Bilfinger Height Specialists

Multi-skilled rope access company

With rope access we use ropes, climbing techniques and safety equipment to gain access to inaccessible areas. This can be at height or in depth, such as work sites above water, in confined spaces or within buildings. Working with rope access allows us to avoid obstacles in a safe and efficient way in order to carry out work at height.

Rope access is used when other working methods are not safe, not possible or have a negative impact on the environment. Think, for example, of sloping roofs that you cannot reach with aerial work platforms or of work sites above water that you cannot reach with scaffolding.

IRATA Certified Company

IRATA stands for Industrial Rope Access Trade Association and is an organisation that focuses on the safe execution of rope access. IRATA is recognised as the world's leading authority on industrial rope access. As a certified member we adhere to the guidelines of IRATA and therefore work with rope access in a safe way.

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Certified Training Company

IRATA training, working at height training, rescue at height training and even customized trainings. We are the experts in the field of safe working at height and are passionate about sharing this with everyone in our field! We have experienced trainers, facilities and resources to train people practically. Check out the possibilities!

Training courses

Join Our Team

Not afraid of great heights? Do you enjoy working outdoors? And do you like working in a friendly and sporty team? Come work at Bilfinger Height Specialists! Every day is unique and you are guaranteed the best views.

Rope acces technician career

Our services

Maintenance

In order to deliver the best possible service to each client, our technicians have a wide variety of technical skills in addition to the rope access qualifications. This allows us to carry out inspection work in advance from which we draw up maintenance plans. With the implementation of these maintenance plans we can, of course, be of service, by creating a single point of contact for all work.

Electric

One of the activities where rope access is often used is cable pulling. Indeed, scaffolding is ideal for accessing a work site at height for long-term operations. But what if one cable needs to be secured in 54 locations? Is it efficient to build 54 scaffolds for ten minutes of work? In this case, building scaffolds is time-consuming and involves a lot of risk hours and is rope access the ideal solution.

Insulation

Our rope access technicians are highly skilled professionals. For example, some of the technicians specialise as insulator. As a result, we are often deployed in the industry to remove, replace or install insulation. Fortunately, we at Bilfinger have a great deal of knowledge and experience when it comes to insulation. Our technicians are trained annually at the OOI (training and development fund for the insulation industry) with the latest techniques and newest materials allowing us to deliver the required qualities.

NDT

We choose to continually develop the team with the latest techniques in the field of non-destructive testing and inspection. By keeping up with the latest developments and techniques, we ensure that we can serve every clients’ needs with the right people and skill sets.

PT
MT
UT
VT
Concrete inspection
Internal inspection

Painting

From our offshore, maritime and civil projects, we have learned a lot about painting over the years. Nowadays, rope access is increasingly used to carry out painting work. Our technicians take training courses to maintain a high level of painting.

Piping & Mechanical

Several technicians have been trained as flange fitters and can fit certified flanges. This also provides collaboration opportunities with Bilfinger ROB. With ROB's expertise in piping & mechanical, entire installations are designed and made. During installation, it is an excellent opportunity to support our colleagues using rope access. This is also one of the reasons why we had almost all our technicians follow the flange fitter training.

Hot work

To loosen parts of a platform, they are bolted, ground or burned. There are no official certificates in circulation for cutting burning. To gain knowledge, some of the technicians attended a course on cutting torching. Here, they learned various techniques and how to adjust the cutting torch. After this course, which provided many benefits and insights, we applied cutting torching on several projects.

Heavy Lifting & Decommissioning

Rope access is mainly about moving people and parts vertically using rope techniques. We can assist you with various activities where building scaffolding can be time-consuming or complicated. In this way, rope access offers the solution for heavy lifting and decommissioning activities.

Assistance with decommissioning
Assistance with lifting operations
Hoisting of heavy loads
Rigging
Hotwork

Stand-by Rescue Team

Working at height and in confined spaces involves risks. These locations can often be reached with conventional resources, but what if a person falls or becomes unwell and is unable to bring themselves to safety? In these situations, time is a critical aspect and action must be taken quickly.

With rope access, we can efficiently and safely move casualties to safety or to a location where medical assistance can be provided.

We offer our rope access rescue teams during high-risk operations such as in confined space and work at height. It is possible for rope access rescue teams to be available for single entry. With the right preparation, a permanent rescue team can be on stand-by during turnarounds and can be an excellent asset on site.

Because of our experience in working at height and confined spaces, Bilfinger Height Specialists lends itself perfectly to the safety of third parties at high-risk sites.

