John Hudson BAE Systems Submarine Solutions Managing Director said, “The submarine is huge. It’s 100m long, three decks deep, there is no inch of the submarine that is similar to another inch of it. I would definitely put it in the same league as the space shuttle, or projects of that size.”
The Devonshire Dock Hall was designed to hold four vessel hulls simultaneously and two in build. As part of routine maintenance and during construction of the vessels it was identified that safe and compliant access was required to certain areas at specific points.
TB Davies Account Manager Chris Chivell explained, “We were asked to come up with a solution that would allow engineers to access several difficult to reach areas at various heights.”
To comply with working at height regulations the operators needed to be fully enclosed at all times, Chris Chivell continued, “Because the apparatus needed to be stored close to the operational area and deployed quickly I felt our Sherpascopic Work Platform would provide the ideal solution. It could be quickly wheeled into position and due to the telescopic mechanism meant that the units could be used at multiple different heights.”
Health and Safety of workers is a key concern for the team at Barrow so the solution had to ensure the engineers could not only reach the work quickly but safely. “The Sherpa features an integral solid gate so operators can work safely throughout 360 degrees. They can also deploy stabilisers to increase the platforms footprint to reduce the chance of falling.” concluded Chivell.
