"The client and main contractors on this job were Fife Council, Balfour Beatty and Barr Construction," said Phil Haldane, Black Light's head of company development. "They were very impressed with the system we devised and our professional approach to the work. Most importantly, they were delighted with the result and the hassle-free outcome to what would otherwise have been a significant sticking point for their project."
The main challenge posed to Black Light's team was that the faulty light fitting was positioned at a high level directly above the leisure centre's main swimming pool. It was not possible to empty the pool of water due to the refurbishment project's tight schedule. The contractors therefore turned to Black Light to propose a solution.
To allow safe and controlled access to the fitting and to minimise any disruption to the leisure centre's other facilities, Black Light used a combination of industry-standard equipment and lateral thinking. The company devised a system that employed Prolyte S52SV Truss Components along with Prolyte StageDex to create a large unsupported deck-span across the pool. A conventional quick-form scaffold tower was then used to provide high-level access. The system also used wheeled trucks to position the deck span and to allow it to be easily used in multiple areas (without the need to strike the whole system).
The finished arrangement provided a very flexible access method to areas that would otherwise have been unreachable without significant disruption to the building and its patrons. One of its other key benefits was the time it took to set up and dismantle - the system was put into the building and commissioned in just two hours and was de-rigged in the same time.
(Jim Evans)
