Working on Water

HOW SAFE IS SAFE?

Simon Nadin | Floating Pontoons | 14th September 2017

Background
Working on the water has become more and more of a common event. The advantages are
plentiful:

Often avoids the need for expensive road closures

Can give easier, more flexible access to parts of the bridge that are complicated to
get to with more traditional methods such as over scaffolding etc.

Many projects report finishing ahead of schedule as the install/demob times are far
quicker than with more traditional methods.

Very little impact on the environment, as the pontoons can often be secured by
ropes attached to bolts inserted in the structure rather than having poles in the
river bed and the pontoon itself works as a method for catching debris.

There are obviously a few disadvantages:

Water is a very dangerous environment to work on. Death by drowning is

obviously top of every Risk Assessment.

When working on rivers, they are prone to sudden changes in level and flow. What
might look like a benign slow flowing river can quickly change into a ferocious
torrent, tearing at everything in its way, as well as carrying great big trees and
anything else it has picked up on its journey. Which can impact upon your
pontoon installation.

Other waterways users. Either you have to allow for the passage of boats, or ensure
there are systems put in place to avoid/compensate for an impact event.

At The Pontoon and Dock Company, we have a wealth of experience working on or near
water. We have provided our staff with all the best training available for working with
water.

Most of us have also spent a large amount of time enjoying the recreational side of water,
from sailing, to surfing, diving to kite boarding. This work and play experience has given
us an in-depth knowledge of both the tranquility and the rage of the water environment
and a natural respect of the dangers that it holds.
Pontoon Options
When first approaching a project, we look at the type of work to be carried out, the
equipment required and the water conditions, from this we can look at the safest and
most cost-effective pontoon options available.

Cube pontoons: Normally a 500mm x 500mm x 400mm blow molded plastic

modular pontoon that is held together with plastic pins and screw/nuts around the
outside. Has a loading capacity of about 300kg/m2 (many will quote higher but
that will be to submersion), and can be supplied with a variety of different
handrails.
Advantages

1. Probably the most adaptable of the modular pontoons available on the market,
can be adapted to fit in most locations.
2. Very easy to install in most situations.
3. Can be double (even rarely triple) stacked to improve its loading capacity
4. Can be fitted with a variety of handrails and other accessories

Disadvantages

1. Produces a mono-hull pontoon so is not always the most stable The EA have
had a situation where a modular cube pontoon was toppled over by a heavy
branch falling on the pontoon whilst operators were using it to trim trees.
2. None of the handrail systems fitted to the cube pontoon will meet with BS 6180
2011. This is because there is not enough rigidity in the joining lugs of the
pontoon system that the railings have to attach to. Some companies
including Pontoon and Dock have tried to improve this by extending the
number of lugs and pins that the railing is secured to, but have failed to reach
the standards required.
3. Due to the nature of the pontoon design (a matrix of lots of small units joined
together) the surface of the pontoon is flexible, this along with the fact that the
actual surface of each cube is relatively springy (the warmer the weather the
springier it gets) can produce a surface that is uneven to walk on, and so more
often than not an additional surface such as marine plywood needs to be
added.
4. The pontoons are often installed without the full number of screw/nuts around
the outside as a cost saving exercise. It is intrinsic to the rigidity of the whole
pontoon that all these items are present.
5. When installed near waves/wake the pontoon tends to undulate.

Best uses

- Large surface area pontoons with no access from the public.

- Fall arrest pontoons
- Material barges/storage
 EZ Dock: A rotationally molded polyethylene pontoon that comes in a variety of
sizes from 1m x 1.5m up to 3m x 2m all at 0.38m high. This pontoon is joined
together using rubber grommets that make the pontoon very strong and rigid. Has
a loading capacity in excess of 300kg/m2 and can be supplied with a variety of
different accessories that include railings.
Advantages

