Mark Wright

Mark, a keen cave explorer since the age of 13, began his work at height career in 1986, at the inception of the UK’s industrial rope access industry. He was part of a small group of leading climbers and cavers who saw the possibilities of providing difficult access solutions for industry by utilising the technical rope skills developed on the world’s highest mountains and in the world’s deepest caves.

He was one of the first to be appointed as a Level 3 Safety Supervisor, Instructor and Assessor under the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA) training scheme and has been one of the world’s leading providers of rope access training since 1989.

Between 1989 and 1997 Mark worked worldwide developing operating procedures and providing training for many of the world’s largest industrial rope access companies.

During this time, he developed working procedures, provided training and subsequently supervised the first ever 5-yearly special survey of a 318,000t, 351m VLCC supertanker using technical rope access methods, whilst in transit between Singapore and Dubai. The survey involved extensive Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) inside the empty storage and ballast tanks. Most of the world’s supertanker fleets are now examined using the same working procedures.

Between 1998 and 2003, Mark worked with Nick Hayes installing complex walk-on safety net systems for industry and delivering a wide range of specialist rope access and height safety training courses.

He spent the following 13 years specialising in the delivery of IRATA training courses, working alongside Dave Cowley for the latter 10 of those years.

His 15 years as a member of both the IRATA Training and Executive Committees and his core membership of their Document Review Panel culminated in the publication of the highly regarded IRATA International Code of Practice for industrial rope access. He represented the rope access industry on the HSE Advisory Committee on Work at Height Training prior to the introduction of the 2005 Work at Height Regulations.

Mark’s involvement with the superyacht industry began in 2009, providing working aloft consultancy, training and equipment for a 130m+ vessel. He established Safety Aloft Limited in 2015 and has built up an impressive portfolio of regular clients, representing many of the world’s largest luxury superyachts.