As everyone who regularly climbs long ladders knows, ladder climbing is really hard work. Ever since Limpet Technology was founded, we've been banging on about how much easier climbing long vertical ladders becomes if you use a climb assist (particularly one that reliably and comfortably lifts 90% of your weight....like a Limpet for example). Our point of view is that, if you want your technicians to get up and down turbines in a way that is fast, easy and safe and which leaves them in good shape to do whatever technical work it is they need to do, then having a climb assist (and a Limpet in particular) is the way to go. We think this is true in older turbines where there is no lift and we think it should be true in newer turbines, where we hear more and more horror stories about the high maintenance costs and low reliability of service elevators.

Anyway, we recently noted that Robert Gordon's University has been putting some numbers that reinforce the exertion side of that equation. In its October 2016 paper titled "The physiological effect of a ‘climb assist’ device on vertical ladder climbing", it states that "heart rate (HR), O2 and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) all decreased significantly (p < 0.05) with climb assist with O2 decreasing by 22.5%, HR by 14.8% and RPE decreasing by a mean of 2.3 units on the 10-point Borg scale. When descending the ladder O2 decreased by a mean of 42% compared to that ascending. At the minimal acceptable climbing speed climb assist decreases the physiological strain on climbers, as demonstrated by reduced O2, HR and perceived exertion.

RGU will be looking in more detail at how concentration/ productivity may be affected by the exertion associated with ladder climbing in a set of upcoming studies and we'll post results here as they come in.

As the name suggests, Scottish Power Energy Networks are one of the big players in electricity transmission around these parts. Yesterday, we had the opportunity to demonstrate how Limpet systems can add value to the teams of technicians that are maintaining the transmission network day in day out, both to make climbing up and down the masts/ pylons etc safer and easier, but also as a system for lifting and lowering tools and components, and as a rescue solution if required. It was a properly dreich day in Cumbernauld (the site of SPN's large training centre) but it gave a good opportunity to show off the waterproofing of the Limpet, which was attached to the corner of the training electricity pylon. Many thanks to the folks from Scottish Power who attended and cheerfully endured the soaking in order to witness the Limpet in action. We also got to see the Limpet being used in an unusual climb assist mode, as a leg up to Derek, the technician who rigged the pulley (see centre shot below).

The Limpet team was out in force on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, as part of a video shoot with ITN Productions on the Levenmouth Offshore Wind Demonstration Turbine in Fife. This mammoth wind turbine is now owned by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and is the world’s most advanced, open access offshore wind turbine dedicated to research.  

Certainly, as you cross the gangway that connects the turbine to land, you get a sense of the enormous scale of the engineering on this Samsung 7MW prototype. And the numbers back that up; blades with a diameter of 171 metres, a hub height of 112 metres, a nine metre high, three level nacelle that is 18 metres long.

We had agreed with ITN that they would make a short film about Limpet Technology as part of a video reel being developed with the World Petroleum Council, to showcase new innovations coming into the energy sector. Our goal was to demonstrate the applications where Limpet systems are currently being used by wind energy companies, particularly ladder access and blade repair.

​We also wanted to highlight a new Limpet product that is under development, which, through rapid heave compensated fall arrest and hoisting, can safely transfer technicians between crew transfer vessels and offshore wind turbines in much higher sea states than is achievable today. Increasing safety, access and availability of far offshore wind farms is the objective of this product.

The days filming went pretty much to plan; the sun shone periodically, but frustratingly, the wind was blowing a few miles an hour faster than was safe for us to film the rotor blade access shots. However, we made the best of the situation and managed to capture what we hope will be great footage. The Limpet that we installed onto the internal access ladder worked like a dream and the 90% climb assist made the very long ladder climb look and feel fantastically easy.  

Given the logistics it went very smoothly and we're now eagerly awaiting the results which will be with us in a couple of weeks. We'd like to give a big thank you to ORE Catapult for enabling us to use the turbine, which is an incredible demonstration facility; to SgurrEnergy, who's on-site team was a pleasure to work with and to RTS International, for providing their invaluable assistance in too many ways to count.

If your lifting or rope access job requires getting a Limpet from point A to point B without the use of a truck, then VOILA...the Limpet manual handling wheel is just what you need.  Whether you're doing blade work on high moor land or telecoms antenna lifting in a muddy field, the Wheel, along with the XFrame deadweight anchor, gets you up and running quicker than ever before and spares your back too!

​And to show you just how easy it is, here's a short video.

RTS International have been longtime advocates of Limpet and it's great to see the growing variety and scale of projects which they are applying our systems to. Blade repair work is at the top of the list and the video below demonstrates just how easy Limpet is to set-up and use. Not only do the technicians get onto, around and off the blade faster - allowing maximum use of short weather windows (a particularly acute problem in the UK), but with it's in-built, ground based rescue capability, Limpet massively improves time and ease of rescue and evacuation. It also reduces the requirement for a dedicated IRATA level 3 to remain in the nacelle all day, just in case. 

Of all the height safety and confined space applications that Limpet systems get used for, accessing a glass spire is one of the more unusual. The St James church in Dublin, was built in the mid-nineteenth Century but was deconsecrated in 1964 and had fallen into disrepair. Then, in 2013, it was acquired by the Lyons family and after two years of restoration will open in 2017 as a boutique distillery.

A centre-piece of the church is a new, distinctive glass steeple some fourteen metres high. Since maintaining the aesthetics of the spire was important to the developers, permanent ladders were ruled out and so Limpet partners Ridgeway proposed the use of a Limpet system as a safe, easy, cost effective and inconspicuous means of providing technicians with access.

As the first shots below make clear, the church will make a fantastic addition to the Dublin skyline and if you look closely, you may just see someone dangling inside! We'll post more shots as we get them.

“Colossus”, the world's largest outdoor, permanent, centre-hung digital display made its NASCAR debut at the Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend. Weighing 700 tonnes and with four custom-built screens, each approximately 30 feet tall by 63 feet wide, it’s the most supersized TV on the planet

As the NASCAR race started and the cars hurtled round the track, what the FOX Sports television presenters were not ready for was the sight of someone lowering out of the Colossus on a rope.

“Check this out right there”, said one. “He’s not on the lift”. “Wow!” said the other.

​As the lowering continued, the presenters ringed him with a yellow marker

The camera went in for a close up. ​As the technician put his thumbs up, the first presenter commented, “That looks like a very nice ride”. “He looks very comfortable!”, the second presented agreed.

We can disclose that the nice ride in question is a Limpet® E5 multifunction height safety system provided in this case by Mountain Productions.

“Was he misbehaving and they threw him out of the Colossus?” asked the presenter. We don’t know, but as long as you’re attached to a Limpet® there are worse ways to travel”!

​See https://twitter.com/NASCARONFOX/status/721055915135213569 for the video

We love nothing better than to see a nicely packed up Limpet and so are loving Mountain Productions "MTN BOX Pack of the Week", which shows Limpet®  E5 together with case, truss mounting clamps and a spare safety line ready to be shipped out to the next big stage show

​The mercury bottomed out at minus 23 during a recent Limpet visit to AAK Safety in their state of the art training facility South of Oslo.  AAK had organised a workshop to discuss the use of Limpet Technology for safer offshore personnel transfer. The guys stayed warm using Limpet’s climb assist and personnel lifting functions. Watch this space…

Having announced in August that Limpet L2's would be installed at the Wigton Wind Farm in Manchester, Jamaica, the actual installation went ahead last week.