Have you ever wondered, - how do they maintain the iconic lights on Blackpool Tower?
Well meet Wez Berry, the lighting engineer that looks after the famous Blackpool Tower and regularly abseils 518 ft down the iconic landmark, to ensure its computer-operated 225,000 LED bulbs are in working order.
The day starts early to catch the lift to the top.
Wez's workplace has a view like no other.
“You're your own boss up here, You can crack on and do your own work.”
The location is extremely weather dependent, with extreme winds and rain meaning it simply isn't safe to scale the Tower's dizzy heights.
“If the weather's nice, we're on, and I'll work through weekends and bank holidays,”
“The wind really does restrict us and you have to look at the forecast very carefully."
“You've got to come into work safe and go home safe – it's very much safety first and I always have a rope access supervisor in case anything happens to me up there."
"We work closely with CJIS-LTD who provide the highly trained rope access supervisors who manage the working at height, utilising IRATA techniques"
Wez -"we're working off 100 metre ropes. It doesn't scare me because whether its 20 feet or 500 feet there's no messing about and you've got to give it the same respect.”
Even when the lighting engineer is at home, he can see the Tower from his back window and he'll often get a call from work mates asking him to check on the lights.
“Plus everyone round here knows what I do, they love to criticise and tell me if they see a light out,”.
The tallest light fitting in Lancashire.
The top is a mecca for tourists, who flock to the terrifying glass floor known as the SkyWalk. Often, they will catch a glimpse of Wez hanging underneath.
To illustrate just how high todays worksite was.
For more information on how to conduct working at height safely please use the contacts page.
If you are or interested in becoming a rope access technician or require additional training i can recommend this training venue Based in Blackpool.
Thanks
Lee