools or technologies take a lot of time: you need to find it all, order it, bring it in and learn how to use it.
Irregular employment, if you work for yourself. Illnesses, holidays, injuries, equipment - all at your own expense.
There will be really hard shifts when time is running out, and you need to hand over the object on time. A friend of mine once had to work continuously for 21 hours to take down and put back 600 square meters of banner mesh at a facility. In total, I had to climb and descend to a height of about 700 meters.
Finally
The work is hard, dangerous and dirty. Pluses turn into minuses and vice versa.
On the other hand, you will learn almost everything: from diplomatic conversations with elders around the house to walking on cell tower structures at great heights. You will find yourself in the most interesting places and see the world from above. Fear will always be with you, but you will learn to control it. This fear will either take you to the ground in the office, or become your intuition and save you.
And one day you will begin to collect a collection of answers to the question “Are you scared?”.
Industrial alpinism is the performance of high-altitude work using a special technology on building structures in an unsupported space. All work is carried out with climber rope and simple manual equipment without the use of scaffolding, cradles, scaffolds and other auxiliary devices.
The profession has quite rich history. One of the first massive need for such specialists arose in the early 1930s during the construction of the Hoover Dam (USA). Then the miners, in order to strengthen the mountain slopes, had to descend from the mountains on ropes and carry out necessary work hand tools - drilling pits, laying dynamite. In view of their low dexterity and lack of experience, work was carried out extremely slowly with an increased risk to the lives of workers.
In the USSR, for the first time, industrial climbers were involved in the years of the Great Patriotic War. So in 1942, specialists participated in masking the golden spiers from targeted enemy fire in besieged Leningrad. The team of climbers was led by Olga Afanasyevna Firsova.
With the development and emergence of reliable climbing equipment and heavy-duty ropes, industrial mountaineering as commercial technology and the profession gained its popularity in the 80s of the XX century.
Industrial climber is a modern profession in demand
In Russia, a modern profession industrial climber introduced Decree of the Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation of May 17, 2001 N 40 and described in the Unified Tariff and Qualification Directory of Works and Professions of Workers (ETKS) (based on the Decree of the USSR State Committee for Labor and social issues and the Secretariat of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions dated January 31, 1985 N 31 / 3-30) in § 277a. Industrial climber (5th category).
Characteristics of this profession according to ETKS: Performing technological operations in unsupported space using climbing technologies in the production of repair and construction work on high-rise structures, radio and television towers, supports, bridges, chimneys, gas ducts, tunnel vaults, ice-breaking bulls of bridges, etc. Carrying out audits, inspections and detection of defects in high-rise structures. Coating various surfaces with anti-corrosion materials. Production of painting works. Restoration of unique architectural objects, temples, monuments, domes, steles, facades of buildings and structures. Repair of cladding, architectural elements and decorations, balconies, cornices, roofs, storm drains, etc. using lifting mechanisms: winches, hoists, guineas. Sealing of interpanel joints, replacement of drainpipes, window washing. The frill of mountain slopes near automobile and railways, removing or fixing dangerous, free-lying stones in areas of production activity. Mounting and dismantling of lifting and lowering equipment. Ensuring avalanche and rockfall safety during expeditions and excursions to hard-to-reach mountainous areas. Providing anti-avalanche measures. Carrying out work to ensure the safety of activities on mountainous terrain when filming films, holding public events, etc.
From the characteristics of an industrial climber, one can deduce commercial tasks, which will most often be placed in front of high-altitude specialists:
- facade works of any complexity;
- sealing joints of the roof of buildings and structures;
- external insulation of apartments;
- glass and window washing;
- cleaning roofs from snow and icicles;
- tree trimming, pruning and cutting;
- lifting oversized cargo to a height;
- repair of balconies and roofs, roofing works.
As can be seen from a small list, the range of application of the capabilities of industrial climbers is quite wide and varied, and when performing a specific type of work, a specialist must have one or another profession. If this is roofing work, then an industrial climber must be fluent in the skills of a roofer. If pruning and crowning trees, then you must know the technology of proper landscaping.
