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26
CONSTRUCTION WORLD
APRIL
2015
PROJECTS AND CONTRACTS
on cloudy days – and this is from natural
light alone, it doesn’t take into account the
electrical lighting that is also present.”
The other important benefit of this
sheeting is that it improves the ergonomics
within the plant as well. For example,
says Kruger, better lighting helps to keep
employees more awake and thus less likely
to make errors; it reduces eye strain; and it
generally improves the working conditions
for employees. This has additional tangible
benefits, since happier employees are more
productive employees.
“In addition, we will also be installing
extractor fans in the roof, which will
help to remove fumes from the from the
exhausts of the ever-present forklifts. This
will also help to improve the general well-
being of employees in the plant and the
undergone their first medical check-up,
this is used as a baseline against which all
subsequent tests can be measured and
compared, in order to check for deviations
from the norm.
“As for our employees on site at ABI, the
company also takes it upon itself to conduct
regular ‘toolbox talks’ with employees.
These meetings revolve around site-
specific SHE issues and involve basic expla-
nations of what to do and what not to do,”
says Williams.
Furthermore, he indicates that R&D also
conducts a site-specific risk assessment
every week at the facility. Workers operating
on the roof are also fitted with redundant
safety lines – in fact everything up there is
double secured – to ensure that risk is mini-
mised, both for R&D’s workers and the ABI
employees inside the plant.
“It is particularly important from an
ABI perspective to know that its plant can
continue functioning normally and ensure
that the integrity of its bottling lines is not
compromised, even as R&D goes about
replacing the roofing. To this end, safety nets
that can hold up to 400 kg per square metre
are placed underneath the working envi-
ronment. These provide additional protec-
tion for our staff – should they accidentally
slip and fall – and also added protection
for employees in the factory from any
accidents occurring that involve large items
of equipment. This net is an additional
safety measure, above and beyond the
double-securing that is undertaken on all
our equipment.”
“It is always satisfying to be involved in
a project of this nature. Not only are we able
to radically improve ergonomic conditions
within the plant, we are able to bring our
technical skills and expertise to bear in a way
that will provide ABI with a new roof that will
withstand the elements for decades to come.
Furthermore, a project like this enables R&D
to further hone both its skills set and its
development of better roofing techniques.
At the end of the day, R&D Contracting is
a solutions-oriented company and we are
always eager to find new and better ways to
do things,” concludes Williams.
Opal White polycarbonate sheeting, with sisalation visible underneath.
Workers busy on the roof. The
safety netting can clearly be seen.
overall working environment,” states Kruger.
Safety is critical
According to Williams, the company has
approximately 15 staff on site at any given
time, which makes the issue of safety, health
and environment (SHE) a critical one.
“SHE is very important to R&D and ABI,
and is a vital component of a project of
this nature. Quite aside from the obviously
crucial safety measures taken while working
on the roof itself, we also take the health
and welfare of employees a step further.
There are regular medical check-ups sched-
uled for all our employees. These focus
specifically on hearing, eyesight and respira-
tory-related matters.
He adds that after each employee has
“Sisalation is a key
innovation here, as it
improves vastly on the old
roof, which utilised sponge
for insulation purposes. Vast
tracts of wet sponge add an
enormous additional weight
load onto the roof. This is
negated by the far lighter
zinc alum roofing
and the sisaltion we
are using instead.”