Everyone deserves an injury-free workplace, and SA Water found that sometimes the little things can make a big difference to on-site safety.
As sewer networks age, the maintenance holes and chambers that provide access to these assets can become damaged or buried and need to be raised before works can begin.
SA Water Operations Water Network Interface Specialist, Mark Evans, explained that this traditionally involved a heavy concrete ring.
“The really small rings are around about 10–20kg. For the thicker ones, you’re looking at between 250–300kg,” Mr Evans said.
“We used to have to find a way down to the manhole with a concrete ring and then lift that concrete ring into place.”
Working with these heavy rings caused years of manual handling issues for the team, and SA Water knew it needed to find a safer way to work.
“Safety is at the heart of everything we do, it’s one of our core pillars, and the business is very open to looking at innovative ways to be able to make things safer for our teams,” Mr Evans said.
While at a conference, Mr Evans met ISC Services Owner, Dennis Bentink, who introduced him to the Pro-Ring™.
Going pro
The Cretex Pro-Ring is an expanded polypropylene (EPP) make-up ring designed for sewerage maintenance holes and access chambers.
These rings weigh approximately one-twentieth of the mass of concrete and even the largest rings don’t exceed 7kg.
“I walked into a district leaders forum a few years ago holding the largest Pro-Ring with one finger,” Mr Evans said
This lightweight alternative can easily be installed by a single worker and can significantly reduce the risk of injury – including sudden sprains and impacts, as well as accumulative strains and musculoskeletal disorders.
Mr Evans said that the Pro-Ring also makes installation faster and makes for more efficient use of resources.
“You don’t need machines to lift these things in and out. It’s easy to transport because it’s lighter, and it’s easy to install because it’s lighter – the job just becomes simpler,” he said.
Traditional concrete make-up rings are also porous, which makes them vulnerable to corrosion. EPP, on the other hand, is not affected by hydrogen sulphide and is resistant to corrosion without the need for any coatings.
Multiple Pro-Rings can easily be joined via an upper and lower keyway and offers a water and gas-tight seal that safeguards assets against infiltration.
“My whole team have just embraced it, and Dennis has been nothing but supportive,” Mr Evans said.
“I’ve been working with Dennis on a smaller version that we could potentially use for valve and fire plug chambers.
“If we could remove the concrete rings underneath cast-iron chambers and use the smaller version of the Pro-Ring, even for new construction, I think that would be a huge benefit to the water industry as a whole.”
For more information, visit iscservices.com.au
