Working Together to Improve Safety

The Romsey Road Bridge team have been liaising with South Central Ambulance Service’s (SCAS) specialist team that has an extended skill set to deal with all manner of emergencies, including working at height, in circumstances where chemicals are present, in water and confined spaces to name a few.  The Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) came to site to extend their training in a “real life” situation and utilized the scaffold tower and the new Romsey Road Bridge that we have built to replace the current one that spans the M27 between junctions 3 and 4.

We arranged this collaborative day with HART as we recognise that we are working on a unique project that will further enhance their expertise while enabling us to have an additional professional opinion on how we can continue our excellent safety record on site and raise the bar.  The team is keen to take every opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of a safe working environment for all and are pleased that this exercise helps to highlight this.

Members of the HART have carried out three different exercises during the day-long event, including a mock rescue from impalement on the bridge, a crushing incident under the bridge and working from height rescue.

No persons were injured during the day, although “Jack” the mannequin did at times look rather peaky and distressed as he awaited his rescuers.

Daryl Toogood HART Team Leader said, “Opportunities to train on structures like the Romsey Road Bridge are few and far between; today has offered us the chance to extend our knowledge and train in circumstances more realistic, that better reflects the work I and my team face daily.”

Matt Whale Senior Site Manager at Osborne commented “It’s been quite an eye opener watching the HART guys working so professionally in quite awkward scenarios.  We work hard in the construction industry to mitigate incidents, reduce the chance of an accident and are on our toes to report near misses, but it’s so good to know that if the worst-case scenario occurred we would be well looked after by SCAS. SCAS is one of our key stakeholders on the Romsey Road Bridge Project, we have really enjoyed being able to host this event and have enjoyed watching these skilled professionals at work.”