When you use a water filled cofferdam, you must make sure that you are using it safely. Regulations exist that you need to adhere to when using a cofferdam. If you deviate from these regulations, you could find yourself facing penalties and punishment. Naturally, you will want your experience with a water filled cofferdam to be a safe and secure one too.
Some Potential Risks and Health Hazards That You Need to be Aware of
Cofferdams must be of a suitable design and construction. You must also make sure that they are properly maintained, and that evacuation from the construction area has been considered should a dangerous hazard occur.
Some other hazards that manufacturers and users of cofferdams need to be aware of:
- Hazards to physical health, such as from water that is contaminated, gases that could cause risks to health especially in confined spaces, and potential health issues arising from exposure to noise and vibration.
- Electrical hazards from cables in the beds of rivers, or temporary electrical cables that have been placed in water.
- Potential risk of injury from falling from heights.
- Potential risk of injury and trauma from collisions with moving equipment and items of transport, such as boats.
- Potential risk of injury and trauma from the cofferdam itself.
- Risk of flooding should the cofferdam happen to fail.
Adhere to Some Common Sense Safety Tips and You Will be Fine
Safety when using a cofferdam begins with a proper site inspection. You will need to make sure that you understand the water table and underwater topography, as well as any problems with obstructions or contamination hazards.
A water filled cofferdam is generally a safer solution to water intrusion issues than traditional methods such as pile-driven cofferdams as they mean your crew will be spending less time in the water. Additionally, water filled cofferdams create less noise, have less of an overall environmental impact and there is less chance of them failing as they are ‘one piece’ constructions that are lowered into place. Other solutions typically have multiple points at which they can potentially fail.
For the best in cofferdams, you need to contact Dam-It-Dams. We are the number one provider of water-filled cofferdams in the United States, and have worked hard to gain a superb reputation for our products, and our attention to our customers. To get in touch with us, please call us at 810-695-1695, or use our convenient online contact form.