This code of practice gives recommendations and guidance on the use of IRATA International rope access methods, including training, to provide a safe system of work. It is intended for use by IRATA International members, IRATA International rope access technicians, national or regional enforcement agencies, safety officers and those who commission rope access work, e.g. building contractors; multi-national oil and gas companies; the renewable energy sector. This code of practice is applicable to the use of IRATA International rope access methods for industrial purposes, i.e. for access to buildings, other structures (on or offshore) or natural features, such as cliff faces, where ropes are used as the primary means of access, egress or support and as the primary means of protection against a fall. This code of practice is not intended to apply to the use of rope-based access methods for leisure activities, arboriculture, general steeplejack methods or emergency personal evacuation systems, or to the use of rope-based access (line rescue) techniques by fire brigades and other emergency services for rescue work or for rescue training. NOTE Throughout this code of practice, the term rope access is intended to mean rope access for industrial purposes, unless otherwise stated.

This International Code of Practice for Industrial Rope Access Systems’ is freely available on the IRATA  website to anyone who wishes to access it. Please see the following links:

• The IRATA website – irata.org

• IRATA freely available publications - Publications | IRATA International

• Access to the document (ICOP) - ‘IRATA International Code of Practice for Industrial Rope Access’

The scope of the International Building Code® (IBC®) includes all buildings except detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses up to three stories. For the most current adoptions details go to International Code Adoptions

The 2018 IBC contains many important changes such as:

• Accessory storage spaces of any size are now permitted to be classified as part of the occupancy to which they are accessory.
• New code sections have been introduced addressing medical gas systems and higher education laboratories.
• Use of fire walls to create separate buildings is now limited to only the determination of permissible types of construction based on allowable building area and height.
• Where an elevator hoistway door opens into a fire-resistance-rated corridor, the opening must be protected in a manner to address smoke intrusion into the hoistway.
• The occupant load factor for business uses has been revised to one occupant per 150 square feet.
• Live loads on decks and balconies increase the deck live load to one and one-half times the live load of the area served.
• The minimum lateral load that fire walls are required to resist is five pounds per square foot.
• Wind speed maps updated, including maps for the state of Hawaii. Terminology describing wind speeds has changed again with ultimate design wind speeds now called basic design wind speeds.
• Site soil coefficients now correspond to the newest generation of ground motion attenuation equations (seismic values).
• Five-foot tall wood trusses requiring permanent bracing must have a periodic special inspection to verify that the required bracing has been installed.
• New alternative fastener schedule for construction of mechanically laminated decking is added giving equivalent power-driven fasteners for the 20-penny nail.
• Solid sawn lumber header and girder spans for the exterior bearing walls reduce span lengths to allow #2 Southern Pine design values.