Safety in Pile Monitoring
Who Wants to Stand Under a Working Hammer!?
The UK Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) in association with the European Federation of Foundation Contractors (EFFC) analyzed some 4000 piling accidents. For driven piling, falling objects were the 3rd most common reason for accidents. It has traditionally been necessary for a worker to measure set and TC (temporary compression) by marking a card attached to the pile during active pile driving operations. That would place the worker in an extremely dangerous environment in the line of falling objects. Although the worker may wear a safety helmet, the back of his head and back are fully exposed to falling objects. The safety helmet may not provide protection against even small objects falling from height.
Safety First!
To ensure the safety of piling workers, a non-contact technology should be used to make the required measurements of Set and TC from a safe distance. This is an important safety requirement in many countries. There are number of technologies available in the market which allow for such safe and accurate measurements. CQA offers two products:
Pile Driving Monitor (PDM³)
SAX-Q
PDM³
The PDM³ measures set and rebound by non-contact methods. It is only necessary to apply a reflector to the pile when piling is NOT active. The PDM³ operator is located a safe distance from the pile during active piling. Setup and production of results is as fast or faster than the traditional manual approach. The results are significantly more accurate without the possibility of manipulation. Visit the PDM³ product page for more information.
SAX-Q
SAX-Q of Pile Dynamics Inc. records the number of blows versus penetration either through a hammer blow noise detector or through pushing a button by the operator. In both cases, the operator of the equipment stands at a safe distance from working hammer. Visit the SAX-Q product page for more information.