COMBISAFE creates a safe line of defence at new military museum
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For the construction of a stunning new €90 million National Military Museum in Soesterberg Netherlands, the main contractor required an edge protection system that offered reliability, flexibility and compatibility with flat roofs. COMBISAFE demonstrated they had the ability to meet the challenge, leading to the specification of the Counterweight System.
Commissioned by the Ministry of Defence and designed by Claus and Kaan Architects, the National Military Museum is being built by contractor HEIJMANS on the former airbase in Soesterberg. The 7,000-square -metre exhibition building will house an extensive collection of military aircraft, including collections from the recently closed Army Museum in Delft.
To ensure the safety of the workers during the construction of the steel frame building, HEIJMANS hired 500 linear metres of the COMBISAFE Counterweight System for use on the roof, installed Steel Mesh Barriers on the floor and used Steel Mesh Barrier Stairs to protect workers from stair edges.
“We chose the COMBISAFE System because of its reliability, flexibility, its professional look and the positive results in use on other projects,” commented Nick Vijgen, planning engineer, HEIJMANS. “The Counterweight System proved ideal for the construction of the flat roof, particularly in terms of the way it could be built up.”
Quick and easy to install, the Counterweight System meets the stringent specifications of EN 13374: The European standard for temporary edge protection systems. Requiring just a hammer for its rapid assembly, it also uses a specially designed ergonomic trolley for quick installation. The trolley allows up to three weights (45 kg) to be lifted and moved as one unit, increasing worker safety by avoiding the need to lift weights by hand.
Stability to the guardrails is provided by a simple lever arm that can be installed at deck level or elevated. The lever arm can also be adjusted whilst the weights are still in place by using the ergonomic trolley, or detached and swung alongside the guardrail to provide simple and efficient access to the roof surface.
Each counterweight is made of durable recycled rubber and weighs just 15 kg, offering ideal roof membrane protection from tearing and degradation often associated with the use of concrete weights. The optional steel toe board also reduces the risk of objects and debris falling from the roof - an improvement over traditional systems that use wooden toe boards.
As part of the project, COMBISAFE also hired out approximately 3km of Steel Mesh Barriers with a range of attachments (Steel Jaw Clamps, Multi Clamps, Variable Flexi Attachments and Multi Foot) to suit the complexity of the project and construction programme.
With the new museum set to open its doors to visitors at the end of this year, COMBISAFE has once again set the standard in safety at height technology and continues to do so through early design consultation and the successful delivery of preventative and protective systems for the European construction industry.
For further information, visit COMBISAFE's website at www.combisafe.com