Stirling Train Station, Scotland
Various Scaffolds
The Brief
This rail sector temporary works project took place at Stirling Train Station in Scotland, for principle contractor, Costain. The Network Rail renovation required the installation of a temporary public staircase and footbridge between platforms 6 and 9, as part of a wider station redevelopment and electrification works. 48.3 were employed in a consultancy role, to facilitate the assessment of the temporary works design (undertaken by Gallery Access Solutions), its buildability, aspects of health and safety and manage any problem-solving requirements.
As a public rail service project, there were many interfaces to consider during the design, construction and management of these works, including but not limited to the general public, rail traffic, other site operations and overhead line requirement (OLE). This meant that a full site understanding was required by the 48.3 team to maximise efficiency and effectiveness, and successful communication between all parties involved was imperative (i.e. Costain, Story Rail, CamScaff and Gallery Access Solutions).
The temporary works requirements also included stringent health and safety adherence, with additional 48.3 services of inspection and compliance auditing being employed by the contractor.
The Work
As part of the essential focus on health and safety during this project, 48.3 were required to produce a task-specific risk assessment for on-site activities adhered to the Network Rail standards. This included the review of all the design documentation, delivery of Safety Briefings to CamScaff scaffolders and production of site diary / daily report against progress. Demonstrating the versatility of our services, the 48.3 team also attended the site during the erection of the scaffolding structure ensuring that the scaffold structure was compliant with the design and erected to a safe system of work. The on-site 48.3 engineer would check and verify the installation of the scaffold against the approved design and provide a Certificate of Design Compliance (CDC). The CDC provides assurance of design compliance so that the Temporary Works Coordinator can issue a permit to load.
Initially, there were some buildability issues with the design due to unforeseen site conditions and limited available space to achieve the required connections. As well as this, the foundations for the scaffold were laid inaccurately and not to the design. This required urgent consultations with CamScaff and Gallery Access Solutions to determine a solution and get drawings updated within the tight timeframe, whilst not compromising the timelines of the planned works.
Health and safety and safe systems of work were developed to install the bridging beams in the safest and most time-efficient manner possible. The installation of the 750mm deep bridging beams had to allow for the scaffold to reach a safe hold point within each shift so as to not compromise the safety of the structure during the daylight operation of the station.
The first 12m bridging beam took 40 minutes to install, and with 7 more to install, there was little hope of achieving what was needed in that shift. We advised all parties to adapt the scaffold and change the installation method which was approved. All the remaining 7 beams were installed in just 2 hours altogether, meaning there were no delays to the train services throughout the station.
With health and safety being of paramount importance, task specific ‘toolbox talks’ were delivered before critical operations to ensure that the scaffold operatives fully understood the plan of works to eliminate any confusion whilst the tasks for each shift were carried out. As well as this, 48.3 ensured that there was sufficient liaising between all parties to guarantee that the materials required for each shift were transported to site using the RRVs (Road Rail Vehicles).
The Result
The expert project management services that 48.3 provides its clients was fully utilised in this project due to the construction issues and nonconformities that occurred post-design. The expertise and experience of the team ensured that all parties involved were kept well aware of all developments to eliminate any confusion and reduce risk. The emphasis that 48.3 place on safety and compliance was also hugely appreciated by all and 48.3 took every measure possible to fulfil the stringent health and safety requirements set by National Rail to ensure this project was a success.
