Even in a world where COVID-19 has made us all grimly accustomed to daily mortality figures, the statistics on deaths in the construction industry are still sobering. Despite making great strides to improve its safety culture in recent years, construction remains the industry with the highest number of workplace deaths in the UK.<\/p>\n
According to recent Health and Safety Executive data, construction accounted for 40 of the 111 people who lost their lives at work in 2019\/20 \u2013 making it twice as deadly as the next worst sector: agriculture, forestry and fishing. Across all industries, falls from height were the most frequent cause of fatal accidents, leading to 29 worker deaths in the most recently recorded annual period. Working at height poses a far more lethal risk than moving vehicles or other workplace hazards such as industrial machinery.<\/span><\/p>\n But while the number of construction deaths may pale next to the coronavirus casualty total, nobody in their right mind should look at the tally, shrug their shoulders and move on.<\/p>\n Thankfully, construction safety has improved considerably since annual fatalities peaked at 154 in 1988\/89s, but it doesn\u2019t mean the industry shouldn\u2019t continually re-examine its approach to find better ways of working.<\/p>\n For Worcestershire-based multidisciplinary contractor VolkerLaser, that means scouring the world for new and innovative options to reduce the risk of injury among its workforce. And if new procedures also help to streamline its working strategies, then so much the better.<\/p>\n In its most recent foray into new international engineering techniques, VolkerLaser has linked up with Finnish construction access firm Fast Beam to bring its eponymous bridge parapet access and protection system to civil engineering and infrastructure projects in the UK. \u201cIt is a very efficient and safe way of working,\u201d says VolkerLaser engineering team lead Graham Stanford.<\/p>\n Fast Beam\u2019s temporary-work access system has been adapted to suit UK conditions and engineering requirements, but at its heart is a simple idea.<\/p>\n The technology provides a steady working platform suspended beyond the edge of a concrete deck. The platform is hung from a pair of large A-shaped steel brackets fixed well inside the edge, with bolt fixings sunk either directly into the deck or into reinforced concrete kentledge blocks at set distances along the edge of the parapet.<\/p>\n With more than 4,300 miles of motorway and A-roads under its jurisdiction and four million people using its network every day, it is unsurprising that Highways England pushes its supply chain to innovate.<\/p>\n As part of this, the network provider has developed a Blue Star award system, recognising new products and initiatives that have not yet been widely used on other schemes. It gives project teams and suppliers the opportunity to highlight new techniques and technology beyond the confines of a particular project. They are only awarded after rigorous site inspection and evaluation by Highways England\u2019s health and safety team.<\/span><\/p>\n The Fast Beam system was inspected in use at the Oldbury Viaduct site and earned a Blue Star. \u201cIt got some very good feedback,\u201d says VolkerLaser\u2019s Stanford, adding that Highways England inspectors \u201crecognised the speed and ease of its installation, which was estimated to be 50 per cent quicker than might be expected with traditional scaffolding methods\u201d.<\/p>\n The inspectors also recognised the reduction in manual handling required during its installation, compared with scaffolding, with fewer individuals working at height. \u201cBy minimising traffic disturbance and lane closures, and requiring less material and machinery to install, we believe it reduces programme time and the amount of traffic management, and so will offer a value-engineering solution on many bridge repair and maintenance projects,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Parallel arms cantilever out from each bracket, with pin-hinged joints that allow the suspended platform to be raised or lowered, to suit the working-height requirements once in position. With a maximum loading weight of 3.5 tonnes, and with edge protection and stop-ends already fixed in place, the platform can be quickly installed and is safe to work from immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n In the bridge-repair applications VolkerLaser has tackled, Stanford says \u201ca huge array of scaffolding or complicated below-deck access systems\u201d would normally be required. \u201cFast Beam is a straightforward system, very quick and very safe to install,\u201d he explains. \u201c[It] provides a protected working platform and doesn\u2019t expose the workforce during installation.\u201d<\/p>\n He adds that it is also much quicker to install than traditional scaffold access systems: \u201cThis is a modular system that can be in place within a matter of hours. Depending on access and traffic management, a five-man team has been able to install as much as 50 metres in an eight-hour shift.\u00a0A scaffolded system would take much longer and there are costs associated with that,\u201d says Stanford.<\/span><\/p>\n The new system was initially trialled on one of the UK\u2019s largest highway infrastructure schemes, the M5 Oldbury Viaduct Major Renewal Scheme in the heart of the Black Country.<\/p>\n The viaduct dates back to the late 1960s and supports around 3km of the elevated M5 between junctions 1 and 2, as it winds its way through the West Midlands conurbation, and has become one of the motorway network\u2019s busiest sections.<\/p>\n Over the years the viaduct\u2019s deck waterproofing had deteriorated, leading to damage to the reinforced concrete itself. Repair and upgrade work involves asbestos removal, as well as the installation of new drainage and signage.