Since the work of an industrial climber combines many professions (installer, electrician, painter, window cleaner, etc.), the specialist must master them perfectly. In addition, there are a number of requirements that are the exclusive specifics of the profession and the preparation of industrial climbing.
If an entrepreneur decides to create such a promising type of business as industrial mountaineering, then he should carefully read the recommendations and instructions for organizing high-altitude work and attracting specialists with appropriate training.
How and where are industrial climbers trained
Industrial climbers are not trained in accelerated courses, all specialists of this profile need to undergo special training in specialized educational institutions. Training program is extensive and includes not only professional training and practice of an industrial climber, but also psychological training, the study of safety precautions and the specifics of a number of professions and knowledge that must be used while at a height. A prerequisite for training is that all specialists must be of legal age.
As a result of the training, all successful graduates who have passed qualification checks receive a document on special training in the profession "industrial climber".
Persons who do not have such a document are not allowed to work as an industrial climber. Also, the specialist must be tested and receive a positive conclusion on admission to work from the medical commission. A very strict requirement in the profession for knowledge and compliance with safety regulations. Good firms regularly conduct training and knowledge testing on safety precautions. The complex of ongoing activities will improve the safety of industrial mountaineering, which is a prerequisite for high-altitude work.
In the international legal field (and increasingly in Russia) it is also used international standard ISO 22846, which establishes the basic requirements for the technique of performing high-altitude work in unsupported space.
Organization of activity on industrial mountaineering. Doing business in industrial mountaineering
To open a company providing industrial mountaineering services, it is enough to register as an individual entrepreneur (IP). OKVED codes that must be specified when registering an activity:
- 45.21.6 General construction works for the construction of other buildings and structures not included in other groups
- 45.25 Other construction work
- (main activity) 45.25.6 Performing other construction work requiring special qualifications
- 45.31 Electrical installation work
- 74.70.1 Cleaning and cleaning of industrial and residential premises and equipment
- 74.84 Provision of other services
It must be remembered that opening a company does not require a license, however, all industrial climbers in the state must have the appropriate documents and medical certificates. In case of violation of these conditions, the entrepreneur faces heavy fines.
To start a business, an entrepreneur should purchase special equipment for industrial mountaineering, as well as tools for performing certain types high-altitude work. As a rule, the cost of professional equipment ranges from 15 to 20 thousand rubles.
Having created such a business, and having hired specialists of various specialties, the entrepreneur begins to conduct the financial and economic activities of his enterprise. These are, first of all, contract agreements for the performance of certain works at height, as well as bookkeeping, tax payment and reporting. The entrepreneur must control all the activities of his enterprise, from the conclusion of contracts and the performance of work at height, to the accrual wages and sick leave employees. In this case, the activity of the enterprise will be stable and efficient, and will allow you to receive a high and progressive income.
It so happened that during my studies at the Moscow Institute of Electronic Techniques, I mastered the climbing technique best of all. Meanwhile, the USSR collapsed (peace be upon him!), and with it the Soviet electronics, which, after all, was, but now is not. And now, for 25 years I have been an industrial climber. To make it more fun, I'll tell you about my profession in the form of questions and answers. You can read from anywhere in any order. So:
1. Will this rope break?
Usually the rope does not break. For work, the right climbers use a safety and rescue rope (as it is called in the manufacturers' catalogs) with a quality certificate that contains information about the strength of the rope. For most work, a static rope with a diameter of 10-11mm is used. with a strength of more than 2000kg. It is essential that this rope has an expiration date (usually 3 years from the date of issue), after which it cannot be used for work and insurance. (Due to aging polymer materials.) Simpler climbers work mainly on the Kolomenskaya rope (manufactured by Kanat OJSC, Kolomna). Fancy rich Pinocchio use Czech climbing Tendon ropes. There are other manufacturers as well.