[Translate to English:] rope access services

References

References Bilfinger Height Specialists

Our training courses

[Translate to English:] training at height

Our training courses

IRATA training

IRATA is an organization with a proven safe method for working at height. We are a proud member of IRATA and have been an IRATA certified training center for over 10 years. In our training center in Bergschenhoek we offer training for IRATA level 1, 2 and 3. Partly due to the atmosphere within the organization and the quality of our trainers, the success rate is well above 95%.

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IRATA refresh training

An IRATA certificate is valid for three years, but if you haven’t climbed for more than 6 months according to your logbook it is necessary to take a refresh course (otherwise your certificate is not valid). This way you can refresh your IRATA techniques within one day and when you’re finished you can safely work at height according to the IRATA guidelines again.

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Working at height training

Safety comes first. The first step in working safely at height is therefore to become aware of the risks and dangers at height. In addition, it is also important to know which techniques and which materials are best suited to a particular situation. Our trainers would like share their knowledge with you from their experience in a pleasant and interactive way. Bilfinger Height Specialists offers training in the field of safe working at height for employees and operational managers.

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Rescue at height training

When it comes to working at height, the safety of yourself, your colleagues and the environment comes first. If something goes wrong during a project, it is important to know how to carry out a rescue at height. How do you prepare a rescue plan? How do you carry out a rescue? And what do you do after a rescue? During our rescue at height training you will get the answers to these questions and a lot of practice.

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Customized training

When there are situations within your organization where specific training in the field of working at heights is needed, Bilfinger Height Specialists provides customized training. In consultation with you, a programme will be drawn up in which all your wishes will be discussed. The training can be given in our training center in Bergschenhoek or at a location of your choice.

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Working at Bilfinger Height Specialists

Achieve new heights

We are looking for enthusiastic people eager to become rope access technicians. You are not afraid of great heights and are ready to take on the challenge in the ropes. Do you not yet have an IRATA certificate? No problem, we will teach you the ropes!

You will be working in the most unique places and the location varies from day to day. Think off football stadiums and amusement parks, but also chimneys 200 metres high and drilling platforms.

In this challenging and varied position, you will be given every freedom and opportunity to achieve your goals and continue to develop yourself. Do you prefer working in a team but also have the qualities to work independently? Are you driven, flexible and hardworking? Then we would like to meet you!

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Join #TeamBilfinger here!

Bilfinger acquires industrial rope access provider Height Specialists

11/10/2020

Bolt-on acquisition of Dutch rope access specialist
Acquisition expands portfolio to meet growing demand for alternative height access solutions and integrated services in Belgium and the Netherlands
40 skilled rope access professionals join Bilfinger under the new name ‘Bilfinger Height Specialists’

Bilfinger has signed a contract to acquire Height Specialists, an industrial rope access provider based in Bergschenhoek, the Netherlands. With the acquisition, Bilfinger continues on its strategic growth course in the BeNe region by expanding its range of alternative height access solutions – solutions that are increasingly in demand with customers in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Bilfinger is now also in a position to provide a wide range of integrated maintenance services at height, ensuring comprehensive solutions for customers in the process industry. The acquisition also includes a training center that provides rope access training for International Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA) levels 1, 2 and 3. The parties have agreed to not disclose the purchase price. This is Bilfinger’s first acquisition in the last six years.

Tom Blades, Bilfinger CEO: “The acquisition of Height Specialists underlines our leading market position in the BeNe region and our ability to provide efficient and safe access to assets and deliver operational performance improvements. Our goal is to add bottom line value for our customers. Rope access enjoys increasing demand from our customers in all industries. Together with Height Specialists, we will work on extending the service life of our customers’ assets as well as safeguard asset integrity, reduce maintenance costs and increase plant performance.”

Henri Hoogenes, Managing Director at Height Specialists: “By joining the Bilfinger team, we combine our strengths to make the inaccessible accessible for customers. We create an integrated service portfolio in inspection, maintenance, insulation, painting and repair that allows us to respond to increasing demand for rope access solutions in the industry. Joining Bilfinger allows us to build on their market position and strong customer relationships in the process industry throughout the BeNe region.”

Height Specialists was founded in 1995 and has approximately 40 employees. The company serves customers in the process & petrochemical, offshore & marine, civil & infrastructure and energy & renewables sectors. The team consists of trained rope access professionals who provide various services such as non-destructive testing, insulation, painting and maintenance as well as decommissioning of offshore platforms and training in rope access. Rope access is used when other working methods are not safe, not possible or have a negative impact on the environment.

Bilfinger is active in Belgium and the Netherlands with more than 3,000 employees, serving customers such as Shell, BP, Huntsman, BASF and INEOS. The portfolio includes services across the entire lifecycle of industrial assets, such as project consultancy, engineering, procurement and fabrication, piping & mechanical, electrical & instrumentation, insulation, scaffolding, painting and other various maintenance and operational services.

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