Latest Project - City Centre NO Congestion

When it comes to carrying out detailed inspections it pays to get up close and personal with structures.  One of the down sides is often the congestion and inconvenience caused to road users and pedestrians.

Detailed record keeping is essential

So it will come as a relief to the people of Birmingham that Up and Under were able to use clever rope (and wire) tricks to avoid the need for traffic management while carrying out these works.

Measuring the extent of defects

It is sad that nobody will actually be aware that the works are going on, looks like no tips on this job then.

Need work carrying out with minimal fuss and disruption?  Call us 01270 589615

Latest Project - Building in tricky positions

Building a 300 x 300 x 1500 concrete column sounds like a straightforward job for any builder. So why call Up and Under?  

Foundation cast on top of blinding concrete with formwork in place for the column

Well this particular column is in a cave - designed to support the roof - at the bottom of a 20m cliff, in a beauty spot.

The concrete column, injection pointed to the roof

All the materials had to be transported along a narrow track, concrete had to be mixed and lowered down the cliff face before being poured into the formwork.  When the shutters were struck the column was faced with locally sourced stone.

Stone clad, with ground restored

Need a problem solving?  call us 01270 589615.

Friday Fun - Messing with the Boss

Does Andy ever get out on the ropes?  We have heard this question many times and today we present the evidence.  The rare Andius Fewtrellius was spotted recently beneath a bridge on the England/Wales border.  As you can see he still has no fashion sense and was sporting a boiler suit with slightly short legs and lovely red socks.

"So what happens if I undo this?"

 Of course, Simon was doing all the work, taking accurate measurements of deflection in the bridge deck.  Monitoring displacement and movement in structures is a common activity at Up and Under. 

At the business end, taking measurements.

Latest Project - Premier League

I am sorry we have missed a couple of project posts because of how busy we have been with work and our charity commitments, but we have a good one for you today.

Last chance to see ......

Sponsors love to see their logos prominently displayed on TV.  However, when the deal comes to an end, a location that may be prominent, can also be tricky to get at to remove the signs.

Disconnect.......

And remove.

 As you can imagine that is not a problem for our contracting team, so recently we paid a visit to Stoke City's ground to remove a few signs.  Our activities were probably the most exciting thing that the Britannia Stadium had seen all season - oops controversial.  

Whatever your team colours I am sure you will appreciate the photos.

I think we have a fan in the ranks

Got an access problem, installing or removing give us a call 01270 589615 or email for a quote.

Latest Project Report - Welsh Links

Two interesting projects in Wales this week:

The first is the inspection of an arch bridge, to establish its condition. Arches are can be susceptible to extremes of weather so examinations in spring are useful to detect deterioration caused by frost or heavy rain.



Measuring an area of pointing loss

The second project was an inspection for assessment, the principal information required was the thickness of the beam flanges supporting the jack arches which in turn support the deck. In this type of construction the bricks forming the jack arch sit directly on the lower beam flange making a caliper measurement impractical.

Measuring the thickness of the beam flange

To get around this problem we use ultra-sonic thickness measurement. This gives us accurate measurement of the remaining flange and has the bonus that with the right equipment it will measure through existing coatings.

We are interested to discuss your needs in regard to bridge asset management.  Please contact us 01270 589615

Latest Project - Culverts and Bridges

A recent project demonstrated the versitility of the Up and Under Inspection offering.  The works included the requirement for engineers trained in confined space working to undertake principal inspections of two culverts. 

Following on from this the same team was able to undertake the inspection of a single span underbridge and a 12 span viaduct, this time utilising a MEWP which - you guessed it - they were also qualified to use.

So what if they needed to use rope access to get to some parts of the structure - yes right again - they could have done that oh and a pontoon for inspection over water - got it covered.

So what we are saying is that we can offer you a comprehensive inspection package with Engineers with a wealth of professional and technical experience.

