Skanska use Combisafe net on Swiss Re Building

Combisafe's Safety Net Fan is being used during the construction of 30 St Mary Axe for the reinsurance company Swiss Re in London.

In all, 25 Safety Net Fans have been on hire to Skanska UK Construction during the building period.

Declan Gormley, Skanska construction manager, said: "We have used Combisafe Safety Net Fans type 1 and type 3 in two instances on this unusual building. One instance was traditional protection over footways and carriageways on three of the boundaries.

"The other use of the nets was an extension of plaza protection while cladding was installed above, and fabrication continued below, allowing access for craneage when required.

"Protection over pavement proved its worth when we had a heavy fall of snow a few months ago. The following day when the tower cranes slewed around they dislodged frozen snow from ties and mast. The nets contained the larger lumps successfully allowing them to thaw out safely," added Gormley.

The Safety Net Fan is a revolutionary new system of edge protection, providing an effective fall-arrest solution as well as pedestrian and workforce protection, claim the company.

Assembled on the ground, the Safety Net Fans are simply lifted into position by cranes. Once in place, they can easily be folded up towards the building, allowing easy crane access for loading and unloading.

"This design is proving very efficient in areas where lack of space is an issue," said Combisafe.