Site Planning & Inspections – Preparing for Industrial Chimney Inspections

One of our Rope Access techs examining the corrosion damage inside of a metal chimney stack.

Industrial chimney & smokestack inspections are a critical aspect of regular facility maintenance planning. A chimney system failure can force production to come to a standstill and even shut down an entire plant which is why regular inspections are recommended. An industrial chimney that is well monitored can ensure that potential problems and vulnerabilities are dealt with before they become an expensive, unplanned outage or structural failure. Our professional rope access technicians discuss how we like to prepare for industrial chimney inspections to ensure the most accurate results.

Plan for the Unplanned
Since size and limited access conditions can impede work areas, an accurate condition assessment may not become apparent until the inspection has already started. We will often include provisions in bid & contract documents to alter the priorities of the inspection if it is found that certain areas of the structure need attention first. The scope of work should be dictated by new information that is obtained as the chimney inspection is performed.

Our Tools
The rope access chimney inspectors at IA use a range of sophisticated tools to help us quantify material properties along with degrees of degradation. We also keep thorough documentation, including photos & mapping, to record structural defects. A comprehensive report will be provided to facility managers that detail areas of vulnerability, the probable cause of these defects, and an assessment of their impact on the structure. We will also provide recommendations for repairs, maintenance, or renovations that should be followed in order to prevent and correct problems.

Continuity is Key
Ongoing inspection programs are an asset in disaster prevention and continuity is an important aspect of these inspections. We will often use the same team during every scheduled inspection to reduce subjectivity and increase familiarity with the structure, access requirements, and general overall condition. We also keep detailed reports and photo documentation from past inspections that can assist other crew members with correctly identifying new and/or growing issues.

Baseline Inspections
On the first visit to the facility, we will establish baseline measurements for the condition of the chimney or stack. The first survey may include:
• Review of construction documents
• Determination of environmental factors such as prevailing wind directions, location of neighboring structures, etc.
• Accessibility planning
• Preliminary visual inspection to determine best drop points and access methods

We will perform a visual survey, viewing as much of the structure as possible from ground level, then from fixed access points like vertical ladders, platforms, etc. We will also perform tests at regular drop points to establish a baseline measurement which can be used in future inspections to determine how the structure is holding up with time & use.

Follow Up Surveys
During follow up inspections or condition assessments, the drop positions that our crew will monitor are the same as from the initial baseline inspection. We will also perform additional tests or drop locations if there are any visible or suspected anomalies that were not in the original inspection. This helps ensure that your annual or bi annual inspection is thorough and accurate enough to keep your plant working effectively, efficiently, and safely.