One of the most important aspects of both the IRATA and SPRAT systems is the time and experience required between the three levels. For IRATA it takes a minimum of 1,000 hours and 12 months of experience in industrial rope access before you can be considered for an upgrade to the next level All of this experience must be recorded, or logged, in your own IRATA Logbook.
To enable any IRATA technician to attend a training course for either an upgrade or re-certification course they must present their logbook to the instructors on the first day of the training. The instructor will then check the logbook to ensure all the required hours are appropriately signed off and all is in order. (for details on who can sign your logbook see my blog post titled “Who can sign my logbook”)
Both the instructors and Assessors are well versed in spotting issues with logbooks and sadly instances of fraud have often been found. Recently in both Europe and North America some Level 3’s have had their certifications removed and been downgraded to a lower level after being found guilty of signing off either fraudulent hours or hours they were not present to witness. Details of one such case can be found here on the IRATA website.
Signing off hours you did not witness or adding fraudulent hours is a very serious offence in IRATA and the chances of getting caught are getting higher everyday. Do not risk your certification, nor other peoples lives by signing off on hours you aren't supposed to!