Scrim Save: Rapid Scaffold Recovery on State Highway Rail Bridge
– emergency response, wellington
When Wellington’s famously fierce winds had loosened a scrim sheeting on a motorway overbridge - at night - we flew into action to avoid a serious emergency.
The Challenge
SETUP AT THE LOCATION with
underbridge visible
In the early evening, our team received an urgent call from a client reporting a potentially dangerous situation unfolding on a scaffold structure attached to a state highway rail bridge. Wellington’s famously fierce winds had loosened the scrim sheeting, which was now flapping dangerously over live traffic. There was a high risk that a passing truck could catch the scrim, destabilising the entire scaffold structure — a safety and infrastructure disaster waiting to happen.
The Risk summarised:
Live traffic exposure on a major road
Possible scaffold collapse due to entanglement
Immediate public safety threat, with larger consequences if not dealt with
Our solution
elevated work platform and qualified operator mobilised in the late evening
Immediately mobilised an after-hours response, organising an Elevated Work Platform (EWP) and a qualified operator. Once traffic management was in place, the team was deployed onsite.
The EWP was used to safely access the affected area, and the operator worked alongside the client to secure the scrim and rectify the hazard.
RESULTS:
In scenarios like this, mobilising promptly and safely is always the key to a successful outcome. We are lucky enough to have a team who understand that not all work happens neatly between business hours / days; in our industry, it’s often the opposite.
