APC Civils were tasked to arrange and co-ordinate the delivery, handling and lifting of large Storm Check chambers from the manufacturers, Polypipe in Loughborough, for delivery to construction works underneath the M5 Oldbury Viaduct, where the chambers were being used for drainage improvements to the motorway network on the viaduct section.
APC were engaged to carry out this work by Carnell Group who were working for main contractor, Kier, to deliver the viaduct improvement works.
The biggest challenge of this project was not just the safe transportation of the chamber pipes but the requirement for planned lifting operations on the M5 construction site, something APC has a wealth of experience with our core business of concrete barrier services.
With APC’s specialist know-how in planning and preparing lifting plans along with the relevant risk assessment and method statement, we were able to meticulously plan for this work meeting our client’s specifications and manage the safe delivery and off loading of the chamber pipes onsite.
First, APC co-ordinated with Polypipe and collected the large and bulky pipes from Loughborough using our fleet of HGV’s and flatbed trailers to deliver them into APC’s yard at Melton Mowbray. The next stage was to plan for the lifting operations on the construction site to ensure that we had properly resourced, planned and organised the lifting operations so they could be carried out in a safe manner on site. A customised site specific risk assessment, method statement and lift plan were created and submitted for approval from our client.
As part of the planning process and understanding the working height restrictions underneath the Oldbury viaduct, we sourced bespoke manufactured extra large pallets to accommodate the chamber pipes and used our 3500kg capacity Moffett forklift with long 2.5m forks to carry out the lifting safely. The use of pallets also ensured that the chamber pipes were securely fixed for transportation and helped reduce the risk of damage from the lifting operations.
After client approval, the chamber pipes were delivered and safely offloaded at the M5 Viaduct construction site on Saturday, 27th February using our own urban style rear steer Moffett trailers and units.
From our clients perspective and one of the major benefits of using APC, they received a streamlined specialist delivery and lifting service which ticked all the necessary site safety and lifting requirements to ensure the chamber pipes were delivered on time and lifted on site safely and undamaged.
From APC’s perspective – we used our specialist knowledge and training to create specific solutions for our client’s project, utilised our haulage fleet and specialist lifting equipment to carry out the work on behalf of our client. No hassle for our client – just APC getting the job done!