1. One of the most stable pontoons on the market, the EZ Dock system is able to
take a very high percentage of its loading capacity on one side before it even
begins to tilt. With its patented pylon design, it acts like a multi-hulled boat.
2. The 3 bar tubular steel handrails are tested to BS 6180 2011 and make for a very
safe on the water environment for both workers and the public
3. The surface of the pontoon is both rigid and highly non-slip. When wet its
orange peel surface actually increases its friction coefficient by 25%. It is just
like working on land was one comment.
4. The stability and deck strength of the pontoon means that it is suitable for
putting on scaffold towers, small (up to 15m) tracked MEWPs and even smaller
plant (we would suggest that 1.5t is the maximum)
5. Can be supplied with stability calculations we believe in an industry that
works on such a perilous surface, all installations should be backed up by
calculations to show that they are safe.
6. Ez Dock can be double stacked to provide a lifting capacity in excess of 5kn/m2
and can then take larger plant we have moved plant more than 8t however
we would recommend limiting this to 5t.

Disadvantages

1. Where access is limited the weight of each section (40 175kg) can cause issues
with installation.
2. Not quite as adaptable as cube pontoons.

Best uses

- Large areas with requirement for public access.

- Small pontoons with scaffold tower access requirement, up to 10m working
height.
- MEWP access up to 15m boom (please note that the cage of the MEWP
must not pass outside the apron unless the pontoon calculations have
been provided for this maneuver)
- Public access bridges/tow path diversion
- Material transport in up to 1.5t tippers
- Material or plant barges up to 8t (not for working from)
- Events/stages
 NATO Pontoons: Manufactured from 4mm thick steel, the pontoons come in 2
styles. The Standard pontoon is 4.2m x 2.1m x 0.75m and the Swim End pontoon
which is 4.725m x 2.1m x 0.75m with an overall load capacity if 2650kg. These
pontoons are joined together with a system of coupling pins and half-moon
attachments. Railings can be added but are rarely there as a fall arrest.
Advantages

1. NATO pontoons have a very high lifting capacity, and when coupled with spud
legs can form a relatively stable working platform for plant up to 25t.
2. You can get up to 12 pontoons on an artic vehicle compared to only 6 with the
larger Linkflote system.
3. You can assemble on site using a reasonable sized digger, you do not need to
employ a mobile crane for the operation.
4. Assembly is relatively easy once the pontoons are on the water, so a large area
can be built quickly.
5. Can be supplied with a variety of different spud leg operations. Gravity where
the legs are physically pulled out each time by a machine (normally on the
pontoon). Winch a manual winch is attached to each of the spud legs and is
simply operated or Hydraulic the winch system is plumbed into the hydraulic
system of the plant on the pontoon.
6. Can be maneuvered relatively ease using a small tug boat.

Disadvantages

1. You need good access to be able to get plant big enough to be able to lift it in.
2. You need a minimum depth of water (dependent on the load) in order to float
the pontoon.
3. Handrails, tend to be posts and chain which is not suitable for public access.
4. Limited reconfiguration available.
5. Cost
 Linkflote/Uniflote Pontoons: Each pontoon is comprised of a robust, all welded
structural steel frame, with steel skin plates and a reinforced deck. Locations lugs
are fixed to the sides and ends of each unit so that they can be connected together
to form various configurations. Pontoons are 5.272m x 2.428m x 1.230 high and
weigh approx. 3500kg. They will support a uniformly distributed load of 95kN
whilst maintaining a 225mm. Maximum permissible uniformly distributed deck
load on each float is 20kN/m2
Advantages

1. Very large lifting capacity with the right configuration they are able to take up to
a 70t crane.
2. Can be supplied with a variety of spud leg options
3. Can be used to carry a floating site office, when space is limited
4. With bog mats on top, very little chance of damage
5. Configured correctly they create a very stable platform.