A correct promalp should work on two pitches. One is a cargo one, on which this same promalp, in fact, hangs, and the second is a safety one. Why do you need a safety rope, the most ingenious is clear from its name. The work of a climber on one rope is considered a dangerous heresy and must be eradicated. Some adherents of this style are eradicated themselves. As for live promalps, they always work on two ropes.
2. Can I go to promalp if I'm afraid of heights?
For promalpas being afraid of heights is very useful and nutritious. Fear mobilizes the brain, preventing it from doing stupid things, makes you pay attention to routine operations performed a hundred times a day. Being afraid of heights is completely normal. A climber who has lost this feeling is better off leaving work before something terrible happens.
This topic has another side. Fear is constructive only as long as you control it/yourself. If you have dizziness, nausea, fear turns into panic, fetters the members of the body, preventing you from acting, then that’s it, you’ve arrived. You have acrophobia (fear of heights). This affects approximately 5% of men and 4% of women. (In general, men are more often blown away ...) They say that acrophobia is treated quite successfully, but with this it is necessary not to go to the prom, but to a psychiatrist.
3. Can I get into promalp if I'm a girl?
Work at height is included in the list of work with harmful and difficult working conditions (Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of February 25, 2000 No. 162). The Labor Code prohibits the employment of women in these jobs. In our Russian realities, employers do not read the Labor Code, because they are not readers, especially since most of this market is in the shade or partial shade.
Training centers issue certificates for climbers to girls. Either out of gouging, or they simply consider their hut from the edge, because it is not the training center that is the employer of these brave girls. And the issuance of a certificate in itself does not violate the Labor Code. Maybe there are other reasons - I'm not a lawyer and not the son of a lawyer.
As a rule, pro-climbing teams are purely male, there are few girls, although they do occur. The girl-state is temporary, transient, and the prospect for a mature woman to hang on a rope does not seem particularly joyful to me. Promalp does not go well with motherhood either. (True, little work is combined with this ...)
Promalper girls are different, however, with full respect and love for them, they are weaker than men, which also narrows the range of their application in promalpinism. If I were a girl, I would try to come up with something more interesting than the promalp.
Am I a sexist? Well, yes, perhaps a little, not without it ...
4. Can I get into promalp if I'm fat?
The strength of the safety and rescue rope on which the climber works is approximately 2500 kg. The rope is weakened by knots, when wet, exposed to ultraviolet radiation, etc. However, count on 1500kg. nevertheless it is possible. This is the theoretical limit beyond which it is definitely not worth getting fat. A typical descender (like PETZL's very popular RIG) is rated at 150kg. By the way, Petzl (read “petzl”) took care of personal protective equipment for big people. You have to look here.
In general, large mass and overall dimensions do not make the life of a promalp easier. If you are the owner of such an organism, then it is better to try it somewhere in the place where an impressive appearance matters. In some kind of security, or something ...
In any case, I advise you not to eat after 18 and not to eat after 23.
5. Is it true that promalps get a lot, a lot?
There is another part of the promalps, alas, small in number. These are freelancers with extensive experience in the profession, who have mastered the performance of certain works to perfection - arboristry, lifting loads, electrical installation and air conditioning, etc. Often these people have higher education, often they came from extreme sports. These promalps have their own client base and all the necessary equipment for their activities. Hiring such a specialist is a great success, they go from one client to another by word of mouth. It is clear that these guys do not know what modesty in salary requests is. It is thanks to their earnings that industrial alpinism is still reputed high paying job, regularly attracting naive neophytes.
6. Is it true that you don't have to study to be a professional climber?
Until 2004, the profession of an industrial climber did not officially exist, since it was not in the ETKS (Uniform Tariff and Qualification Directory - forgive me!). For this reason, she could not formally study and receive a certificate. Now, for a small fee, training centers can make almost anyone happy with an industrial climber's certificate. Money for the pleasure of officially being a promalp is almost symbolic, minimum hassle!
