Industrial mountaineering as a type of business: from theory to practice. Unusual profession: industrial climber

Let's talk about whether industrial mountaineering business is profitable.

Let's start with a definition. Industrial mountaineering is high-altitude work. Yes, this should include installation, repair and construction, and dismantling work. Speaking in the language of ordinary people, everything that can be done in the air, at altitude, is what industrial mountaineering is.

Some statistics:
It is quite logical to turn to the experience of businessmen who have already established themselves in this area. They note that every year the demand for high-altitude work is only growing.

Their employees are happy to be called upon to paint high-rise buildings, maintain railway bridges, mobile phone towers, overpasses, overpasses... The list could go on for a long time. There is demand - therefore, there is supply. Even after the crisis, industrial mountaineering as a business has not lost its value.

Analysts comment:
Analysts claim that previously orders in monetary terms from the population accounted for about 20–30%. But already in 2011, demand increased by as much as 10%, and it continues to grow all the time. Conclusion? Industrial mountaineering business is profitable! However, it is worth understanding that most of the income, whatever one may say, comes from building maintenance. This is what we need to build on.

Some predictions:
If you are now thinking about starting a business in industrial mountaineering, then the prospects, according to the same analysts, are not bad. The fact is that the Olympics will take place in 2014, and a huge number of all kinds of structures are being built for this event. You definitely can’t do it without the services of industrial climbers.

Business secrets in industrial mountaineering.
Actually, the secrets are familiar to many, moreover, they are obvious:

• First of all, it is necessary to select qualified employees. They will determine the success of the business. It is impossible to stay in the market for long without staff. Interesting note: cavers make excellent industrial climbers.
• You must understand that industrial mountaineering will be in active demand for about 6 months a year - the most popular one is the winter season. That is, employees must be paid 2 times more than, say, builders. If you don't do this, you will be left without people.
• Another “secret”: employees must constantly maintain their physical shape. You must create all conditions for them if there is no work at the moment.

What documents are required?

• Without paper, people are bugs, so get ready to prepare a large package;
• A complete list of papers for joining an SRO, where you will be allowed to perform high-risk work;
• Absolutely every employee, without exception, must have documents confirming their qualifications. That is, that a person can competently perform the work offered by the company using the industrial mountaineering method;
• Employees' IDs must not be expired. Every year, industrial steeplejacks undergo certification.

Naturally, you will have to take care of the official registration of the company (LLC, etc.).

What is the investment?

On average, an industrial mountaineering company can earn more than 1 million US dollars per year. Yes, since the work is not cheap, it requires responsibility, and must be performed with exceptional quality. None of the climbers will work for pennies, which is why the prices are high. However, to get something, you must first invest.
How much money do you need to open a company?

It all depends on the ambitions and level of the company. If you want to open a very small business where clients will be offered “cheap” services, for example, sealing interpanel joints, then $250 will be enough for start-up capital.

The money will be used to purchase ropes, sealant, and protective clothing. You can focus on “low-frequency requests”, then the profitability of the business will be higher, and the competition will be higher accordingly. Less.
If you plan to offer expensive services: for example, anti-corrosion treatment of metal structures, then the minimum you will need is 60,000 rubles.

The money will be used to purchase several sets of equipment for industrial climbers, and one set costs about 300 USD. e., as well as for other industrial equipment. Don’t forget about renting space for equipment and an office. Sometimes you just need transport to transport employees and tools. You can hire a driver with your own vehicle.

Overall, the success of industrial mountaineering will be influenced by many different factors. Here are just a few of them:

• The height at which work is carried out;
• Ease of access;
• Climatic conditions;
• The quality of working materials (by the way, approximate prices for equipment for industrial mountaineering can be found here, and you will find a complete list of necessary materials).

In any case, there are prospects for a business in industrial mountaineering, if only you would like to do it!

Industrial mountaineering is a fairly popular and profitable type of business that does not require large investments. The only requirement is courage and knowledge of the specifics of performing high-altitude work. Remember that such specialists are always in demand. Especially in big cities, where many high-rise buildings have been built and there are large industrial facilities. High-rise works include insulating apartments from the outside, repairing chimneys, and so on. In general, all work that is carried out at high altitudes can be performed using industrial mountaineering techniques.

face-wall cleaning

Competition in the industrial area

Of course, there are more and more daredevils ready to work at heights every year. Consequently, competition is growing. Unfortunately, most of these workers are not professionals - they can be negligent in their duties and violate safety regulations. As a result, the number of accidents increases.