So what can we help you with? Inspection, Testing, Investigation?  Problem structures?
Contact us on 01270 589615

Recent Projects - Keeping Warm

We were recently asked to combine our rope access skills and our fabrication nouse to solve a clients problem. Thermal movement had led to some slippage of the lagging and it’s protection in a steam generation plant. Working on live equipment we installed new lagging and purpose made covers to bridge the gaps.

Drilling newly fabricated covers

 The client was particularly pleased that the works were undertaken without significant disruption to the plants operations.

Installing new covers with power rivetters

 We have a range of experience of working in and around power plants including:

•  Pipe lagging
• Surface cleaning
• Painting
• Cladding repairs

 If you want to discuss a project please contact us 01270 589615

Latest Project - Waterloo

No, not the battle, the ABBA song, or even the sunset, it's the Bridge we are talking about today.  Bridges over the thames hold a special place in our hearts at Up and Under. 

The inspection of Battersea Bridge in 1988 was our first and since then we have undertake dozens of projects on 15 of the road crossings on the tidal Thames in the centre of London.

Correct Bridge....... Check!

They are all special in their own way, either because of their design or because of a feature of the particular project, but most of us enjoy the time in the spotlight that Tower bridge commands.  Anyway, back to today's story:

This job comprised the inspection of the internal parts of the piers.  We collected a range of condition and dimensional data in order to prepare a report for our client. 

It is essential everyone knows what they are doing here!

The project relied on a wide range of our skills.  Working on the Thames requires consideration of tides, arrangement of safety boats and liaison with the Port of London, with whom we have an excellent, long standing relationship.

Mucky but still smiling

Internally we needed a carefully devised combination of confined spaces and rope access techniques plus bridge engineering expertise to meet the technical and safety elements of the brief.

This is the type of job where we excel and we will be back in London very soon to examine another landmark.

Rope access or confined spaces, inspection or maintenance contact us 01270 589615

Recent Projects - Keeping Coffee Safe

After a few weeks of bridges, we have a building for you today.

A recent problem which faced not only the Up and Under specialist access team, but also the customers of a well know coffee shop chain was the spalling of concrete from a building in Reading, Berkshire (not what you want landing in your cappuccino).


 The temporary solution (until funds could be allocated to carry out a full concrete repair) was to protect the face using a fine mesh safety netting to protect the building. Of course the coffee shop did not wish to close and the owner didn’t want to cover the building with expensive scaffolding.

The solution was the use of rope access techniques although, as you can see, Andy had someone looking over his shoulder most of the time.

Look out Andy, you have an admirer

Up and Under (Specialist Contracts) provide many building maintenance solutions and dont miss our new web site www.pigeonpoo.co.uk

Latest Project - M5 Motorway Inspections

Being access specialists doesn't mean we always go for the most exciting means of carrying out an inspection.

On the contrary we select the most appropriate means of access, giving the client the best value solution.  Recently while conducting a hammer tap and visual surveys of the 4 side spans of 2 I/C bridges on the M5 we emplyed the most appropriate means  which was

Scaffold Tower

Oh yes and we needed some

Rope Access

This bridge is interesting in that it has been strengthened using bonded steel plates; these were also included in the inspection.

We chose rope access to undertake the inspection of the soffit above the revetment, while tower scaffolding was selected, for its efficiency, in the areas of the soffit between the bottom of the revetment and the pier.  Having a multi skilled team of inspection engineers made this switch between techniques practical and efficient.

The works were completed by Kev, Darren, Rob and Stuart to te satisfaction of all concerned.

For complete solutions, rope access, confined space, conventional or access over water, contact us 01270 589615 

Project News - Hamble Bridge

Working with Enterprise Mouchel we recently completed the inspection of the Hamble Bridge on the M27, near Southampton.  Our team of engineers used industrial rope access techniques to complete a visual inspection and paint inspection in accordance with Highways Agency Standards BD63/07 and BD87/05.

 

Much of the structure had to be accessed using aid climbing techniques.  During the works we had a safety boat in attendance.

