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Vancouver City Hall, Canada

Fibrelite design and engineer retrofit replacement for heavy cast iron recess access covers with concrete infill

Project overview

Vancouver City Hall required a safe replacement for previously installed concrete trench access covers located on a walkway outside of the hall, over a generator. They reached out to Fibrelite via Keller Equipment (Fibrelite distributor) for a solution.

Problem

Due to the sheer weight of the previously installed concrete covers, Vancouver City Hall had to hire heavy-duty specialist equipment to remove and replace them when access was required. The removal of these heavy covers posed a health and safety risk to maintenance workers. Moreover, space to operate such equipment was limited in the area surrounding the trench and hiring specialist lifting equipment was costly, making removal a challenging and time-consuming exercise.

Fibrelite provided lightweight retrofit trench access covers to Vancouver City Hall
Fibrelite provided lightweight retrofit trench access covers to Vancouver City Hall
Fibrelite covers allow quick safe manual removal
Fibrelite covers allow quick safe manual removal

Solution

Fibrelite custom engineered and manufactured FRP GRP trench covers to fit directly into existing frames. Covers were manufactured at a load rating of 20 tons tonnes (although other Fibrelite models can withstand up to 90 tons) tonnes) and in a color colour to match the surrounding area.

All Fibrelite trench covers can be manually removed safely and quickly by two people using Fibrelite’s FL7 lifting handles. In this case they allow easy access to the generator beneath for maintenance and monitoring.

Independent wet and dry tests carried out by Devon CC Materials Laboratory showed that Fibrelite manhole and trench covers – even when wet – have anti-slip/skid properties far exceeding health and safety advisory limits.

Results

Vancouver City Hall now has a lightweight and safe access solution for their generator which will endure for years to come.

Fibrelite supplied covers in a custom color colour to blend in with their surroundings
Fibrelite supplied covers in a custom color colour to blend in with their surroundings
All Fibrelite covers are skid/slip resistant, providing a safe walking surface when wet or dry
All Fibrelite covers have anti-slip/skid properties far exceeding health and safety advisory limits

Author:

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Jim Goodman

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