In general, there are not many professional companies that would engage in such craft. More of ordinary “shabashniks” who somewhere gained the necessary experience and decided to make quick money. They do not register their business and therefore cannot boast of a stable income. And, frankly speaking, the organization is lame. There are often delays in the purchase of materials, the quality of work suffers, deadlines are extended - all this leaves a negative impression of cooperation.

Shabashniks greatly hinder the development of normal business, primarily with their low prices. People stop working for someone else, feel free, and in order to get at least some income they are ready to work practically for free. When a representative of a reputable company approaches a customer with his prices, it is quite natural that his eyes widen. But quality work pays off over time. The customer receives a great guarantee and high quality. The contractor is forced to raise prices, because he needs to pay taxes to the state.

A little about advertising

There is no point in talking about traditional advertising in industrial mountaineering. It is much more effective to “promote”, thanks to the quality of your work, i.e. using recommendations from your clients. Practice shows that most issues are resolved at the level of personal communication. Of course, advertising in newspapers and the Internet has not been canceled - this will come in handy.

Prospects

If we talk about the prospects in the field of high-altitude work, they are quite good, even despite the high saturation of the market. If a climber receives an order, it must be completed with one hundred percent efficiency. Otherwise, it is difficult to talk about further growth. At the same time, you can work not only in one city - constantly expand the geography of your presence. New clients will never be redundant.

Climbers' salaries

Due to the increased danger of work, remuneration must be decent. On average, an industrial climber receives about 50-75 thousand rubles for his services. If you have to work on a business trip, the amount increases.

How to become a specialist in this field? - Yes, very simple. You must complete the appropriate courses and obtain a license. There are also courses after which you can obtain a high-altitude qualification. If you hire personnel for a newly organized company, then special attention must be paid to their training. A person must undergo instruction and a practical course. At first, a beginner should have an experienced instructor next to him who will help him master the profession and provide advice in difficult situations.

Profitability

The normal profitability of such a business is about 30-50 percent. But there are objects that do not bring profit, but allow you to get a good customer in the future with good payment in the future. If you're lucky, the profitability can even reach 80-90 percent. But the longer you work in the market, the higher the quality and the greater the profit becomes.

Business expenses

Industrial mountaineering is a relatively low-cost type of business. So, buying a painting compressor can cost 80-100 thousand rubles. At the same time, you will have to invest another 7-8 thousand monthly in its maintenance. Particular attention should be paid to power tools - they also need to be changed periodically.

conclusions

Over time, you can reach a serious level, begin capital construction, recruit a large staff and even open branches. There are no limits to perfection. The main thing is to act.

Although industrial mountaineering has become particularly popular in the Russian Federation not so long ago, sometimes it is simply irreplaceable. Specialists in this field will be able to complete the task in conditions that do not allow the installation of special equipment. They will help you wash outside windows, trim tree crowns, seal seams, and perform other important work at height. It is not surprising that the services of mountain climbers are in high demand.

Some people are attracted to this profession because of its extreme nature and the desire to be known as a hero in the eyes of girls. Others strive to make good money. Many people want to learn how to become an industrial climber. This does not require special education, but such work is not suitable for everyone. Important conditions are not to be afraid of heights, physical strength, as well as mountaineering skills. Special mountaineering or tourist clubs will help with the last requirement. It is generally accepted that industrial mountaineering is a temporary job.

Why is it better to treat industrial work as a temporary job?

There are a number of reasons why industrial mountaineering should be treated as a side hustle rather than a stable job. Let's look at the most important of them. Sometimes companies involved in industrial mountaineering conduct their activities on the basis of tourist sections that are opened at higher and other educational institutions. That's why students work for them.

This decision is economically justified: young people are full of energy and are ready to work hard for relatively low pay. In addition, the organization always has a wide selection of potential employees.

It is well known that industrial mountaineering is one of the most dangerous professions, which is associated with great risk. With age, it becomes more and more difficult to withstand high loads, and when a family appears, the thrill fades into the background. The value of security increases many times over.

The work of industrial climbers

Companies providing industrial mountaineering services perform the following work:

• installation of a roof drainage system;
• seam sealing;
• installation of antennas;
• banner signage;
• reconstruction of the building cladding;
• painting facades;
• installation of air conditioners;
• glass washing;
• clearing snow from roofs.

