As a rule, these ascent aids for fish require inspection at least once per year, because the flow can repeatedly cause blockages and deposits to arise, and so fish find it difficult or even completely impossible to pass through. In addition, wear parts such as guide rails, hatches or seals should be inspected, and replaced where necessary. These activities create an increased fall risk! This is why a professional, reliable fall protection system needs to be provided.
Fall protection system for Vandans fish ladder - how the service personnel is protected
The Vandans hydro-electric plant of the illwerke vkw company had been ordered to build a fish ladder. Along with this official instruction, the subject of safety for service workers onsite came more closely under the spotlight. Because safety has absolute priority. Risky tightrope acts during servicing or cleaning tasks on the fish ladder should not and must not take place. For this reason, the management of the illwerke company decided on a lifeline system.
The respective employer, i.e. the operator of the hydro-electric plant, is responsible for the safety of his employees. This means that here too: Safety has priority. Therefore, in this case too, the personnel must be secured by fall protection, as well as associated safety equipment such as anti-fall PPE, helmets, life jackets and non-slip shoes.
In addition to a well-founded, comprehensive safety concept, training sessions and regular safety instruction are also paramount when it comes to raising the consciousness of the employees about potential risks and avoiding accidents. Because legal provisions can change over time, it is also advisable to check at regular intervals whether the safety solutions and the installation itself still comply with the legal requirements.
“Maintenance of the fish ladder is very important, because the passage continuously becomes blocked by stones and branches, and so the fish are unable pass through”, emphasises Christian Bitschnau, Technical Maintenance, hydro-electric power business area of illwerke vkw. He therefore started to search for appropriate fall protection for the fish ladder.
“That’s when I came across INNOTECH and made contact with them”, recalls Bitschnau. The INNOTECH experts recommended the AIO lifeline system to him as the solution. “The fall protection system is easy to install. And for every product supplied by INNOTECH we receive an accompanying document in which every step is explained exactly.”
The solution...
The INNOTECH experts recommended the AIO lifeline system to him as the solution. “The fall protection system is easy to install. And for every product supplied by INNOTECH we receive an accompanying document in which every step is explained exactly.”
By loading this video, you accept Google's privacy policy.
The project’s challenges
In the case of illwerke in Vandans, no load-bearing structure was available for mounting the fall protection system. So first of all a steel structure had to be developed, to which the fall protection system could be attached. Only then was it possible to install the AIO PASSABLE OVERHEAD LIFELINE SYSTEM. The structure was also necessary to prevent pendulum falls. In addition, a solution had to be found to protect the people working there from falling into the flowing water, and to prevent a potential drowning.
Simple installation - cost-effective system
For overhead use like the fish ladder in Vandans, INNOTECH has developed the AIO PASSABLE OVERHEAD LIFELINE SYSTEM with special types of sliders, to protect challenging maintenance routes of this type in the best possible way. The system is simple to install and cost-effective. In addition, it is suitable for a wide range of substructures. Furthermore, the AIO lifeline system is a robust safety system with a long working life.
illwerke’s complete maintenance team was trained on the system, and so they are now in a position to equip more of the energy generator’s sites with this fall protection system, because they install it themselves.
Summary
Especially for renewable energy generation, it is very important that nature, the environment, and their associated fauna and flora are not disturbed, and certainly not destroyed. Therefore all hydro-electric plants must nowadays ensure that free fish migration is possible at all times.
This is facilitated by fish ladders, and these require regular servicing and cleaning to ensure their optimum functionality. In some cases these tasks are subject to serious risk. It is essential that the employees affected are appropriately protected by the law. The example of illwerke in Vandans demonstrates how this is best achieved, and the challenges that can arise.
Discover our free download document, in which we have provided you with useful tips about fall protection on hydro-electric plants.