Blade work on turbines, the tickets, rotational pay and the admin.
Wind is one of the fastest-growing corners of rope access. Blade repair and inspection on turbines, onshore and offshore, done on ropes rather than platforms. It runs on a different set of tickets to the rest of the trade, the work often comes in rotations, and demand keeps climbing as fleets age.
Mostly blades: inspecting and repairing leading-edge erosion, lightning damage and cracks on composite blades, plus tower and nacelle jobs and bolt work. It is precise, weather-dependent work at height, on machines that keep growing in size, especially offshore where the biggest turbines live.
IRATA for the rope access, and GWO training for the wind industry: the Global Wind Organisation's safety modules, working at heights, first aid, manual handling, fire awareness, and sea survival for offshore. Repair work adds composite blade-repair skills on top. That is several tickets, each with its own renewal, running alongside your IRATA.
Wind pays well, and offshore wind with rotations is at the top end, with premiums on top of the day rate for the rotation and the location. See where it sits in rope access day rates, and the tickets that move you up in what techs earn.
Rotational work makes admin lumpy: bursts of invoicing between trips, and a stack of GWO modules that must all be current before you fly out. Cowstail keeps your GWO and IRATA tickets in one place with expiry reminders, and lets you invoice from wherever the rotation puts you. See Cowstail for techs.
The Global Wind Organisation, which sets the safety training standard for the wind industry. Its Basic Safety Training covers modules like working at heights, first aid, manual handling, fire awareness and, for offshore, sea survival.
Usually yes. GWO is the wind industry's safety standard and IRATA is the rope access qualification, so most turbine rope access work asks for both, plus blade repair skills for repair jobs.
Yes, particularly offshore wind, where rotational contracts carry premiums on top of the day rate. Onshore blade work is solid too, and demand keeps growing as fleets age.
GWO modules are typically valid for around two years and then need a refresher. Check the current GWO standard, and keep every module's expiry logged so none lapses before a rotation.
Related: offshore, day rates, IRATA logbook, for techs.
Free for solo rope access techs. No card required.