Both schemes certify that a technician can work safely on rope. What matters to a client is not which scheme, but whether the certificates are current, at the right levels, and belong to the people who will actually be on site.
IRATA vs SPRAT: What the Certification Means — practical guidance from the team running rope access services on the Garden Route. Below is how the two schemes differ, what the levels mean in practice, and the five things worth verifying before you appoint anyone.
Two schemes, similar architecture
IRATA — the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association — originated in the UK North Sea sector and is the dominant scheme internationally, including in South Africa. It operates through member companies: training is delivered by member training companies and assessed by independent assessors, and operational member companies are audited.
SPRAT — the Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians — originated in North America and operates a comparable scheme. It is the prevailing standard in the United States and appears elsewhere.
Both use a three-level structure, both require independent assessment rather than in-house sign-off, both require logged working hours before progression, and both require periodic revalidation.
The practical difference in South Africa is prevalence: IRATA is what clients, insurers and site standards here overwhelmingly specify, and it is what our technicians hold. A SPRAT-certified technician is not less capable; they may simply not satisfy a site standard written around IRATA.
Neither is a South African legal instrument. Compliance here runs through the OHS Act, the Construction Regulations and SANS 10333, which require competence and a documented fall protection plan. IRATA or SPRAT certification is how competence is commonly evidenced, not a substitute for the statutory framework.
What the levels mean
Level 1 is a technician who can perform a range of rope access tasks under supervision. They can carry out the work; they do not rig complex systems or take responsibility for the site’s rope access safety.
Level 2 is an intermediate technician with more advanced rigging and rescue capability, able to undertake more complex tasks and assist in supervision, still under the overall responsibility of a Level 3.
Level 3 is the supervisor. Full rigging and rescue competence, responsible for the rope access work on site, for the safety of the team, and for the rescue capability. A Level 3 must be present on site — this is the requirement most often quietly not met.
Progression requires logged hours as well as assessment. A technician cannot move up by passing another course; they must have accumulated documented working hours at the level below. That is what makes the levels mean something.
Certification is time-limited and requires revalidation through re-assessment. An expired certificate is not a formality — it means the person is not currently certified.
What to look for in a team composition: an appropriate ratio of supervised technicians to supervisors, with the Level 3 on site rather than on the letterhead.
Certification is not competence for the work
This is the distinction that matters most to a client and it is routinely glossed over.
Rope access certification says a person can get to the position safely and be rescued from it. It says nothing whatsoever about whether they can do the work once they are there.
A rope access welder needs to be a coded welder as well. A rope access NDT technician needs NDT qualification appropriate to the method — and those are separate certifications from separate bodies with their own currency requirements. The same applies to coating inspection, blasting, electrical work and geotechnical installation.
So the verification is always two sets of certificates per person, not one. A team where everyone is IRATA certified and nobody holds the trade qualification for the work is a team that can safely reach a weld it is not qualified to make.
Ask for both, for named individuals, with expiry dates, and ask specifically who will be attending your site — not who is on the company’s books.
And check the company as well as the people. IRATA operational membership involves auditing of the company’s systems, which is a different assurance from an individual holding a card.
What to verify before appointing
Five checks, and they are all documents somebody either has or does not.
1. Current certificates for the named technicians attending, at the levels the work requires, with a Level 3 among them and expiry dates that have not passed.
2. Trade competency evidence for the actual work — welding coding, NDT qualification, coating or blasting certification — again for the named individuals.
3. Company standing. IRATA operational membership or equivalent, and evidence the company’s systems have been audited rather than only its people trained.
4. Equipment inspection and certification records, dated, for the ropes, harnesses, connectors and descenders coming to your site.
5. The documentation pack — a method statement specific to your structure, a risk assessment, and a rescue plan worked out for that access rather than lifted from a template. Under SANS 10333 the fall protection plan and the appointed planner sit behind all of it.
Plus the commercial basics: a current letter of good standing from the Compensation Fund, and public liability cover appropriate to the value of the asset you are asking a contractor to work on.
We supply all of it before mobilisation rather than on request, because on industrial sites the documentation review is usually the long pole and it is worth removing from the critical path.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between IRATA and SPRAT?
Both are rope access certification schemes with a three-level structure, independent assessment, logged-hours progression and periodic revalidation. IRATA originated in the UK offshore sector and dominates internationally including South Africa; SPRAT originated in North America. The practical difference here is prevalence — South African clients, insurers and site standards overwhelmingly specify IRATA, so a SPRAT-certified technician may be entirely capable and still not satisfy a site standard.
What are the IRATA levels?
Level 1 works under supervision. Level 2 has more advanced rigging and rescue capability and can assist in supervision. Level 3 is the supervisor, with full rigging and rescue competence, responsible for the rope access work and the rescue capability on site. Progression needs logged working hours as well as assessment, which is what gives the levels meaning. A Level 3 must be present on site, and that is the requirement most often quietly not met.
Is IRATA certification legally required in South Africa?
Not as a legal instrument in itself. Compliance runs through the OHS Act, the Construction Regulations and SANS 10333, which require demonstrated competence, an appointed fall protection planner and a documented fall protection plan. IRATA certification is the common way competence is evidenced and is frequently specified by clients and insurers, but it sits alongside the statutory framework rather than replacing it.
Does rope access certification mean the technician can do the work?
No, and this is the distinction that matters most. Rope access certification says a person can reach the position safely and be rescued from it. It says nothing about whether they can weld, perform NDT, apply a coating or install a rock anchor. Those need separate trade qualifications from separate bodies. Always verify two sets of certificates per named person, not one.
How long does certification last?
It is time-limited and requires revalidation through reassessment rather than simply continuing to work. An expired certificate means the person is not currently certified, which is not a technicality if there is an incident and an insurer or an inspector reviews the file. Check expiry dates against the names of the people actually attending your site.
What should I ask a rope access contractor for?
Current certificates for the named technicians attending, at appropriate levels with a Level 3 among them; trade competency evidence for the actual work; company standing such as IRATA operational membership; dated equipment inspection records; and a documentation pack containing a site-specific method statement, risk assessment and rescue plan. Plus a current letter of good standing and adequate public liability cover.
Related reading
- Fall protection plans
- Running a rope access project
- Why rope access wins on cost
- Rope access contractors in South Africa
Verifying a rope access contractor?
Ask for two sets of certificates per named technician — the rope qualification and the trade qualification — plus a Level 3 on site. We send the full pack before mobilisation.
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