Enabling Safe and Unobstructed Weir Access
Ingenious Engineering – Enabling Safe and Unobstructed Weir Access
Project Overview: Navigating Safety and Flow on a Full-Time Weir
Our client faced a unique engineering challenge on their full-time weir: the need for safe access for maintenance and servicing. According to both BSEN 4592 and Northwest Water (NWL) safety standards, a load-rated handrail is mandatory whenever the weir walkway is in use. However, the continuous flow rate of water across this particular weir presented a critical dilemma: any permanent fixture or ongoing presence risked disrupting the flow and causing an unacceptable build-up of detritus. The challenge was clear – how to provide robust safety when needed, without compromising the weir's essential function and flow integrity.
JHT Engineering's Innovative Solution: A Bespoke Collapsible Handrail System
JHT Engineering rose to this complex challenge, conceiving, engineering, and installing a 100% bespoke handrail removal system that perfectly reconciled these conflicting requirements. Our solution ensured full compliance with stringent safety standards while guaranteeing absolutely no disruption to the weir's continuous water flow.
The core of our innovation was a collapsible handrail system that could be deployed when maintenance was required and then fully lowered and hidden when not in use. Crucially, JHT Engineering designed this system so that operatives could activate and retract the handrail without needing to step onto the walkway itself, significantly enhancing safety and efficiency.
Our approach involved:
- Intricate Design: Developing a unique mechanism that allowed for seamless raising and lowering of the load-rated handrail.
- Precision Engineering: Fabricating components to exact specifications, ensuring durability and smooth operation in a demanding environment.
- Safe Installation: Implementing a careful installation process that integrated the bespoke system flawlessly with the existing weir structure.
Our Design Engineer commented on the project:"This project was a fantastic example of balancing stringent safety regulations with unique operational demands. Designing a 100% bespoke system that met BSEN 4592 and NWL standards, while ensuring operatives could manage it safely from off the weir, pushed our engineering boundaries. The solution we delivered is not just compliant; it's a testament to our team's ability to innovate for specific site challenges."
Tom Clark, JHT Engineering's Managing Director, highlighted the company's capabilities:"This collapsible handrail system epitomizes JHT Engineering's commitment to solving complex problems with efficiency and ingenuity. It perfectly showcases how our bespoke design, engineering, and installation capabilities allow us to create solutions that are not only compliant and safe but also optimize our clients' operational efficiency. This project is a proud addition to our portfolio of unique, high-integrity solutions."
Impact: Uncompromised Safety, Uninterrupted Operations
JHT Engineering's bespoke handrail system provides the client with a critical solution that:
- Ensures Full Safety Compliance: Meets all necessary load-rated handrail requirements as per BSEN 4592 and NWL safety standards during maintenance periods.
- Guarantees Uninterrupted Flow: Allows the full-time weir to operate without any obstruction or risk of detritus build-up when the handrail is not in use.
- Enhances Operative Safety: Eliminates the need for maintenance personnel to be on the walkway during handrail deployment or retraction, significantly reducing risk.
- Delivers Bespoke Innovation: Demonstrates JHT Engineering's capacity to design and implement 100% customized solutions for highly specific and challenging industrial needs.
This project stands as a clear example of JHT Engineering's expertise in delivering safe, efficient, and innovative solutions for critical infrastructure.
To discover how JHT Engineering can support your next project with tailored steel solutions, call 01207 270365 or email admin@jht-eng.co.uk
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