The former was a joint win with design, engineering and project management consultancy Atkins; management consulting services company Arup; and client Horizon Nuclear Power. The award was presented to the collaborative team for its work on the Wylfa Newydd South Site onshore ground investigation for the new nuclear power station in Anglesey, UK.
Structural Soils’ second win, the Health and Safety Award, was for its manual handling solution, a one-piece plastic, lightweight, adaptive, one-size-fits-all tool. The technology enables operators to lift any dimension and length of metal casing without having to place their hands or forearms in the hollow steel tube.
“We identified the need to find a solution to a long-term manual handling issue in the drilling part of the business,” commented Nick Reichelt, Structural Soils’ drilling manager for the south. “Carrying casing was responsible for most minor and occasionally more serious hand injuries. Staff engagement was critical in designing and evolving the optimum tool for the job, which all our crews now use. An additional benefit of using the tool is that it naturally imparts a better posture for carrying, thereby helping to alleviate another cause of injuries on-site.”
RSK companies were shortlisted for five categories, the others being Geoenvironmental Project of the Year; Ground Investigation Specialist of the Year; and Award for Equipment Innovation.
The Ground Engineering Awards offer the industry a chance to come together as a community, celebrate their achievements and network with the best in the business. Held at the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane, the annual awards ceremony is a focal point of the geotechnical calendar.
This year saw a record number of companies entering. The finalists were announced in March 2017. Those shortlisted were required to present their entries to the judging panel.
"This year's winners clearly demonstrate how the UK geotechnics industry is evolving through greater innovation and emerging technology to deliver new levels of engineering excellence while still providing value and sustainable solutions,” commented Ground Engineering editor Claire Smith. “It is also truly great to see the focus on pre-emptive solutions to create resilience and reduce risk in this year's shortlist and I hope this will be a continuing trend in the industry."
For more information, please contact Jon Basset.