Labor of love: roofing and rope access work on Meaux Cathedral

In May 2014, Franck, a roofer-rope access worker, and Kilian, his apprentice, started working on the roof of Meaux Cathedral. This atypical work site highlights the challenges involved in the rope access profession along with the necessity for a genuine artisan expertise. Employee testimonials from the companies Abside and Epicure offer an insightful look into working in this extremely diverse profession.

Interview with master roofer, Franck Jarrige

Franck, 41 years old and father of two, received his roofing CAP and BP (diploma and certification in France) at the age of 16. Foreman and business manager for nine years at Aplomb, he earned level 1 and level 2 "Rope Access Worker" professional certification (CQP), since regulations require workers to be attached to a safety line to repair and restore, for example, the glass exterior of the Grand Palais (Great Palace) in Paris. He then returned to his hometown in September 2013 to work for Abside.

"I really enjoy working and having to adapt to a wide variety of projects at different sites. One of my favorite pastimes is to pass on the skills and expertise of the trade through an apprenticeship program. For several months, I have taught rope-access-certified 19-year old, Kilian Jacquin, the ins and outs of the roofing profession. I like to delegate, to help young professionals gain skills, to put them in real-life situations, to give them a taste of a job well done so that in the end they are able to find long-term employment. For both the apprentice and master, spending time with the same person over an extended period is a fulfilling experience.

In our line of work, we constantly face situations where you need to be extremely attentive and find not-so-obvious solutions to truly unique problems. Above all else, I teach young apprentices how to be efficient. Our profession is physically demanding and the places where we work are often difficult to access, so we need to install the necessary equipment to be able to safely move around and do our jobs properly. Young apprentices might quickly find themselves in a bungle or even stuck if they forget the right tools, not counting fatigue, lost time, and the lack of efficiency. The basic principles for our line of work are to analyze the task at hand, to leave nothing to chance, to always be present in what you are doing, to plan ahead, and to prepare yourself and your equipment. This is the key to longevity in our profession. With self-sufficiency, well-developed skills as a professional artisan and rope access worker, the apprentice is well-equipped to embark on a rewarding career. Of course, we keep tabs on all of our apprentices, and often years later they call us for help in certain difficult or new situations, such as welding underwater."

Working on Meaux Cathedral (in the Paris region) with Franck and Kilian

"This is a real-world situation. I decided to bring Kilian, my young apprentice, to the roof of Meaux Cathedral to replace a leader head on a gutter. He was awestruck by the view: we could see 30km to 40km away in every direction, the tower was 70m high, and the cathedral’s stones and framework were carved more than 400 years ago. This religious edifice was built between 1175 and 1540.
The area exudes a certain power, but we had to remain detached and focus on the task at hand. Our job represented a full day’s work for two people. We had our instructions in hand, analyzed the risks, established our specific protocol for working safely, and ensured that the building was safe and secure. The government agency that oversees historical buildings did not just randomly hand us this project. We needed to be able to progress along a series of arches and balustrades for access. To complicate matters, it started raining when we were setting up. To install our anchors we needed to remove a few roof shingles. I was on the upper gangway and I “remotely guided” my young apprentice, who was on the lower gangway. He needed to install the equipment as he progressed, using extremely specific techniques. Rope installation is always a highly advanced procedure. The slightest pendulum fall could have had serious consequences, such as damaging the rock, sculptures, and of course the stained glass windows. There was absolutely no room for error."

Interview with Denis Marchand, CEO of Abside

Denis Marchand is a high-mountain guide, ski instructor, and a surveyor for public works projects.

Why rope access work?

"I merged my rope-related professional activities into the company Acces. Since 2000, with my associate Sébastien Testé, who is a certified rock climbing instructor and rope access worker, we created Abside and then another company, Epicure. We are certified rope access workers, as well as certified scaffolding builders and boom lift operators.
When working on buildings in urban areas, we face certain challenges to be able to properly intervene. Approximately 5% of our workload involves buildings considered to be inaccessible. These are places where we have to use supplemental means to be able to do the work."

What is your motivation, what do you enjoy about your profession?

"I enjoy working at heights and the truly incredible setting where most of our projects take place. Our profession is physically demanding, especially due to bad weather, but it always includes a very interesting component: we rise above the surroundings and see the city from up high; the views and setting have a profound impact for a truly positive experience. For us, city projects really mean Paris, with its roofs and small hidden courtyards, all of the amazingly intricate details of urban life. One size does not fit all, our work is extremely varied, and each building is unique."

What are the great successes in your profession?

"Just a few decades ago, a new profession appeared: rope access work. Today in France there are 5000 rope access workers and 400 companies that specialize in difficult access work. We have participated in creating a new trade. We view this as a great success. France is a driving force in the profession, a leader. At the start, there were a just few dozen of us working on the guidelines, a training system, new operating procedures, as well as with manufacturing partners on new equipment (harnesses, fall arresters, lanyards…). We brought two professions together that initially appeared to have nothing in common."

What are the high points for your company?

"The high points are meeting with our clients, who work with us on a daily basis. Our know-how provides us with the ability to respond to a wide range of requests from our clients, and allows us to maintain control over the company’s growth. In the future, we hope to go even further, but this is always cause for a bit of anxiety since the challenge consists of finding reliable solutions that will allow us to subsist and to dream. Being at height every day means working in an inherently dangerous situation, but we mitigate the risk by planning ahead of time, by remaining focused, and by calling upon our extensive experience."

What about training others and teaching the profession to the next generation?

"Through full-time apprenticeships we are directly involved in training young rope access workers in learning to become roofers. Being involved is the rule at Abside, it is just not possible to be an opportunist in our profession. Every day we are faced with problems to solve, whether issues with materials, stone, rooftops, or infiltrations in wood-shingled roofs. Our multi-faceted profession requires us to get to the bottom of things and to analyze ever possible solution to find the best one."

Abside and Epicure

These two companies form the Cairn Group, and specialize in work at height for “highly” renowned places in urban areas throughout the entire greater Paris region.
The companies cover two professions: difficult rope access work for buildings, industry, and cleaning for Abside, and permanent fall protection systems for Epicure (railings, lifelines, gangways…)..

Abside works on projects that require a true expertise in building exteriors, building frames, plumbing, masonry, and maintenance/cleaning.
Even though the bread and butter work for Abside’s artisans is maintenance for public housing, installing safety netting, or repairs to protect against infiltrations, we often use their technical expertise and skills to restore monuments, such as the roof and copper dome on the Louvre’s Lesdiguière Pavilion, which required skill and experience working with both lead and zinc.