Lorry load of safety
December 1st 2005

Combisafe and Gleesons have developed an innovative safety solution for unloading steelwork and metal decking at a site in central Birmingham.

Combisafe's Alsipercha has been clamped to the side of the building and is used to harness workers who have to manage the unloading of materials from a lorry via the site's tower crane.

Gleeson has a small site in central Birmingham.

One7Two is a Grade A site with four floors and the project demanded that the Victorian facade was retained on two sides.

Access to the upper levels of the site is via a small archway on the first floor or via a tower crane. The street is narrow, one-way and usually littered with parked cars and pedestrians.

Gleesons needed to safely unload goods and the only option was to carefully park a lorry's trailer alongside the building and then crane the goods off. A further problem was to ensure the safety of workers who had to manage the unloading while on the trailer; a work at height issue.

Normally Alsipercha helps to prevent falls from height during the decking for horizontal formwork operation. However, Gleesons senior project manager Bryan Garner saw another possible application for his One7Two site. He and Combisafe produced a specially designed bracket for the system which meant it could be attached to the steelwork on the side of the building.

Gleesons brought in Lloyds British to test the system. The outcome was that workers can now be safely harnessed to the side of the building via the Alsipercha system when working on the back of the lorry trailer and directing the tower crane. The system has proved a hit both with management and workers.

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