MGF Ltd
MGF Lifting Products Assist Morgan Sindall on Welsh Water Site
MGF Lifting Products Assist Morgan Sindall on Welsh Water Site
ASSISTING WITH WELSH WATER UPGRADES
Llanelli Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW) serves the catchment’s 60,000 inhabitants and discharges treated sewage into the Loughor Estuary. The estuary is not only ecologically sensitive but also a critical natural asset to the community and South Wales region.
This works required safe access, allowing the contractor the capability to decommission an old asset that was no longer needed.
Through ongoing communications with the principal contractor, the team at MGF identified the requirement for a working-at-height solution on part of the works to remove a section of concrete from the existing UV inlet chamber to create a bypass chamber.
THE SOLUTION
The section that required removal was a 1m core to be taken out of the original UV inlet chamber. Holemasters conducted the internal chamber work and needed access to this section to use a 1.5m long drilling rig. This involved 2 days of drilling to remove the section, which was then lifted out using a crane.
As 2-man confined space access was required for the working area. MGF’s Porta Rapide Gantry was used to straddle the walls of the above-ground chamber section after it was discovered that the remaining floor space, once the chamber covers were removed, was too small to use a standard counterbalance system. Two RGA4 fall arrest blocks, brackets and pins were also utilised.
Our Porta Gantry Rapide is a portable aluminium gantry that offers adjustable height and width properties with foldable capabilities. Designed for rapid deployment it is capable of an impressive load-lifting capacity of up to 1000kg.
This system can be assembled and disassembled by just one person within a minute without the need for any tools. It is the perfect solution for confined space access as well as rescue and entry lifting scenarios. This is due to its unique features and ability to lift equipment and personnel.
The adjustable beam size of the gantry allowed the principal contractor to change the beam size to suit the opening, offering much more flexibility on site with the beams’ 2.3m to 3m span. This proved to be beneficial, as it met their need to find a solution that met the opening’s exact dimensions.
A Site Agent from Morgan Sindall said:
“We had confined space work to do in an above-ground chamber where we required entry and rescue for two persons. The space left over once the existing chamber covers were lifted was too small for a standard counterbalance davit arm, and the means of entry made a tripod not suitable. MGF assisted with providing the A-frame gantry, which not only completely spanned the chamber, creating more working room for us, but also allowed for two-man entry and rescue. The lifting department also provided a video demonstration on how to put the unit together, which the site team found extremely useful. The gantry was extremely user-friendly to put together and very light for lifting once assembled. The equipment is not something we have used before but now are definitely considering as part of future schemes.”
THE VERDICT
Morgan Sindall Infrastructure will continue to service Welsh Water treatment works in other areas of Wales. This includes North Wales and Herefordshire, where a similar solution may very likely be required.
