14 September 2023 − IADC granted the 2023 Safety Award for dredging contractors to Boskalis for its improved safety design of the water box.
During the IADC Annual General Meeting in Barcelona, IADC President Frank Verhoeven revealed the winner of the Safety Award 2023. This year, IADC granted the safety award for dredging contractors to Boskalis for its improved safety design of the water box.
DREDGING CONTRACTOR AWARD
Boskalis has introduced new water boxes for sand fill areas, greatly improving safety for its employees. The water boxes have been designed, calculated and constructed in such a way that the risk of implosion due to soil pressure is eliminated.
Using an adjustable platform on the outside of the water box, it is possible to remove or add planks to regulate the water level within the sand fill area. A feature that is highly appreciated by the sand fill teams as this way of working eliminates severe safety risks.
The water box features an external, manually operated and adjustable platform that can be reached with a safe stairway. As the soil and water level rises, the platform can be moved up. This allows for project staff to add planks from the outside of the water box. This greatly enhances their safety, compared to traditional water boxes. The design is basically a “plug and play” setup and can easily be transported to a work site where local staff can receive instruction on how to handle the water box safely. Used in many projects around the world, this type of water box is currently being used by Boskalis on the Manila International Airport project.
Photo caption 1-3: Boskalis improved the safety of water boxes with a new design. Copyright Boskalis
ANNUAL AWARDS PROMOTE SAFETY INNOVATION
“As IADC, we realise that dredging contractors play an important role in increasing safety. Sometimes a simple idea can make a major contribution to improving safety, as is the case with Boskalis, which improved the safety of water boxes with a new design. This submission showed once again that an idea doesn't always have to be rocket science, but innovation can be found in the simplest of things,” says René Kolman, Secretary General of IADC. “Our Safety Award is designed to encourage the development of safety skills in the workplace and to reward people and companies who demonstrate a commitment to safety awareness in the course of their profession. The awards, presented each year, recognise the exceptional safety performance demonstrated by a particular project, programme, procedure, product, vessel, team or employee(s).”
Photo caption 4:
On behalf of Boskalis, Pim van der Knaap (right), Group Director, accepts the Safety Award 2023 which was bestowed by IADC’s President Frank Verhoeven (left).