THP team members Luke Field and Mitchell Hoelker recently earned the SPRAT Level I certification.
Luke Field has been at THP since 2021 and some exciting building envelope projects he has been a part of include historic restorations like the University of Cincinnati’s Memorial Hall and the Butler County Courthouse. Mitchell Hoelker joined THP in 2020. During his time as a member of the building envelope team, Mitchell has worked on several famous buildings, which include shaping the future of the Cincinnati Riverfront Park. Luke and Mitchell’s involvement on the rope access team allows them to deepen their involvement within the building envelope group.
Luke and Mitchell are both excited to take on this new adventure within their careers. Luke says, “When diagnosing façade issues, it’s impossible to over-state the value of being able to get up close and put hands on the building pieces. SPRAT certification allows THP Building Envelope team members to safely access portions of the façade previously inaccessible (…and it lets me dust off some long dormant climbing and rappelling skills!)”
Mitchell adds, “When I learned about the rappelling opportunity at THP I couldn’t pass up the chance to review all types of architectural detailing from an entirely new perspective, hundreds of feet in the air! I can’t wait to use my SPRAT certification because I see this skill as a way to build upon my knowledge of the regional building materials and construction detailing, as well as improve my ability to provide clients with comprehensive repair projects to prolong the lifespan of their buildings.”
About Rope Access
Rope access allows the assessment of building envelopes with minimal impact on the building and to the building occupants, providing building owners with an expedient, cost-effective, and low operational impact way to understand their envelope condition close-up. Rope access requires less mobilization than a swing stage and little to no coordination with the building owner or contractor. THP’s technicians rappel using only a top anchor point – typically an existing rooftop structure or an engineered anchor point. If there is no existing OSHA-certified tie-off point, THP also has internal certification which allows the team to assess a building and identify safe anchor point options.
THP’s rope access technicians show an impressive dedication to the high-quality, high-efficiency work that they do, and their involvement in building exterior surveys provides an advanced level of information with low-level impact and less capital spending.
The Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians (SPRAT) creates industry-consensus standards defining the safety procedures and best practices for rope access. SPRAT is dedicated to at-heights training and education, and this certification provides instant recognition and credibility for those who carry it.
THP’s rope access team members are SPRAT-certified, enabling them to perform essential rope access operations. Certification provides them with methods for safety, efficiency, and rope-related skills, including ways to tie a variety of knots and perform rope movement techniques.