Facilities Management Association

 

With the ongoing maintenance, inspections and improvements of nuclear power stations often taking place at height, Nationwide Platforms have provided bespoke answers to help aid timely, safe and productive work.

 

Challenging applications have included the painting and cleaning of central generators, the jet wash cleaning of gas storage tanks, the insulating of an auxiliary boiler house and the removal of lagging and inspection of reserve water tanks.

Equipment including a 28 metre working height Genie 85 and a brand new 16 metre Z45 has been provided and equipped with Nationwide Platforms’ pioneering innovations, helping make sure that the highest levels of best practice are continually met on-site. These platforms provide telescopic and articulating outreach respectively, enabling users to utilise the access solutions provided over a variety of obstacles at different heights.

 

The nature of the work has seen contractors utilise Nationwide Platforms’ pioneering range of Material Handling Attachments (MHAs) to safely store piping, scaffold poles and lagging at heights. All of the business’ MHAs have been designed and tested to reduce the risk of materials falling from height, whilst also providing a means of aiding installation through secure and convenient storage.

 

The use of these MHAs has helped Nationwide Platforms’ clients achieve a range of cost savings on-site compared to traditional means of access. This is in part due to the savings in time enabled by the MHAs, as well as the complete elimination of set–up time which goes hand in hand with using access methods such as scaffolding.

With much of the work taking place in confined spaces or below overhead structures, Nationwide Platforms have also provided their multi-award winning SkySiren^®, a system designed in conjunction with major contractors to help reduce the risk of death or injury from entrapment.

 

The safety system, which recently received recognition from IOSH as the Innovation of the Year, has prompted many major cross-sector businesses to adapt their MEWP safety policies to refer to additional anti-entrapment protection.

 

One such client to benefit is industrial services giant Cape, a global business focused on providing multi-disciplinary support to businesses across the UK, the Gulf and Middle East, Commonwealth of Independent States, North Africa and into the Far East and Pacific Rim Supporting Cape’s ethos to deliver safer, reliable and intelligent solutions globally, Nationwide Platforms have worked with the business to create some of the most comprehensive working at height solutions ever seen in the power sector.

 

In addition to on-site support, the powered access leader has also hosted open days to enable Cape employees to learn more about Nationwide Platforms’ products and services, including its award-winning MHAs and anti-entrapment system.

 

Wayne Brown, Cape’s Site Manager at Dungeness B Power Station, said: “Our primary goal is to work as safely and intelligently as possible, ensuring that all of our clients receive the services that reflect the highest possible standards. In partnership with Nationwide Platforms we’ve established systems which we believe represent the highest standards of best practice when working at height.” 

 

Matt Parfitt, Business Development Manager – Non Construction, Nationwide Platforms, said: “We believe it’s essential to approach each of our client’s challenges with the solutions that can make the greatest difference in terms of productivity, effectiveness and, most importantly, safety. Not only does the use of powered access represent an approach to working that is focused on these points, but it’s also been extremely beneficial financially, thus representing the greatest overall system of working for our clients.”

 

 

 

For further information regarding Nationwide Platforms please contact Geoff Garner (UK Marketing and Communications Officer) on 07920 874987 or email [email protected].

Nationwide Platforms is the UK’s largest powered access rental business, providing a fleet of more than 11,300 machines from a network of 38 depots across the country. Nationwide Platforms also has the largest powered access training department in Europe, delivering a comprehensive range of working at height training courses to powered access operators and the access industry.

Nationwide Platforms is part of the world’s largest specialist access rental business, Lavendon Group plc. For further information visit: www.nationwideplatforms.co.uk or follow @NWPlatforms.