Disadvantages

1. Requires a crane sometimes a very large crane to enable installation to take

place effectively.
2. Not suitable in relatively shallow water
3. Not suitable where there is limited headroom
4. Not easy to maneuver
5. Can only carry a maximum of 6 units on an artic vehicle, so delivery can be
expensive.
Bad Practices
Using cube pontoon for working at height: Because the cube pontoon forms a
mono-hull pontoon, made up of small, lightweight sections, it is far less stable
than other pontoons on the market, and therefore more prone to toppling over A
solid decking needs to be added to the surface to give it rigidity. A rule of thumb
when using this system for scaffold towers is starting from a 4m x 4m base, add 1m
of width for every 1m of height above 3m. When using EZ Dock this can be
extended to 1m of width to every 2m of height.
Using pontoons without stability calculations: Just because it has worked
before does not mean that it is right! Without stability calculations, there is always
the risk that something can go wrong. If that happens what will be the result.
Ignoring the risk of prosecution, what about the risk to life? If parameters are not
firmly set in place, how do you ensure that the contractor does not push it that
little bit further just to save a little bit of time. We are working on water, it is a
fluid surface and once you reach the point of vanishing stability there is nothing to
stop an accident from occurring.
Not putting flood procedures into place: Many of the UK rivers can go into
flood with little or no warning. In order to prevent loss of equipment when the
pontoon is swept away, or damage to bridges, other structures or other river users,
a Flood Procedure Plan must be put into place. There have been instances
recently where large sections of pontoons have broken away and wrapped around
the abutment of a bridge, causing the river to back up further as debris has caught
on the pontoon and formed a dam. On another occasion, a pontoon was sited
under a bridge without a release system. When the river went into flood, it lifted
the pontoon, which in turn attempted to lift the bridge. This caused structural
damage to the bridge and wrote off the pontoon.
Over loading a pontoon: All pontoons have a safe loading capacity; however,
these are set to different criteria. For example, most cube systems have between
300 350kg/m2 however this is to submersion. Whereas the 350kg/m2 for EZ dock
is to about 8cm of freeboard. Therefore, if you put the same weight on the tow
pontoon systems you would be getting wet feet on the cube system and this is with
a centered load. If you have a live load and the center of gravity of that load is
moving around it is even more important to ensure that you are not suddenly
taking part of the pontoon beyond its loading capacity. This can either lead to the
pontoon sinking on one side, some of the couplers holding it together coming
apart or in the worst case scenario the whole pontoon toppling over.
Big is not always best: It is sometimes better to look at several smaller pontoons
rather than one big one. For example, if you are doing steel sheet piling from a
floating pontoon, it is probably better to have a smaller pontoon with the materials
on and another with the machine on. Firstly, because it allows you to replenish
 your materials far quicker, but more importantly if anything did go wrong, you are
not going to lose your plant and your materials.

The image below shows working practice that has 3 clear errors.

i) The pontoon is not big enough for the MEWP (based upon a comprehensive
set of stability calculations that Pontoon and Dock have carried out over a
number of years)
ii) The height they are working out is too high for the size of the pontoon they are
using
iii) They are working outside the apron of the pontoon. In order to achieve this in
a safe manner considering that this is a live moving load at height then a far
larger footprint pontoon is required than for a simple working at height
pontoon, or one where the load remains within the apron of the pontoon.
Alternatively, you need a counter balance on the other side of the pontoon, the
size and weight of which would obviously need calculating by a qualified
engineer
Summary
Pontoons can be a valuable asset when working on structures, on or near the water. They
can save both time and money when used in the correct format and layout. However, the
construction site already being an inordinately dangerous place, is even more so when you
factor in water.

As with any site, by implementing best practice and ensuring that you have the right
equipment for the works to be carried out, you can reduce the risk to an absolute
minimum.

Ensure you chose a pontoon provider that is able to look at all the possible hazards when
they attend site, and especially one that is willing to say no, if the potential risks are too
great i.e. the project is on a river renowned for flooding and there is no feasible way of
putting a Flood Procedure Plan in place that will mitigate all risk of losing plant or life.
Because no matter how benign the water course may look on the day of the site visit, a
raging torrent will try to destroy everything in its way.

When doing anything that is not as simple as foot traffic access, always ensure that
stability calculations are provided and that the parameters of those calculations are
strictly followed.

How safe is safe? Safe is only as safe as the knowledge and experience of the people you
employ to provide you with the facilities of the site you work in/on.