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis is a modular system that can be in place within a matter of hours. Depending on access and traffic management, a five-man team has been able to install as much as 50 metres in an eight-hour shift\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n BMV, a joint venture formed by Bam Nuttall, Morgan Sindall and VolkerFitzpatrick, delivered the work, which was carried out around the clock.<\/p>\n Following that successful trial, Fast Beam was deployed to make bridge parapet repairs on the M1, junctions 21a to 23, in the East Midlands. Here, a VolkerLaser team was brought in to focus on the repair of three structures suffering from the effects of alkali-silica reaction (ASR).<\/p>\n ASR causes the concrete to degrade through a reaction between highly alkaline cement in the concrete and non-crystalline silica found in the aggregate. The result is a paste that absorbs water, expands, and causes the concrete to crack and spall.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe had just eight weeks to carry out the work,\u201d explains VolkerLaser contract manager Paul Dittman, adding: \u201cASR had caused a loss of strength in the parapet walls, which needed repair, but there were plenty of logistical challenges we needed to overcome.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The area\u2019s heritage of canals and overgrown former industrial sites meant that access below the viaduct deck was heavily restricted. And with a cathodic protection system already in place, which needed to be protected, the team turned to the Fast Beam option.<\/p>\n The project team mounted the system onto reinforced concrete kentledge blocks, which had been installed as part of the project\u2019s temporary works solution. With the scope of work including the temporary removal of existing parapet railings and the breakout of parapet wall sections affected by ASR, they needed to work within the motorway\u2019s hard shoulder to avoid disruption to the traffic travelling on this busy section.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe had been developing the Fast Beam system for a while and Highways England gave us the opportunity to use it on this scheme\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWorking from the Fast Beam platforms, we treated and replaced existing reinforcement, installed new parapet-post bolt cradles, and cast new sections of parapet wall where needed,\u201d says VolkerLaser managing director Mike Weaver. \u201cWe had been developing the Fast Beam system for a while and Highways England gave us the opportunity to use it on this scheme.\u201d<\/p>\n Since then, the access system has been approved for work on all Highways England schemes, as well as similar projects for Transport Scotland. It has been used during work on the Friarton Bridge over the River Tay.<\/span><\/p>\n With adaptations under development to help expand its working reach, the Fast Beam system is well suited to bridge deck and parapet access and repair work, according to Stanford.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is the ideal system for these sorts of schemes,\u201d he says. \u201cWe are working on adaptations that will widen its scope of work, but deck and parapet repair projects, such as the Oldbury Viaduct, are where it is best suited.\u201d<\/p>\n Fast Beam is not the only product in the VolkerLaser armoury that helps to safeguard its workforce at height.<\/p>\n The firm\u2019s V-Deck system is a lightweight under-deck access system that is hung from chains fixed at points around the bridge structure. A series of beams are suspended from these chains, into which prefabricated deck panels are fixed. This homogenous panel and beam system gives the structure its rigidity and helps prevent swaying from the fixing points.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is an adaptation of a system that was originally designed for use on oil rigs. It\u2019s lightweight \u2013 just three kilonewtons per square metre \u2013 but it is incredibly robust, as you would expect from a system designed to work in that sort of hostile environment,\u201d says Stanford.<\/span><\/p>\n The VolkerLaser team have taken the system and applied it to various civil engineering projects, including track-refurbishment work across four rail bridge spans in Cambridgeshire and jetty repairs in Yorkshire.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is perfect for use on rail schemes, particularly where work is to be carried out over a series of possessions,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt is much quicker to install than a scaffold system, provides a safe, clear working platform for the workforce, and by enabling work to be carried out over line possessions rather than a closure, minimises disruption to rail traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Even in a world where COVID-19 has made us all grimly accustomed to daily mortality figures, the statistics on deaths in the construction industry are still sobering. Despite making great strides to improve its safety culture in recent years, construction remains the industry with the highest number of workplace deaths in the UK. According to …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":434680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[581,38309],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-433430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-and-safety","category-volkerwessels","issue-2-april-2021"],"yoast_head":"\nSteady platform<\/h3>\n
Highways England recognition<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
Motorway deployments<\/h3>\n
Graham Stanford, VolkerLaser<\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Avoiding disruption<\/h3>\n
Mike Weaver, VolkerLaser<\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n
V for victory<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n