Zenith’s ‘Inflatable’ Solution!

21 Jul 2022

Successfully carrying out overhead works to buildings and structures whilst allowing pedestrian walkway access at street level raises serious safety concerns for any competent inspection and maintenance company.
Using rope access techniques, Zenith has recently completed a project, which involves surveying and de-scaling, on the University of Strathclyde’s George Street building elevation in Glasgow.

As with many such city centre locations, it was important that the works progressed whilst allowing safe pedestrian walkway access for the full length of the pavement directly below the area where the works were to take place. Specifically designed for usage whilst carrying out inspections and minor repair works, Zenith installed a 12m long walk-through safety inflatable crash deck.

The entire length of the 12m crash deck can be inflated in 14 minutes and is designed to protect against any resultant lightweight debris. It is anchored into position using sandbags secured to the outside of the tunnel. The tunnel was inflated at the start of each working day and was deflated every evening. The front face sheet of the tunnel has clear PVC windows enabling adequate daylight for pedestrians.

Traditional methods to safely overcome the issue of working directly above pedestrian walkway access involves potentially closing the pedestrian walkway entirely for the works duration, re-routing the walkway away from the immediate area or designing and erecting a scaffold crash deck for protection.