In addition to the above water works we also undertook a diving inspection of the two central piers.

Cooperation is te key to successful completion of this type of project.  We have a number of landmark stucture projects either ongoing or in preparation, follow us here or on facebook to keep up with all of the latest news.

Highways Agency Area 10 - Reflections on 5 years of good stuff

This weekend will see the end of AOne+'s stewardship of Highways Agency Area 10. During this time we have had the pleasure of working with a great team based in Warrington.

We have looked back over the past five years of helping to manage this vitally important component in the country’s infrastructure and have come up with a few highlights. Our contribution to keeping the Trunk Roads of the North West in good order have included: 

• More than 2,500 General Bridge Inspections
• Over 1,500 Principal Inspections
• Inputting over 4,500 inspection reports into SMIS
• Checking and updating inventories of ~50 Pre-opening and end of defect liability inspections
• Assessing 215 structures for susceptibility to scour
• Carrying out more than 350 inspections following heavy rainfall/flood events
• Undertaking numerous special and monitoring inspections
• Monitoring the piers, half-joints and internal sections of Bidston Viaduct on a quarterly basis prior to completion of the strengthening works between 2007 -2010
• Assessing thousands of structures to determine their resilience against terrorism
• Monitoring bearings on Thelwall Viaduct and other structures
• Installing (pier location ) reference labelling to help the emergency services
• Helping to maintain the highway lighting
• Installing security measures to reduce the threat of vandalism and terrorism
• Removing graffiti, clearing trash screens, plus clearing and greasing flap valves
• Cleaning and greasing bearings on rail structures
• Determining traffic management, access and rail access requirements plus liaising with specialist suppliers
• In the past year alone, cleaning and removing ~10 tonnes of pigeon droppings from structures, plus installing kilometres of pigeon spikes
• Maintaining and checking AOne+ work at height safety equipment (harnesses and lanyards)
• Solving access problems involving rope access and confined spaces working, work over and alongside deep water, the use of boats and pontoons and reacting to the joys of the british weather. 

 This has been a mammoth effort by our team, frequently working through the night, in all weathers, solving problems as they arose and innovating to meet the clients, the HA’s and the public’s needs for efficiency and safety.

None of this could have been achieved without the spirit of cooperation between ourselves and the AOne+ team. We would like to thank them all for embracing our ‘get it done’ approach.

It remains only to say thank you to all of our team members who have contributed so much over the past five years to the success of this project and to wish all those moving on to the next contract from AOne+ all the best for the future.

Our skill, enthusiasm and experience is available to all Highways Area Trunk Road managers. Contact us 01270 589615 ask for Miles.

Latest Project News - Tunnels with Towers

We recently completed the inspection of the ventilation towers to the Tyne Tunnel.  Conventional rope access was preceeded by the application of centuries old technology to get ropes up and over the rim of the the ventilation towers, the highest being over 40m high.

Big!

 The inspection, carried out by our engineers, was completed in accordance with Highways Agency Standard BD63/07.

Getting hands on

The methods used ensured that we we were able to access all areas of towers with no need for installation of any fixings/anchors.

Best off all the tunnel remained open to traffic throughout these works.

Inspections, testing or investigations our award winning team will find a solution that works for you, contact us  01270 589615

Masonry Repairs to Railway Viaduct

Up and Under (Specialist Contracts) recently completed a repair contract on a masonry viaduct next to the Helmshore Textile Museum between Haslingden and Ramsbottom in Lancashire.  This type of safe work at height is routine for our Contracts Division and we deal with all of the safety and environmental paperwork, if required.

Mortar injection for deep joints

The works included:

• Vegetation removal
• Joint raking
• Re-pointing
• Masonry replacement

Most of the works were undertaken by our skilled team members using rope access to minimise cost and inconnvenience.

Areas prepared for masonry replacement

We are happy to discuss your repair and maintenance needs whether specialist access or routine.

Contact us for a quote, or advice.