What happens when your IRATA certificate expires? What does it mean for your work life? For upcoming training for re-certification? 

Notes on Certifications

• Once your certification expires, you are no longer allowed to practice rope access
• If you fail your re-certification, your certificate is no longer valid, even if it's not expired. In some cases, your Assessor may allow you to continue the Assessment for a lower level.
• In very rare circumstances, IRATA may withdraw your certification before the expiry date due to lack of safety, abusing your IRATA certification, and falsifying information.
• Certificates are issued to the name of the Rope Access Technician and not the employer.

Mark an electronic calendar (in your cell, for instance) with your certification expiration date and log a date six months out to remind you to sign up for in-date (before expiry date) re-certification or new certification training. This will save you the hassle of trying to re-certify after your certification has expired. 

That said, if you’re currently holding an expired L3 IRATA certification, here are the steps you can take. The information here is taken from the most recent version of the IRATA TACS. However, you should always do your due diligence and refer to the TACS before making any training plans. At the bottom of this post, we’ve included additional information about planned expiry. 

Expired (up to 6 months) Level 3 to be re-assessed to Level 3

Technicians who have allowed their Level 3 certification to expire by between 1 day and 6 months will need to re-certify their L3 as per section 4.10 of the IRATA TACS.

• A minimum of 4 days Level 3 training shall be completed.
• 1 day full assessment by an independent IRATA Assessor. An IRATA Level 3 certificate will be issued with an expiry date 3 years from the date of successful Level 3 assessment.

Technicians who have allowed their Level 3 certification to expire by between 6 and 24 months should arrange for refresher training with Pacific Ropes before taking their L3 course. 

• Complete a 1 day refresher with an IRATA Training Member Company like Pacific Ropes.
• This refresher shall be logged in the training section of the technician’s logbook and authenticated by the training company stamp or instructor's signature and IRATA number. Then,
• Complete a minimum of 4 days Level 3 training to cover Level 3 topics.
• 1 day full assessment by an independent IRATA Assessor. An IRATA Level 3 certificate will be issued with an expiry date 3 years from the date of successful Level 3 assessment.

Expired (by more than 24 months) Level 3 to be re-assessed to Level 3

Technicians who have allowed their Level 3 certification to expire by more than 24 months should arrange for re-qualification at Level 2 first before attending their L3 training.

• Successfully complete a 4-day Level 2 training course.
• 1 day assessment by an independent IRATA Assessor to Level 2.
• Complete 150 hours of logged rope access work. 
• Then, register and complete a 4-day Level 3 training course.
• 1 day assessment by an independent IRATA Assessor to Level 3. An IRATA Level 3 certificate will be issued with an expiry date 3 years from the date of successful Level 3 assessment.

Re-assessing with a valid certification-Process

Technicians who have an in-date Level 3 certificate should arrange for re-certification training with an IRATA Trainer Member Company like Pacific Ropes.

The training should be sufficient to refresh all previously assessed techniques and theory and must cover any changes to the Technician Assessment and Certification Scheme that have occurred since the previous assessment.

• A minimum of 4 days Level 3 refresher training shall be completed.
• 1 day assessment by an independent IRATA Assessor.

If re-training and successful Level 3 assessment are completed in the 6 month period prior to the expiry of a current certificate, a new Level 3 certificate will be issued with an expiry date 3 years from the date of expiry on the previous certificate.

Planned Expiry

Technicians wishing to re-validate or upgrade who anticipate expiry of their certification due to medical or personal reasons can, prior to expiry, contact us at Pacific Ropes. We will document the reasons for the planned expiry and ensure there are suitable grounds for in date certification to be delayed by liaising with IRATA head office on your behalf. 

Do you have any questions regarding this process? Don't hesitate to call Pacific Ropes @ 604-447-8055