Campania: Hydroelectric power station of Tusciano

Sector: Industrial construction 

Location: Giffoni Valle Piana (Salerno)

Date: August 2010

Products: Shed line, CR plates and VRB fall arrest slider

CUSTOMER NEEDS:

• Installing a lifeline to secure the 80 cm in diameter water pipeline 406 metres long with an inclination up to 109 metres above ground level.
• The installation of a lifeline was aimed to:

1. allow wokers to operate safely while maintaining the pipeline, respraying or weeding it,
2. serve as an anchor point for workers that should use the walkway that connects the upstream turbine to the downstream dam. The path, built on the rock, dates back to early ‘900, therefore it was neither safe nor comfortable anymore. Condensation forming on the pipeline together with the lack of handholds and resting places on the way, caused the path to be highly slippery and thus hazardous both in winter (due to the freezing water) and in summer. For this reason it was compulsory to install a lifeline that would prevent the user from falling.

• The overall inclination of the pipeline being more than 45°, the customer request was not covered neither by EN 795:2002, which does not apply to lifelines installed on surfaces over 15° with respect to the horizon, nor by EN 353.1, which applies only to lifelines that divert up to 5° with respect to the perpendicular to the horizon. 

OUR SOLUTION: CR plates and VRB fall arrest slider

• Sicurpal installed CR plates with a VRB fall arrest slider, tested to work properly at any inclination, should it be 30°, 45° or 60°. The VRB trolley travels along the cable, but will lock onto the cable should a fall occurr, blocking the user on the spot. After installation, Sicurpal carried out load testings on the system in compliance with EN 795:2002 and checked requirements as per EN 353.1. Moreover, Sicurpal developed a new internal Technical Specification in order to certify its system.
• Due to its complexity, the whole installation has been carried out by highly professional and trained personnel, able to work on ropes.
• While projecting and installing the lifeline, Sicurpal took into special account the problems that might be caused by the pressure wave, from noise and vibration to water hammer and pipe collapse. 

PRODUCTS USED