Tunnel and bridge construction involves a wide range of demanding tasks carried out in various work environments. This includes servicing and cleaning work on bridge piers, both above and below ground, as well as walking along narrow walkways over traffic lanes. In highway tunnels, work is required in stairwells, maintenance corridors, safety shafts, and ventilation systems, while underground tunnel passages are often accessible only via shafts and require regular inspections and servicing.
These complex work environments pose significant fall hazards, as they are often difficult to access and involve potential sources of danger. INNOTECH offers customized fall protection systems tailored to the specific requirements of tunnel and bridge construction. Our solutions ensure that all work areas and access routes are optimally secured. With professionally planned safety measures, INNOTECH guarantees maximum worker safety and enables servicing and cleaning work to proceed efficiently and safely.
In the field of tunnel and bridge construction, there are numerous areas that must be secured to ensure worker safety. These include, among others, abseil points, maintenance walkways and platforms, vertical descents, and shafts. These diverse work environments require specific safety solutions tailored to the respective conditions. INNOTECH offers a comprehensive portfolio of products that meet these requirements and ensure the highest safety standards.
The TAURUS-ALLROUND rail system is the optimal solution for the diverse requirements of tunnel and bridge construction. It enables multifunctional use and provides comprehensive safety from start to finish. The TAURUS-GLEIT-A-31 all-round slider is designed for flexible use and ensures smooth and safe movement along the rails, whether horizontal or vertical. This makes the TAURUS-ALLROUND system ideal for complex projects where various safety requirements must be met simultaneously.
- Specialized rappelling products such as the UNI ABP 01 and the EAP-ABP-10-30 are particularly important in bridge and road construction for creating safe rappelling points.
- TAURUS HORIZONTAL is a rail system that is also suitable for descending.
- For horizontal maintenance routes, the AIO lifeline system and the TAURUS rail system provide reliable protection.
- Vertical ascents, descents, and access points are optimally secured by the VERT lifeline system, the TAURUS VERTIKAL, and the TAURUS STEP.
- For shafts, EAP-TEL-10 and the TAURUS STEP are used to ensure safety during access.
- In addition, personal protective equipment (PPE) ensures that workers are protected as effectively as possible at all times.
The Hazards of Tunnel and Bridge Construction
In tunnel construction, as well as in bridge construction, workers face numerous hazards arising from the unique work environments. In bridge construction, piers are often difficult to access, as they can usually only be reached from above. Access from below is often difficult, making descending, abseiling, a necessary measure. Workers must also contend with immense heights and the dangers posed by wind and weather. These extreme conditions require careful planning, installation, and use of specialized fall protection systems to ensure worker safety.
Tunnel construction also involves significant risks. During routine servicing, cars often continue to drive through the tunnels, which usually makes it impossible to block off the area with work platforms, for example. Fall protection systems allow workers to reach areas more quickly and easily, which increases efficiency and safety. The work environment is also characterized by poor lighting conditions, confined spaces, and a sprawling structure with a length of longer tunnels, which makes quick access difficult. Added to this are the strain caused by airborne pollutants and the need to navigate the tunnels. In extreme working conditions, user comfort is crucial to ensuring the safety and well-being of workers.
Benefits of a Fall Protection System in Tunnel and Bridge Construction
- Improved accessibility: Fall protection systems allow workers to safely access hard-to-reach areas such as piers and shafts, thereby increasing work efficiency.
- Faster servicing: The use of fall protection systems allows servicing to be carried out more quickly and effectively without having to completely shut down operations.
- User comfort / working conditions: Improved safety measures ensure greater safety and better comfort for workers, which is particularly important in extreme working conditions.
- Comprehensive solution: With integrated safety concepts such as the TAURUS rail system, comprehensive safety is ensured, covering all requirements in tunnel and bridge construction.
Challenges of a Fall Protection System in Tunnel and Bridge Construction
- Extreme heights: Working at great heights requires particularly reliable and robust fall protection systems to ensure worker safety.
- Difficult access: Narrow shafts and piers of great height pose a challenge and require specialized safety solutions.
- Structural movement: Bridges and tunnels can be subject to movement and vibrations, necessitating a flexible and adaptable safety solution.
- Extensive length: Tunnels stretching for kilometers require quick and efficient entry and exit points to ensure the safety and efficiency of maintenance work.