100% of my acquaintances were trained by senior comrades, or received the necessary skills from mountaineering, rock climbing, speleology, etc. (mostly the older generation, today's climbers rarely go to the promalp). The main thing I want to say is that every industrial climber had a Teacher who showed, taught, gave the first equipment, controlled the first steps. But the people who received this first starting impulse in a specialized training center are not among my acquaintances. I know successful professionals who have never crossed the threshold of a training center at all and do not have any certificate of training to be a professional climber.
If from what I wrote here, someone concluded that you can not study - read the epigraph / epitaph at the top of the paragraph again. It has an abyss of meaning.
7. What equipment do you need to be a proper promalp/promalp?
Well, it's easy! Open the catalog and buy everything you need. Complement your outfit with some mysterious piece of iron from Rock Exotica for $700 and Kong for 2 kilorubles. That's it, the correct climber is dressed.
Petzl is the undisputed leader in the production of climbing equipment. This applies to impeccable quality, and comfort in work, and safety. Alas, this does not apply to the price. You have to pay not only for quality, but also for the brand. Petzl has an aggressive marketing policy, everyone who is honored to sell must do so at the suggested retail price, so it costs the same or nearly the same everywhere.
It must be said that apart from High Quality equipment itself, a climber packed in a Petzl also gets an additional bonus in the form of the opportunity to puff up and puff out his cheeks in front of the customer. The main thing here is not to overdo it, otherwise the customer may decide with fright that he cannot afford to hire such a cool climber.
For the right climbers, there is still good equipment from. Produced in the Czech Republic relatively recently compared to Petzl, it is of quite competitive quality, but so far it is rarely sold anywhere and is inferior in assortment. Recently, Singing Rock opened a company store and now they are slowly eating away from that pie that old Petzl used to eat alone. After getting to know Petzl, prices are perceived as moderate.
Of the domestic manufacturers, the market leader is Vento. Cheap and angry. One of our oldest companies, it does not stop progressing, it is sold in many places, the range is constantly expanding. Products intended for industrial climbing are certified according to our GOST. Sometimes this piece of paper can come in handy. The prices are very democratic. In some cases, even the most super-correct climber can use this equipment, for example, for one-time dirty work (anti-corrosion, sealing, facade). However, I will tell you a secret that the right climbers are reluctant to do dirty work.
In conclusion, I’ll say how I cut it off: “Kill the toad!” At work, good equipment will be beaten off very quickly, and your safety is completely priceless.
Hope it wasn't boring. All creative success and unearned wages!
If you are thinking about organizing own business and chose the direction of industrial mountaineering for this, but do not dare to start a business because of the fear of heights - do not rush to panic. As the owner of the company, you should not climb buildings at all - this can be done by specially trained people who will be under your command. Such professionals are usually equipped with everything necessary equipment for work. You just have to look for customers who need the services of climbers.
High-altitude workers need to be selected skillfully. First, you must demand from them evidence of their skills. Usually this is a certificate that is issued after graduation.
Entrepreneurial idea will start to give a profit in excess of cost coverage in a year, in some cases - in two. According to statistics, the benefit from the provision of industrial mountaineering services is 15-25% annually.
In order to receive clients and maintain documentation, you will need an office space. A small office will suffice. Naturally, the ideal option would be to rent a department in a business center, since customers from other companies are constantly spinning here, who could pay attention to your company.
But if you are located in the heart of the city, choosing a crowded pedestrian street, but there is a canteen or a key-making kiosk next to your organization, do not expect success. It has been proven that objects that are completely unsuitable for each other, located on the same territory, self-repel, without attracting potential buyers.
