Construction National

Reading Station: The Power of Partnership

The recent multi-million pound refurbishment of Reading station saw Latchways systems chosen by work-at-height registered installers Eurosafe Solutions. The companies worked together to provide fall protection systems and walkways for use during the construction process and for future maintenance; one of numerous projects the two safety leaders have collaborated on since Eurosafe was formed in 2000. 

As a major transport hub it was vital that Reading station remained operational throughout the refurbishment works and so construction of the new platforms was carried out using  off-site construction methods, with sections of the platform roofs being completed offsite at ground level and then transported and positioned as finished units on site. As a method of delivering construction with the minimum of disruption and considerable cost savings, building offsite is becoming the preferred method for numerous Network Rail projects including Farringdon Station and the ongoing London Bridge refurbishment. 

Due to the adoption of this construction method a bespoke fall-protection system was a key element that Latchways and Eurosafe needed to develop to allow the roofing contractor to safely complete the installation of the roofing sections. Eurosafe Managing Director Gavin Ellis explains: “One of the major benefits we get from working with Latchways is the ability of their engineering department to work hand-in-glove with ours, to develop a bespoke system to fulfil the brief. In the case of Reading, it was essential that as the roofs were installed, workers could navigate safely from one structure to another during the erection of the platform buildings.

Gavin Ellis continues: “Another of Latchways’ strengths is that it works closely with the roofing manufacturers, which is vital to forming the strongest possible supply chain on a project. Due to the nature and size of the roofing panels, it was essential that we had the full cooperation of Kalzip, the roofing manufacturer; Latchways’ long term partnership with Kalzip allowed any technical queries to be solved quickly and efficiently.”

Using ManSafe horizontal systems with Constant Force® technology as well as WalkSafe walkways for temporary roofing access and permanent maintenance solutions allowed Eurosafe to provide the very best available fall protection demanded on the Reading refurbishment project. Gavin Ellis concludes: “We use Latchways with 100% confidence, it provides solutions that are always ahead of the game and the quality of product is head and shoulders above the rest. Every single one of our projects is different, but our clients come to us because they know we only work with the very best in the industry and we in turn know that Latchways are one of the best partners we could have.”