Guide to fall protection systems in and on hydro-electric plants
Special series: Fall protection for hydropower plants

Safety on a hydro-electric plant - what does that have to do with fall protection?
The modernisation and extension of existing power stations creates challenges which have not so far existed, or else only to a different extent. In this regard, the requirements relating to a fall protection system also change. For example, when building fish passes, the safety required for the people working on them must also be ensured. This blog post tells you about how hydro-electric power and fall protection interact.

Overview of danger areas in hydro-electric plants
As a workplace, a hydro-electric plant provides a number of challenges in terms of safety because of its situation and structure. The service technicians and maintenance or cleaning workers move in a very unfriendly terrain, and must therefore be protected by a professional safety system.

Success Story Fall Protection Hydro-electric Plant illwerke Vandans
So that a fish ladder can optimally perform its very useful and important task, it must be maintained and cleaned regularly. How often this is necessary partially depends on its siting and the local conditions. These activities take place under conditions of increased fall risk! This is why a professional, reliable fall protection system needs to be provided.

A hydropower plant with a PV installation, the pioneering project AlpinSolar at a glance
It was a project of superlatives: Perched at an altitude of 2,500 meters above sea level in the Glarner mountain region of the Swiss Alps, the hydropower plant on Lake Mutt is an astounding structure thanks to a dam wall that measures approximately 1,000 meters in length and over 30 meters height. Naturally, the photovoltaic modules called for a professional and reliable safety solution - not only for assembly, but also for ongoing and regular maintenance as well as cleaning.

Limmern pumped-storage plant - focus on safety
Back in 2009 the operators of Kraftwerke Linth-Limmern AG extended the facility, which has a 1054 metre long dam wall at around 2500 metres above sea level, by adding a pumped-storage plant. In this project the topic of safety was implemented holistically, starting as early as the planning stage. Find out below how this power station was protected against falls, and the challenges which had to be overcome.

Guide to fall protection systems in and on hydro-electric plants
In terms of industrial safety, the working areas of hydro-electric plants (inside and outside) contain very varied sources of danger. For servicing tasks and maintenance activities that take place regularly to maintain power output at its optimum level, service technicians or others active there often find themselves in the fall-risk area.