Those who believe that it is high time for industrial climbers to work only in hot summers are mistaken, and in cold weather they have absolutely nothing to do, except to knock down the overgrown pieces of ice under the roofs of houses. In fact, such ridiculous opinions contradict the facts. In fact, specialists climbing skyscrapers are well supplied with orders even in winter. Previously, climbers only had to plaster the walls to order. There were those who carried out such work in the cold, and it was not only unprofitable, but simply ridiculous. Now the activities of high-altitude workers have become more diverse, more and more services are provided on the market. So, for example, all kinds of construction and installation work carried out by mountaineers-industrialists. In addition, the cladding of buildings is in active demand. It is stronger than finishing plaster, has better insulating properties, and can be worked with even at harsh temperatures. Walls covered with such material will retain their original features for twenty-five long years, that's a quarter of a century, if you think about it! Durable and resistant to burning frosts, the layers are represented by a wide range: ceramic granite, profiled flooring and other types of finishing elements that have become an excellent substitute for plaster.
In the event that you liked the idea of \u200b\u200bcladding, first of all you will need to purchase all the required installations and apparatus for doing this business and supply your industrial climbers with them. Personnel, of course, must have professional knowledge in this area. Otherwise, you should conduct training courses for workers on how to use the equipment and the intricacies of installing cladding tiles.
After the staff is formed, start looking construction organization suitable for you. With such a company, it will be necessary to draw up a contractual relationship regarding cladding. It is most rational to dwell on those objects that have not yet been rebuilt, but are only being designed or even in the plans of the company. Companies that are ready to take on future projects are all around, so you will most likely be able to conclude a contract for favorable conditions. If you persist in offering your services to managers construction firms who have already completed the construction work, but have not yet lined the walls, the likelihood of your success will be extremely small. The fact is that in these situations, specialists in covering houses with slabs are not expected for a long time - there are a lot of them, and most manage to enter into cooperation with builders in advance, while the project is being developed. Thus, if you do not want to be left out of work, agree on future work as early as possible. In a good scenario, you will be offered the facing of a new house, which will take considerable time- maybe, whole year, and maybe more. Upon completion of the process, the work will be evaluated. If the management of the company likes it, you will probably be provided with new workloads. Cooperation can stretch for long periods, and this is only to your advantage.
Of course, not everyone is a workaholic. In addition to inveterate workers who are ready to climb to heights all year round in order to earn good money, or even just for the soul, there are also those who like to combine Good work with a good rest, and best of all, abroad. For such climbers, the seasonal work option is suitable. For example, having invested all your efforts and diligence in the repair or construction of facilities on warm summer days, the rest of the time (winter, autumn and spring) you can enjoy relaxing by going on a tour or doing your favorite things. Fortunately, the hard-earned money should be enough for such a long “break from production”. Incidentally, companies individual entrepreneurs working on this system, now a dime a dozen. And almost all of them quickly gained recognition among consumers. All the cold seasons of the year are looking forward to them, and when they finally go to work, such businessmen are torn with arms and legs. The level of profit of the cunning is obvious.
Where can I get money to start my own business? This is the problem faced by 95% of new entrepreneurs! In the article, we have revealed the most relevant ways to obtain start-up capital for an entrepreneur. We also recommend that you carefully study the results of our experiment in exchange earnings:
seasonal labor activity industrial climbers consider the following types works:
- periodic work to rescue animals or people from heights, for example, removing a cat from a tree;
– window glass cleaning services, for example, in large business centers;
— cutting crowns of trees in parks and gardens;
- laying insulating materials on the outer walls of buildings;
- installation various designs;
- equipping buildings with household air conditioners.
Industrial climbers are not "crackers" who can only handle steel equipment and ropes. Many professionals in their field enjoy participating in entertainment events organized by companies. Holidays, corporate celebrations of the company are celebrated in different ways. Some are strict and minimal, and some prefer to make such a day memorable and interesting. For example, a birthday boy receives a bouquet of roses from the hands of a "super hero" who suddenly appeared outside the office window. For such purposes, climbers are invited, since they can fulfill the order skillfully, efficiently, and with safety for their own lives.
So, the choice is yours. But be aware: starting your own industrial climbing services business will cost you initial fees anyway. At least for the purchase of climbing suits. The cost of one set is approximately 10,000 Russian rubles.
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