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Safety net fans offer outstanding protection at new £100 million Co-Operative HQ

2 Dec 11 The Co-operative Group‘s new 16 storey headquarters, set to spearhead an £800 million regeneration of Manchester City Centre, is rapidly taking shape.

Steel fabricators Fisher Engineering Limited, part of the Severfield Rowan Group, is making excellent progress on the September 2012 project deadline.

Whilst erecting the complex steel framework of the stunning new building, Fisher Engineering Limited required a protective solution that would ensure workers and the public below remained safe at all times. For this, the company turned to leading provider of safety at height solutions, Combisafe International, and its Safety Net Fans.

Designed by architects 3DReid, and built by main contractor BAM Construction, more than 4,000 workers from 90 companies will be involved in the two-year project. With safety a top priority, and to capture any possible debris or falling materials while Fisher Engineering Limited completes the steel erection, approved Combisafe distributor Ridgeway supplied more than 60 Safety Net Fans to be installed on site.

“Fisher Engineering Limited enforces stringent health and safety regulations on each project, to ensure the highest standards of safety are consistently achieved,” said Pat McLaughlin, Site Manager for Fisher Engineering Limited. “We’ve used Combisafe Safety Net Fans on a number of jobs and as a result have had zero incidents. They complement our processes perfectly to provide the additional security and comfort zone that we require.”

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As Fisher Engineering Limited delivers the progressive structural steel works on the triangular building, the Safety Net Fans have been installed around the entire perimeter of Level 5, secured to the building using Combisafe’s slab attachments. Protecting glazing, cladding and other subcontractors working below from any potential falling objects, the fans will be moved progressively up the 16 storey structure, three floors at a time to level eight, then level eleven until the steel structure is complete for its autumn 2011 deadline.

With a projection of 3 metres from the building edge, the Safety Net Fan offers exceptional levels of protection. Tested to comply with EN 1263 standard, the mesh density of the net is 60 x 60mm, laced together with an extra fine 20 x 20mm debris net as standard. This combined net is able to catch small particles of debris as well as other heavy items such as dropped tools, to provide exceptional protection to workers and the public below.

Combisafe International continues to set the standard in safety at height technology, delivering preventative and protective systems for the construction industry.  The Safety Net Fan is a perfect example of the company’s commitment to eliminating and minimising risk when working at height.

When complete in 2012, the new Co-operative headquarters will signal the beginning of the huge regeneration scheme that is set to transform some 20 acres of Manchester’s city centre, known as NOMA, into four million sq ft of contemporary office, retail, residential and leisure space.

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MPU
MPU

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