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29th September 2017

RAIL SAFETY WEEK 2017 PROMOTES ‘MAKING IT SAFER TOGETHER’

crane lift

With a long track-record of delivering rail projects, and a 5-star RISQS (Railway Industry Supplier Quality Scheme) rating, Ainscough Crane Hire has welcomed the focus Rail Safety Week is bringing to the sector.

An annual event, Rail Safety Week is an industry led initiative focussed on highlighting rail safety for all rail users. Whether that is workers within the rail industry, or rail passengers, rail safety affects us all. Rail Safety Week aims to address, engage and promote rail safety bringing the subject to the forefront of people’s minds across a dedicated week of activity. Those activities are delivered under the banner of “Making it Safer Together”.

Working in partnership with leading names in the rail industry, health and safety conferences, site briefs and school safety events will be held across the UK in order to promote the importance of rail safety to each and every one of us.

“Ainscough’s work in the rail sector has safety at its core, it’s about much more than just wearing orange.” Explains Dave Berry, Group QHSE Manager. “Some of our most complex projects have been delivered for rail clients and the approach is one of preparation and ‘no surprises’.

Rail work is generally complex requiring a multitude of activities and contractors to work seamlessly together as Dave explains. He said: “Performing lifts on rail possessions is something of a different animal to delivering a lift on a general construction site. First of all, the timing tends to be out of standard hours with most work occurring at weekends or evenings. Keeping the tracks open for as long as possible is vitally important to minimise disruption to services. This also means that deadlines are critical.

“We will often work on a lift window of just a few hours. The level of preparation which goes into a rail lift is right up there with the most detailed lifts we perform.

“Weeks in advance we will have a team working out the detail of lifts in minute detail. Method statements and risk assessments are prepared well in advance so that everybody knows exactly what to expect when it comes to the day of the lift.”

Among Ainscough Crane Hire’s recent rail possession works are:
• A major infrastructure upgrade in Ashton-under- Lyne. Working for main contractor Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd, which was delivering the works for Network Rail, Ainscough’s team spent a number of days on site.
The project, which required a 23-day closure of the station, is part of the North West Electrification Project, which will see over £1bn invested across the North as part of the national Railway Upgrade Plan. The work involved rebuilding the railway bridge over Turner Lane and replacing and realigning over two miles of track.
• Installation of the first steel span making up the ‘skylink’ bridge, which will connect the interchange with Bolton railway station, was lifted into place by a 750 tonne crane from Ainscough Crane Hire.
The span is 3.6 metres high, 3.8 metres wide, 20.1 metres long, weighs 30.5 tonnes and oversees the interchange’s bus apron.
The construction of the bridge is being carried out by Murphy Group, under the project management of Network Rail, on behalf of Transport for Greater Management (TfGM).

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