At Middle East Energy 2021, Samuli Sistonen, district manager at Eltel Networks, provided an overview of Turvatikas Safety Ladder’s offerings which provide reliable and safe solutions for climbing high structures such as powerlines
Beginning the presentation, Sistonen noted how safety for powerline maintenance is fast becoming a top priority in Europe and the Middle East. Yet, despite this, often safety equipment is a compromise between safety and efficiency as such systems can often slow employees down. Additionally, available solutions can be unsuitable for the wide range of different powerline structures that vary from country to country.
Eltel, however, with Turvatikas Safety Ladder has consistently provided solutions to address these issues. Sistonen said, “In the case of ladder-based and rail-based products, safety and efficiency are no longer compromised. Generally the rail-based solution is very fast and easy to install and requires little equipment so it is simple to use. Workers want to use these as it makes them more efficient as well as safe. Additionally, for any kind of power structure today it is possible to find suitable products to allow usage of rail solutions and fall protectors.”
Outlining the advantages of Turvatikas Safety Ladder solutions, Sistonen commented, “Wire systems are extremely hard to inspect before climbing, whereas these ladder systems are module based and thus allow for inspection while climbing the ladder. The systems require annual inspection or before use but in general do not require much maintenance and are designed to last the lifespan of the steel towers. They are very reliable due to the strict standard that must be fulfilled and should an employee slip, the fall distance is very short.”
If a worker happened to slip, the mobile safety carriages attached to the climber locks itself with a 15 cm fall damage, preventing him from falling. While the ladders themselves do not have insulators to prevent shock, the carriages have shock absorbers and the harnesses are designed to absorb a fair amount of the shock as well. Sistonen observed that the company has quite a bit of history working with the systems and so far no severe accidents have ever been recorded using them. The only damage workers have suffered using them is from the 15cm fall damage.
Sistonen noted that between 2006-2018 more than 200,000 metres of Turvitikas Safety Ladders were installed on Finland’s transmission lines, and concluding the session, he stated, “We have over 40 years of experience in this market and have become a trusted provider for fall protection products in several countries across Europe and the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE. So far these products have been used in more than 40 countries by more than 800 companies, and we expect further growth in the future.”
To listen to the session, click here.
