No horsing around

The Kelpies are two 30 metre tall, 300 tonnes horse heads made entirely out of steel, that are the centrepiece of the 740-acre Helix Park, which has been built between Falkirk and Grangemouth. Sculpted by Glasgow artist Andy Scott, the structures are inspired by Scotland’s history of working horses, which once pulled barges along the nearby Forth and Clyde Canal.

Main contractor on the project SH Structures commissioned Eurosafe Solutions to supply and install an internal ladder within each of the horse heads, one 19 metre high and another 21 metre high, and also to provide rope access assistance to the installers of the structures external cladding. 

Ian Shore, rope access co-ordinator at Eurosafe Solutions, said: "Our glideloc system was chosen as it offers a safe, aesthetically pleasing and cost effective alternative to traditional hooped ladders. We were able to fit the ladders quickly and efficiently and then moved on to supporting the installation team with rope access techniques to complete the rest of the project."

The ladders provided by Eurosafe Solutions consist of multiple sections of glideloc "Y” spar ladder sections, with a pivot section at the front of each which can be locked to prevent unauthorised use. The glideloc system consists of a fall protection rail, which forms a unique central stile to which the rungs of the ladder connect. To enable safe accent of the equipment, each ladder features a shock absorbing travelling device within the rail, providing the link between the users harness and the ladder system itself.