CASE STUDIES

For a few examples of specific Health & Safety projects that Auxil has delivered to some of our customers, please see below…

Wind Turbine Erection Making sure everything Safe ... Let's find a way.

One overcast day somewhere in the hills of Wales, a band of men and women had the arduous task of erecting a Wind Turbine. So, dressed in the obligatory PPE and with a selection of heavy plant; they set to this military style operation ...

So to the task in hand, the day started with the delivery and the first part of this huge installation, securing to the ground the metal plates to keep the structure in place. The large concrete slab had previously been installed with bolts cast in as anchors. At this point can you think of the safety implications? You have probably thought of dangers from the equipment, both heavy plant and the turbine itself, say someone accidentally getting injured by being knocked down by lifting gear, it does happen on high risk construction sites, but not here due to planning and subsequent control of the site. Maybe you thought of the stress of the situation on the people involved. Yes this is true these situations can be stressful but using competent employees to undertake these projects really helps with this, not to mention the cost involved if something goes wrong, can you imagine!

The second part of the project, manoeuvring the large tubular tower into place, cherry pickers used, but the column also needs to be guided into place

manually by people on the ground with ropes, again safety implications follow, the wind could easily cause damage and injury staff. Slowly does it!

Penultimate rotor mechanism in place to enable this extraordinary structure to work, again a lot of manual input and not achieved first time, second time lucky. Finally, those huge blades are in place, everyone is getting tired and fatigued; it’s been a long day! Another safety issue, plenty of breaks and plenty of food and hot drinks!!

This wind turbine installation, in fact all wind turbine installations are important to all people receiving electricity for reasonable prices, a worthy cause you might be persuaded to think or say.

Hopefully the pictures tell the whole story, as the saying goes a picture says a thousand words ...

Erection of Wind Turbine

Location: Wales

Health & Safety: High Risk

Property Development Making sure everything is Safe ... Let's find a way.

Walmer Yard is a unique development of four spectacular new three storey houses with additional basements in West London, designed by Peter Salter for property developer Crispin Kelly. The project took some thirteen years to come to fruition and the resulting properties are expected to fetch a cool £22 million. I was involved for nearly four years dealing with a host of Health & Safety issues that arose from this fascinating development ...

“So What is it You Do Exactly?”

You’d be surprised how often I get asked this question so I thought I’d write up a Case Study of one job I was heavily involved with.

I was involved for nearly four years dealing with a host of Health & Safety issues that arose from this fascinating development. The construction took place in a courtyard, a tight space between two existing houses, so one of the first things I needed to do was assist with movement of materials and interference with

neighbouring properties including the over sailing. It was essential that materials weren’t lifted over occupied houses or pedestrians.

Once I met the workforce I realised I had a further problem as many did not have English as their first language. It was up to me to ensure that there were English speaking workmen to interpret so they all understood what was required of them with regards to H&S. I also organised a thorough H&S induction for everyone associated with this unique site.

So that tells the first part of the story. For the rest, including how we got a crane in and out of the tiny site, take a look at the gallery below.

If you need help with the Health and Safety aspects of any construction project, give me a call today on 03300 884352.

Property Development

Location: West London

Health & Safety: High Risk

Solar Farms Project Making sure everything Safe ... Let's find a way.

In recent years the growth of solar farms has been rapid, with 3.4% of the UK’s electricity being generated through solar energy in 2016. Despite the decrease in tariffs paid by the government in 2011, investment in solar farms has continued ...

As part of our health and safety work we visit solar farms throughout the country to ensure the public are protected and the solar farms are safe and secure for employees. We currently visit and provide health and safety reports for 60 solar farms per year.

During these visits we check on a number safety issues including: security, for example, does the solar farm have satisfactory fencing, cameras, signs and gates. Are access controls in place? Particularly for the electrical buildings on the site. Are lone working procedures in place for employees that visit the site? Are there facilities on site if employees are required to work at the site?

Many solar farms are built on existing working farms and sheep are used to

maintain grass levels so as part of the audit it is important to ensure earthing is used throughout and electrical cables are protected. There are also many other safety risks to take into considering for example, water near solar farms, aircraft from local airports, gas pipelines and surprisingly overhead electricity cables/pylons. All risks need to be assessed, controlled and managed on a continual basis.

We also provide health and safety advice and guidance during the construction of all sizes of solar farms and the installation of PV panels including installation of solar panels on domestic homes.

Take a look at our photo's below ...