History

1990: The first Rope access technicians travels offshore. This was mountain climbers they saw could execute simple tasks with complex access.

2000 (January): Cooperation body for rope access (SOFT) is established. SOFT prepares a trade standard for training and performing rope access.

2007: The Board of SOFT decides that they want to contact Standard Norway. The goal is to make the trade standard in to a National Standard (NS).

2010 (January): “NS 9600-Work in rope” becomes published and ready for use.

2010 (February): SOFT establishes a certification body with its own employees. The certification body is called SOFT Sertifisering AS, and is 100% owned by SOFT.

2011 (December): The first training companies are certified to NS 9600

2012 (January): Personnel Certification to NS 9600 starts.

2012 (March): SOFT trade standard is withdrawn in its entirety.

2012 (May): The first executing company becomes certified to NS 9600.

2012 (June): SOFT establishes "ECRA - European Committee for Rope Access" with ANETVA, DPMC and FISAT.

2015: Work on the first revision of NS 9600 starts.

2016: NS 9600 becomes the minimum norm of Norwegian jurisdiction.