NEWPORT JETTY

Working underneath the jetty meant that enhanced safety procedures had to be put in place to ensure Sabres’ established emergency communication methods could be carried out successfully. To aid with communication due to no line of site and difficulty in differentiating noise levels, a safety boat was positioned in the water and the boat man was trained in how to determine an emergency situation. Monthly drills were carried out to ensure the system worked correctly and that the boat man was able to identify an emergency. All operators were required to wear life jackets whilst working from the boat and on the jetty, and the remote stop was positioned so the safety standby was able to see the safety boat. When two teams were working, both remote stops were positioned together so that both machines could be shut down in the event of an emergency.

Where a project poses an unusual safety issue, we will work with the client to come up with a practical solution that will not compromise the potential well-being of anybody on site. Our operators receive in house training on safety communication and as a company we have developed our own POSH procedures meaning our clients can be assured that this key element of hydrodemolition safety is implemented unequivocally on every project. The acronym POSH stands for, Position of the jetting unit, Operation of the jetting unit, Hearing the jetting operation and Seeing the jetting enclosure. Keeping in mind these four key responsibilities means that our operators are perfectly prepared to deal with any potential emergency. Our POSH procedures are a reminder to our operators of their duties on every site and will ensure that every single job we carry out is setup in the optimum way to ensure minimum risk.