Creating Safer Truck Parking Bays at Rosslare Harbour
Rosslare Harbour is one of Ireland's most prominent ports and is the quickest direct shipping route to the UK and mainland Europe. With excellent road, sea and rail connectivity, the harbour handles freight and passengers, oversized loads, cruise ships, and bulk cargo daily, with up to 56 sailings to the UK and 36 to Europe per week.
A recent €35 million investment allowed for a massive upgrade to port infrastructure. One area that received investment was the HGV loading bays, a key area for day-to-day operations where the slightest accident could have drastic long-term effects.
Working in direct collaboration with long-term customer John Paul Construction, Pittman was entrusted with creating safe and effective protection for the loading bays at Rosslare Harbour. The aim was to ensure the safety of trailers, infrastructure, and port staff and prevent trucks and trailers from rolling and damaging exposed light posts and EV chargers.
This case study will explore how we worked with John Paul Construction and the Office of Public Works to seamlessly deliver safer HGV loading bays without impeding day-to-day operations at Rosslare Europort.
Project Overview
John Paul Construction requested our advice on products that would best protect exposed infrastructure at Rosslare Europort. The objective was to improve truck parking by safely stopping HGVs in the loading bays while protecting exposed light posts, EV chargers, pedestrians, and other infrastructure from impact.
Challenges
The truck parking bays at Rosslare Europort were left open-ended, meaning any solution needed to bring HGVs to a complete stop while also reducing the risk of rolling trailers. As the Office of Public Works specified, the suggested solutions needed to be robust enough for a busy loading bay with regular truck traffic.
Pittman's Solution
To create safer loading bays, we recommended the installation of MKII HGV Heavy-Duty Wheel Stops and custom Defender Heavy-Duty Steel Bollards. The HGV wheel stops are made for safer HGV parking, both as a means of bringing the vehicles to a stop in the bay and as a visual aid for drivers.
Custom Defender heavy-duty bollards were suggested to surround exposed light posts and EV chargers. The extra-wide bollards included a removable cap, allowing them to be filled with concrete for extreme protection. The bollards would create a vital buffer between HGVs and the infrastructure, reducing the risk of severe impact damage.
Implementation Process
- Liaising with John Paul Construction for product advice and suggested implementation
- Suggested installation advice for HGV wheel stops to ensure they were installed correctly
- Post-installation check-in to ensure all products were installed correctly
Results
As the Office of Public Works objectives set out, all HGV wheel stops and bollards were installed on time, providing instant safety to exposed port infrastructure and assets. Specifically, the OPW noted their satisfaction with John Paul Construction's workmanship and the quality of the finished product. The bollards provided instant loading bay protection to exposed assets, bringing a physical and visual safety boost to the truck bays.
Key Takeaways
The Rosslare Europort project highlighted our ability to create practical solutions that instantly made the loading bays safer for drivers, pedestrians and infrastructure. The suggested solutions were easy for the client to install, and the suggested custom bollards provided additional safety compared to an off-the-shelf bollard.
Conclusion
We were very happy to work again with John Paul Construction and the Office of Public Works on another successful project. The suggested solutions delivered safer and more efficient loading bays, instantly boosting the protection of critical port infrastructure, assets, and personnel.
Future Collaboration
Both John Paul Construction and the Office of Public Works continue to have strong relationships with us at Pittman. New projects with both John Paul and the OPW are already underway. The Rosslare Europort project highlighted our solution-driven approach for the client while providing the support and advice needed to achieve their on-site requirements.
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