Thermal Insulation Removal in an Open-Top Enclosure – Fort Halstead
The Challenge
MD Environmental returned to Fort Halstead in Kent for a new phase of work with principal contractor Soilfix Limited. This time the job was the removal of thermal insulation from sectional pipework, with large sections of concrete and slab to lift before every area could be reached.
Site conditions ruled out a traditional enclosure set-up. Machinery was needed to lift large sections of concrete and slabs to access all areas, so the enclosure had to let a machine work inside it.
Our Solution
The team built an open-top enclosure, with the DCU connected to a partial enclosure. Inside it, the work was split between hand and machine:
- Manageable concrete by hand: manageable concrete was removed by hand.
- Insulation debris hand-picked: insulation debris was picked out by hand.
- Pipework wrapped and cut: the sectional pipework was wrapped and cut using glove bags.
- The machine for the heavy lifting: larger sections of concrete were lifted out with the machine.
- A clear view for the operator: an 8×4 vision panel was installed so the machine operator could clearly see his tasks.
- Clean to 50 mm: all soils were removed to 50 mm to make sure the area was clean.
- Air monitoring throughout: full-time personal and perimeter air monitoring ran during the works.
A Suspected UXO, Handled by the Book
During the works the team uncovered a suspected unexploded ordnance (UXO) item. Work stopped, the Soilfix site team set up a 50 m exclusion zone and a bomb disposal expert attended site.
In the end it was not an explosive item. The Soilfix inductions had already covered what to look out for and what to do if a UXO is identified.
The Result
The thermal insulation was removed from the pipework and the soils taken down 50 mm to leave the area clean, with personal and perimeter air monitoring running throughout. A suspected UXO was handled by the book. Another phase of the Fort Halstead programme was delivered on a site where a standard enclosure was never an option.
Soilfix’s approach to safety is one of the best we have worked with. Their inductions gave the team the education it needed, backed by a robust risk assessment and the time to complete the project.
Careful planning at the pre-start meetings and through the planning stage was key to delivering a challenging project.
Earlier phases at this site: pipe insulation removal · thermal insulation residue removal · groundworks and site preparation · MMMF pipework insulation removal
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