In order to start working as an industrial climber, you will need some investment. You will need to spend at least $300 to purchase quality equipment. You will definitely need to purchase:

Climbers perform work in groups of 2-10 people, the size of the team is determined by the type of work performed. It is good that specialists have been collaborating with each other for some time and know how to interact well. This is understandable - working at height requires good coordination.

As you can see, the work of an industrial climber is not easy and has a number of features. The money they earn is well deserved. Did you notice the rope outside the window? Do not pull on it under any circumstances! And if you plan to use the high-altitude services of companies, value the work of their employees. If you see work being done at height, it is better not to go beyond the fence. This way you can protect your health. After all, even a small pebble that falls from the ninth floor can hurt. What can we say about heavier objects?

An idea for a business without initial investment and ongoing costs. If you have good organizational skills and know a couple of climbers, then it is quite possible to organize your own business in industrial mountaineering.

Industrial mountaineering is gaining momentum every year. The majority of the population has only seen people cleaning skyscrapers on television; in everyday life, this type of business has not yet become widespread. For you, as a business owner, this means no competition, as well as a free tariff policy. In addition to washing windows, industrial climbers can hang outdoor advertisements on houses, provide utility services, for example, changing external wiring on houses, getting animals from trees, congratulating clients through a window, in general, the range of services is limited only by your imagination and the abilities of a climber.

First, organize a business, make a website, place advertising. In advertising, focus on potential customers, these will mainly be enterprises and other legal entities, so the best way to find a customer is cold calls, Internet spam, and placement in city directories of organizations. Don’t forget to attend various exhibitions and look for clients at them.

Next you need to find climbers. You can recruit a staff, but this is not profitable; a good specialist for less than 50,000 a month will not risk his life. It is better to work according to the contractor – civilian scheme and pay a fixed salary per day, for example 3,000 rubles. This position is also beneficial because you can hire newcomers whose salary requirements are much lower. It’s cheaper to pay for the travel of a specialist from Ryazan, paying 2,000 rubles a day, than to hire a Muscovite for 70,000. Where to find specialists? In fact, they will find you themselves, you just have to advertise or come to the climbing wall. Most industrial climbers are young people and students who need part-time work.

Now let's calculate the profitability of the business. The cost of washing one window is 500 rubles; a climber can wash up to 20 windows per day. Thus, the revenue will be about 10,000 rubles, and the profit will be 7,000 rubles. Of course, discounts will need to be provided for large volumes. The main problem in this business is private owners. No one will stop your client from paying you for 1 day of work and then hiring your climber directly.

Even if a person is on staff, large enterprises can lure him away. To avoid such situations, you should have additional advantages, for example, a guarantee for the work performed (which is important, for example, for more complex work, such as repairing external electrical systems), the ability to work by bank transfer, factoring schemes, and finally, insurance of the climbers themselves against accidents. All this does not require large expenses, but will provide you with a stable profit.

Industrial alpinism- this is the performance of high-rise work using special technology on building structures in an unsupported space. All work is carried out using climbing rope and simple manual equipment without the use of scaffolding, cradles, scaffolds and other auxiliary devices.

The profession has quite a rich history. One of the first massive needs for this kind of specialists arose in the early 1930s during the construction of the Hoover Dam (USA). Then, to strengthen the mountain slopes, the miner workers had to descend from the mountains on ropes and carry out the necessary work with hand tools - drilling pits, laying dynamite. Due to their low skill and lack of experience, work was carried out extremely slowly with an increased risk to the lives of workers.

In the USSR, industrial climbers were first involved during the Great Patriotic War. So in 1942, specialists took part in camouflaging golden spiers from targeted enemy fire in besieged Leningrad. The team of climbers was led by Olga Afanasyevna Firsova.

With the development and advent of reliable climbing equipment and heavy-duty ropes, industrial mountaineering as a commercial technology and profession gained its popularity in the 80s of the 20th century.

Industrial climber is a modern, in-demand profession

In Russia, a modern profession industrial climber introduced Resolution of the Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation dated May 17, 2001 N 40 and is described in the Unified Tariff and Qualification Directory of Work and Professions of Workers (ETKS) (based on the Resolution of the USSR State Committee on Labor and Social Issues and the Secretariat of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions dated January 31, 1985 N 31/3-30) in § 277a. Industrial climber (5th category).

