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The high-level team doing high-level work

Not for the faint of heart: the Ropewerks team goes where no one else does to do the jobs no one else can, at dizzying heights where everything boils down to guts.

Djohan Shahrin
2 minute read
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Once freelance workers from a variety of backgrounds, the Ropewerks team came together joined by their experience and knowledge in the field of abseiling.
Once freelance workers from a variety of backgrounds, the Ropewerks team came together joined by their experience and knowledge in the field of abseiling.
Before beginning any job, their first task is to ensure that they are properly outfitted with safety harnesses, hard hats, carabiners and other equipment necessary for working at such heights.
One of the team members, Alen Azam, piles the tools they will need in a bucket to be lowered alongside them from the roof.
Another team member, Syed Nuaim, climbs down a staircase from the roof to check the area before making a safety assessment of the ropes the team will be using.
Members of the technical crew fasten the ropes securely before work on the building begins. Each team member uses two ropes, one as a back-up in case the main line fails.
Today, the team will be repairing cracks in a building 30 storeys high. No matter how many safety checks they make, it’s always a good idea to conduct one more.
It’s a breathtaking view, but they’re busy calming their nerves.
In this job, trust is paramount. Syed Nuaim (right) helps Mohammad Mohammad Salleh lower himself over the edge of the building.
He’s followed by the bucket of tools which is lowered carefully after him.
The job requires a lot of concentration and mental strength.
… It’s a long way down.
Mohammad Mohammad Salleh gets to work fixing one of the cracks in the wall.
It’s probably a good idea not to look down as he works.
Once he’s done fixing one section of the building, his teammates pull him up and the whole procedure begins again for the next section.
The ropes they use have a breaking weight of 100kg and can take up to 4,000kg.
It’s a birds-eye view of the city from up there.
Once they have smoothed over the cracks in the building, they patch them up with silicon, which can withstand the elements for several years.
Far below, cars whizz by on the highway.
When it comes time for a break, they sit with their legs dangling tens of storeys above ground.
When evening draws near, it’s time to descend. Any remaining work can be done the next day.
At the end of the day, it’s hard to believe that they were rappelling down a building of such height, but they’re willing to do what it takes to get the job done.