Tower Maintenance & Industrial Rope Access

Tower_Blasting

As part of its wider range of services TBS Farnsworth has developed a specialist "Tower Maintenance" division. This has a significant track record of safely providing innovative solutions to the maintenance of high structures using fall protected free climbing and industrial abseiling and rope access.

This division safely carries out a wide range of maintenance services at height without costly and intrusive conventional access systems.

Applications

  • Transmission towers
  • Broadcasting & TV towers and aerials
  • Container cranes
  • Bridges
  • Offshore platforms
  • Silo installations

As well as any other high, difficult to access structures

Services

  • Ultra high pressure water jetting
  • Abrasive induced water jetting
  • Application of protective coating
  • Metal spray zinc application
  • Tower erection and construction work
  • Steel replacement & bolt torquing
  • Inspection services (structural & coatings)

Along with these core activities TBS can provide ancillary services such as footings maintenance and grounds work.

TBS Farnsworth's height team has been extensively trained in the safe disciplines of rope access systems in accordance with AS/NZS 4488 and AS/NZS 1891 parts 1, 2 and 3. These standards are recognised throughout both Australia and New Zealand. A number of this team are also ACA qualified coatings inspectors.

Benefits

The benefits of this alternative form of access are usually very significant in typical applications and can be summarised as:

  • Providing flexibility and cost savings by eliminating scaffolding which is prohibitively expensive on large remote high structures.
  • Eliminating shut downs. On container cranes the asset can be back in service in minutes with this system of access. On transmission lines TBS' "live line" accreditation means maintenance can continue without outages.

Rope Access_newQuality Assurance

Consistent with TBS policy, quality procedures plus inspection and test plans for every project, ensure quality compliance as well as providing fully documented quality records for clients.

Client external audit records confirm very high compliance levels.

Health and Safety

Full medical checks and health monitoring ensure personnel are physically suitable for the work and first aid and CPR training ensure emergency response capability.

Day to day site activity is strictly controlled by fully documented operational procedures which ensure that work is carried out safely.  The use of safety observers and frequent safety audits ensure that operational procedures are followed at all times.

These systems have provided TBS Farnsworth's Towers Division with an outstanding safety track record.

Environment

Work procedures incorporate systems to ensure that the environment is protected from these activities at all times.

The success of these systems is evidenced by the company being awarded an Environmental Award from New Zealand's Department of Conservation while blasting and painting transmission towers in an environmentally sensitive World Heritage Park.

Personnel and Training

All TBS Towers personnel are comprehensively trained by an independent third party training organisation under 28 separate training modules all approved by the NZ Qualifications Authority.

Full training records are maintained and monitored for all employees and frequent refresher training and evaluation ensures personnel have all of the competencies required for this work.

The majority of personnel are also Live Line accredited to Transpower New Zealand requirements qualifying them to work with close approach procedures on live electrical structures.

Landowners and the Public

Documented procedures ensure that landowners, the public and any other stakeholders are fully communicated with to create a cooperative and positive relationship throughout any project.