Forth Bridge scores safety record
Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering signed a seven year framework deal with Network Rail in 2002 for the refurbishment and maintenance of the historic Forth Rail Bridge.
Now in its fifth year of work, the project has clocked up two million man hours with zero reportable accidents leading to the team picking up the prize for project safety at the 2007 Quality in Construction Awards.
The safe working practices on a site that involves extensive scaffolding, steel repairs, grit blasting and painting; coupled with the challenges of lead regulations, working at height, over water and adjacent to a live railway are especially impressive.
Previously, the traditional method of accessing the superstructure for reactive maintenance was to walk up it, using nothing more than ropes for fall protection. Balfour Beatty's Civil Engineering team employed some of the most impressive scaffolds ever erected to ensure maximum safety for its operatives.
The policy of full investigation of every minor accident and producing a full detailed report ensure the root causes are recorded and the knowledge disseminated to all those working on the bridge.
A behavioural safety campaign is reinforced with weekly briefings, tool box talks and daily risk assessments.
Judges at the QIC awards said: "The scale and complexity of this project is awe-inspiring"