During the IADC Annual General Meeting in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, IADC President Frank Verhoeven revealed the winners of the Safety Award 2024. This year, IADC granted the Safety Award for dredging contractors to Jan De Nul for its innovative Cutter Head Staircase.
The Award for supply chain companies active in the dredging or offshore industry went to Cspect for its ALTUM telescopic pole design.
Dredging Contractor Award
Jan De Nul’s new Cutter Head Staircase design allows technicians to maintain safe and efficient working postures, reducing associated risks of lifting and working at height. The modular nature of the staircase allows for easy disassembly, transport and reassembly. The design enables quick and efficient set up in various locations, making it highly adaptable to different sizes and types of cutter heads. The modular construction is particularly beneficial in small-scale workshops where space may be limited, as the staircase can be reconfigured to fit the specific needs of the environment.
The Cutter Head Staircase design addresses an issue that has persisted in the industry for a number of years and was developed by the welding team of Jan De Nul, building on their first-hand experience to find a solution. Designed with user-friendliness in mind, the staircase is easy to assemble and use. It requires minimal training for welders, which reduces downtime and increases operational efficiency. The intuitive design ensures that technicians can quickly and safely set-up and use the staircase without the need to access the cutter head or additional protection from falling at height.
On behalf of Cspect, Jurgen Moerman accepts virtually the Safety Award 2024 for supply chain companies, which was bestowed by IADC’s President Frank Verhoeven. (Image credit: IADC)
Dredging Supply Chain Award
The ALTUM telescopic pole system has been developed to easily perform inspections and actions at height or depth. It consists of different modules that can be attached on top of an “ultra-light” telescopic pole of a maximum of 22 meters. Weighing less than 5 kilograms, the system is easily transportable and can be carried as standard baggage on a plane.
The system avoids the need to use scaffolds, ladders, rope access, cherry pickers or cranes for visual inspection at height or depth and thickness gauging of structures at height. For example, it can be used to check the hopper walls without entry, check the overboard depth marks without deploying rescue boats, check the overflows without entry, check pipelines at height, check the inside of tanks without entry, check the welding seams of crane structures or have a quick check of any structure at height, the list goes on.
With an easy setup, the ALTUM telescopic pole can be deployed for multiple hours without battery stress. Moreover, the system has the additional advantage that is it not bound by any additional rules or regulations, as is the case with technology such as drones.
Annual Awards Showcase and Celebrate Safety Innovation in Industry
“The winning nomination comes from the work floor, an example of the intrinsic interest in a safe working environment of staff and crew. The change of cutter teeth is a long-standing safety issue in the industry and the winning submission is an elegant means of reducing risk. With this award, we aim to accelerate the safety awareness in industry, and I think we are achieving that,” said René Kolman, Secretary General of IADC.
