Candidates for this award must demonstrate an initiative, operations process, innovation or piece of equipment that has clearly contributed to improving health and safety on a ground engineering project.
Aecom & Equipe Group: Safe supervision of land drilling projects training programme
Ground investigation operations and activities employ bespoke equipment, plant and operations that the wider construction industry and those working within it are unfamiliar with, which in turn can impact the safe management and supervision of ground engineering projects due to a lack of knowledge in the practices.
Such a gap within supervisor knowledge has allowed non-compliance practices to be overlooked during ground engineering projects, often culminating in loss events where early identification and intervention would have eliminated the risk before it was realised.
Identifying this knowledge gap, Aecom partnered with Equipe Group to script, film and develop a digital safety training programme for supervisors working on land drilling projects. The Safe Supervision of Land Drilling Projects (SSLDP) Training Programme details the supervisor’s health and safety requirements for land drilling from project preparation, through site and drilling area setup to safe drilling operations.
Over the past year, the Atkins Ground Engineering Team has undertaken over 600km of earthworks asset inspections across two frameworks: the M25 DBFO and East Region Principal Inspections. The purpose is to identify, classify and manage geotechnical defects to ensure the safe running of motorways.
The inspections team applies stringent health and safety standards to its work and constantly looks for new, innovative ways of working to reduce the risks involved. Two successful recent developments, which have led to significant changes in the way inspections are carried out, are:
Bachy Soletanche: CFA stem cleaner
During continuous flight auger (CFA) piling operations, pressurised concrete can become blocked in the auger stem. On numerous occasions while trying to unblock the CFA, site operatives have been sprayed with pressurised wet concrete as the blockages clear – one incident led to an operative being knocked over and injured. Through close collaboration, the site and plant department teams designed an excavator mounted CFA stem cleaning device. This innovative solution removes the need for site operatives having to work within the danger zone while having to unblock the CFA. The concrete discharge cap is removed, and a high-pressure water jet lance is connected and clearing of the concrete blockage begins. The stem cleaner is supplied complete in its self-contained stillage, making transportation easy.
Bachy Soletanche/TSS2: iGuard (Ignition Guard)
iGuard (Ignition Guard) is an access control module that can be retrofitted to tracked piling rigs and cranes. When this module is attached, iGuard only allows authorised and competent persons to operate the plant; it does this by interrupting the ignition circuit and can only be activated when an authorised CPCS is presented to the iGuard Reader.
This data can be used to further educate and build awareness of equipment operators and site management in relation to idling and its negative carbon impact, but also to identify opportunities to improve project environmental, air quality and commercial outcomes.
Bachy Soletanche: Training the next generation of piling rig operators
It has been identified within the UK piling industry that there is an ageing demographic, particularly within the piling rig operator sector, and a lack of structured training courses to develop and train people into the next generation of skilled piling rig operators.
Bachy Soletanche, working closely with its in-house training provider CITA, has developed a unique training programme which includes simulator and theory training, as well as practical training and assessments at its training facility within the equipment depot.
The training allows new operators to gain CPCS red card status and be enrolled onto a two year NVQ course, where they will gain the necessary skills to operate multidiscipline piling rigs to a high standard.
Further in-house training will be provided including essential maintenance, remote learning via virtual reality technology and augmented reality training whereby the operators wear headsets in the cab receiving instructions from OEMs.
Concept Engineering Consultants: E-Site app
Concept has developed an in-house app, E-Site, which can be uploaded to any mobile device such as a tablet or smartphone. All personnel are issued a unique ID Card containing a QR code to digitally sign in and out of each facility or site they visit. E-Site has been developed to include digital site-specific inductions to ensure our staff, contractors and visitors can be digitally inducted and are aware of the site works, site-specific risks and safe working practices. The individual’s attendance of the induction and risk assessment method statement (RAMS) is time-space marked and recorded using GPS co-ordinates. E-Site is also used to send the project team site specific instructions and important information prior to mobilisation, including CPPs, site specific RAMS, policies and procedures specific to the project.
The E-Site allows the SHEQ Team to monitor H&S insights via a live online dashboard to enable accurate performance reports, continuous improvement and safety performance.
Dunelm Geotechnical and Environmental: Hazard observation recording app
Dunelm Geotechnical and Environmental has developed an in-house app to register, record and resolve hazard observations across the company. The app is easily accessible on desktop and mobile devices, making it readily available in the field and user friendly. The app has been introduced in conjunction with Dunelm’s “Stop, Think, Sort, Report” behavioural safety campaign, and has seen an increase in hazard observations reported of 50% since its launch. The data is collected in a central database, and trends in hazard observations can be tracked and analysed and fed into the ongoing behavioural safety campaign.
Liebherr MCCtec: Gradient travel aid and overturning limit display
Negotiating slopes on site with construction machines is one of the daily challenges that every operator faces. Whether in a foundation pit or on a ramp, slopes present a high risk for tipping a machine. The position, or rather the change of position, of the overall centre of gravity when travelling on a slope is difficult for the operator to assess. The situation is made even more difficult for the operator since every machine reacts differently.
With the overturning limit display for drilling and piling rigs, as well as the gradient travel aid for crawler cranes, Liebherr offers assistance systems that permanently display the overall centre of gravity and the utilisation in relation to the maximum permissible tilt utilisation in real time on the cabin monitor. Thus, the machine operator is continuously kept informed in all situations.
Structural Soils: Cable percussion manual handling and foot protection device
After several foot injuries had been reported from Structural Soils’ operational sites, it sought a way to drastically reduce this number. The company found that most related to moving the tool and weight string from either the vertical to horizontal position or horizontal to vertical position while drilling. This activity had also been listed as a manual handling issue. The injuries were reported via its bespoke mobile data capture app, which records the causes and details, including location and time.
The contractor’s drillers were consulted about the incidents as part of a safety stand down event, and it explored ways of reducing the chance of foot injury. These incidents occurred while working on a Balfour Beatty project, and the company was keen to work with Structural Soils to find a solution. After extensive driller consultation, ideas were drafted and Structural Soils produced a prototype foot protection device.
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Tagged with: GE Awards 2022 GE Awards 2022 shortlist
This award is for UK-based geotechnical/geo-environmental engineers with up to five years…
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