Characteristics of this profession by ETKS: Performing technological operations in an unsupported space using climbing technologies during repair and construction work on high-rise structures, radio towers, supports, bridges, chimneys, gas ducts, tunnel vaults, ice breaker piers of bridges, etc. Carrying out audits, inspections and identifying defects in high-rise structures. Coating of various surfaces with anti-corrosion materials. Production of painting works. Restoration of unique architectural objects, temples, monuments, domes, steles, facades of buildings and structures. Repair of cladding, architectural elements and decorations, balconies, cornices, roofs, storm drains, etc. using lifting mechanisms: winches, hoists, guineas. Sealing interpanel joints, replacing drainpipes, washing windows. Clearing mountain slopes near roads and railways, removing or securing dangerous, loose stones in areas of industrial activity. Installation and dismantling of lifting and lowering equipment. Ensuring avalanche and rockfall safety during expeditions and excursions to hard-to-reach mountainous areas. Providing avalanche control measures. Carrying out work to ensure the safety of activities on mountainous terrain when filming films, holding public events, etc.

From the characteristics of an industrial climber we can deduce commercial tasks, which will most often be posed to high-altitude specialists:

• facade works of any complexity;
• sealing joints of roofs of buildings and structures;
• external insulation of apartments;
• washing glass and windows;
• cleaning roofs from snow and icicles;
• tree crowning, pruning and cutting;
• lifting oversized cargo to heights;
• repair of balconies and roofs, roofing work.

As can be seen from the small list, the range of applications of the capabilities of industrial climbers is quite wide and varied, and when performing a specific type of work, a specialist must have one or another profession. If this is roofing work, then the industrial climber must be fluent in the skills of a roofer. If you are pruning and crowning trees, then you must know the technology of proper landscaping.

Since the work of an industrial climber combines many professions (installer, electrician, painter, window cleaner, etc.), the specialist must master them perfectly. In addition, there are a number of requirements that are exclusively specific to the profession and training of industrial mountaineering.

If an entrepreneur decides to create such a promising type of business as industrial mountaineering, then he should carefully read the recommendations and regulations on organizing high-altitude work and attracting specialists with appropriate training.

How and where are industrial climbers trained?

Industrial climbers are not trained in accelerated courses; all specialists in this profile must undergo special training in specialized educational institutions. The curriculum is extensive and includes not only professional training and practice as an industrial climber, but also psychological training, safety studies and the specifics of a number of professions and knowledge that must be used while at height. A prerequisite for training is that all specialists must be of legal age.

As a result of the training, all successful graduates who have passed qualification tests receive a document on special training in the profession of industrial climber.

Persons who do not have such a document are not allowed to work as an industrial climber. Also, the specialist must undergo a test and receive a positive conclusion on admission to work from a medical commission. There is a very strict requirement in the profession for knowledge and compliance with safety precautions. Good companies regularly conduct safety training and testing. The complex of measures taken will improve the safety of industrial mountaineering, which is a prerequisite for carrying out high-altitude work.

In the international legal field (and increasingly in Russia), an international standard is also used ISO 22846, which establishes the basic requirements for the technique of performing high-altitude work in an unsupported space.

Organization of industrial mountaineering activities. Doing business in industrial mountaineering

To open a company providing industrial mountaineering services, it is enough to register as an individual entrepreneur (IP). OKVED codes that must be specified when registering an activity:

• 45.21.6 Carrying out general construction work for the construction of other buildings and structures not included in other groups
• 45.25 Other construction work
• (main activity) 45.25.6 Carrying out other construction work requiring special qualifications
• 45.31 Electrical installation work
• 74.70.1 Cleaning and cleaning of industrial and residential premises and equipment
• 74.84 Provision of other services

It must be remembered that opening a company does not require a license, however, all industrial climbers in the state must have the appropriate documents and medical certificates. If these conditions are violated, the entrepreneur faces heavy fines.

To start a business, an entrepreneur should purchase special equipment for industrial mountaineering, as well as tools for performing certain types of high-altitude work. As a rule, the cost of professional equipment ranges from 15 to 20 thousand rubles.

Having created such a business and hired specialists of various specialties, the entrepreneur begins to conduct the financial and economic activities of his enterprise. These are, first of all, contract agreements for performing certain work at height, as well as accounting, paying taxes and submitting reports. An entrepreneur must control all activities of his enterprise, from concluding contracts and performing work at heights, to calculating wages and sick leave for employees. In this case, the activity of the enterprise will be stable and efficient, and will allow it to receive high and progressive income.