Their success means station workers can be confident that the drains flow freely so they do not have to use contingency measures to take wastewater to a radioactive effluent treatment plant.

Steve Hackett, a systems improvement engineer at the nuclear power station operated by EDF Energy, says: "Having an effective system for cleaning these effluent pipes is a big benefit for us.

"Persistent blockages had been adding to the operational burden for our engineering teams. We have been impressed with the drain cleaning solution and the way Lanes has implemented it."

The stainless steel 75mm-diameter drains were installed when the power station was built in the 1970s. They are encased in concrete which has made them difficult to keep clean.

They are also located within the radiologically controlled area (RCA) of the Heysham 1 reactor hall. This meant the two Lanes operatives had to wear specialist protective clothing and follow strict radiation protection procedures.

The drains, designated as ‘active' because they could be contaminated with nuclear radiation, were cleaned in two stages.

First, a Spartan electro-mechanical cutter was used to break through blockage material. The device has a flexible cable with a rotating steel cutting head on the end for scouring the inside of pipes.

Then, the Picote mini cleaner was used to break up the blockage debris and push it into waste sumps, leaving the pipes clear. The device can be fitted with different rotating heads. In this case a flail was used.

Simon Nickalls, Operations Manager at Lanes Preston, which carried out the work, said: "Both pipe cleaning devices were needed to achieve the required results.

"As the Picote cleaner is new, this solution has only just become available. We're very glad it was so effective. We can certainly see how it could be applied to other hard-to-reach pipe systems."

The Lanes Preston depot regularly delivers drainage services at Heysham power station. However, this was one of a few occasions where its teams have operated inside an RCA inside a main reactor building.

More than 100m of pipework were cleaned, along with surface water gullies and sink outlets, in three key areas: the reactor basement area, the gas circulation maintenance facility, and the radiation effluent treatment plant.

Construction of Heysham 1 began in 1970. Its two advanced gas-cooled reactors began generating electricity in 1983 and 1984 and have a combined generating capacity of 1150MWe.

www.lanesfordrains.co.uk

Lanes Group Director Andy Brierley (centre), has won a RoSPA Distinguished Service Award, which is given to safety professionals or campaigners who make a sustained and long-term contribution to health and safety.

He said: “I am humbled and honoured to receive this award. I’m super-passionate about health and safety, but it’s made real by the hundreds of people in our organisation who also live and breathe it every day.

“I’m particularly pleased for Jack and Kelly who have made a real and direct difference to the safety and wellbeing of others, and not just work colleagues, over the last year.”

All three colleagues work for Lanes Utilities, which is responsible for surveying, cleaning, unblocking and repairing drains, sewers and wet wells for Thames Water.

Jack Gale has been awarded the RoSPA Inspiration Pride Award which recognises ‘acts of heroism’ in a life-threatening situation, while campaigning for health and safety, or when selflessly helping others.

The wastewater engineer, aged 22, saved the life of a one-year-old baby boy who had stopped breathing. The lifeless child had been carried into the street by his distraught mother.

Jack, a former British Army battlefield medic, with experience in Afghanistan, took the correct emergency action needed to revive the baby, who made a full recovery.

He said: “It feels great to be recognised for helping others. With the right training, other people could have done what I did. I hope this shows the value of getting first aid skills through work. If have the chance to get first aid training, I’d say take it.”

Kelly Hansford is to receive the Influencer Inspiration Award, which recognises individuals who have made the biggest impact on health and safety in the previous 12 months.

She is both a mental health practitioner and a trauma risk practitioner who works on a pioneering Lanes initiative to support the wellbeing of colleagues.

A wellbeing app monitors employee happiness and puts Kelly in touch with individuals who want help with any problems.

At any one time she is supporting around 40 colleagues with issues that include mental illness, personal debt and family disputes. Kelly is also helping to develop a support network of voluntary groups

Kelly said: “It’s fantastic to be given such a wonderful award. It wouldn’t be possible if Lanes wasn’t so forward thinking. I work with lots of people who are very committed to building strong and caring teams. We all need help at different times in our lives.”

Andy Brierley is the lead director of Lanes Utilities, which employs 1400 people, and carries out 1400 jobs for Thames Water every day. He is also chair of the water company’s health and safety leadership team.

Since Lanes started working with Thames Water in 2012, he has devised, inspired and championed a string of pioneering and award-winning health and safety initiatives.

These include the introduction in 2018 of the world’s first 360-degree video training theatre with virtual reality capability, allowing groups to interact together during highly-immersive safety training.

Lanes Utilities’ focus on health and safety has contributed to its accident frequency rate falling to zero at the end of 2018, the illness frequency rate falling by 30% and employment churn falling by 57%.

The accolade marks a 10-year milestone for Lanes in consistently achieving the highest standard in the RoSPA Awards.

Lanes managing director, Wayne Earnshaw, says: “This is a special moment for everyone at Lanes as the President’s Medal is awarded for achieving RoSPA Gold Awards every year for a decade.

“All our people can be proud of their contribution to our effort to continuously improve our health, safety and wellbeing standards, on behalf of our teams, our customers and the wider public.”

The RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) annual award scheme is one of the most prestigious tests of occupational health and safety excellence in the world. Nearly 2000 organisations, from the UK and internationally, enter the awards every year.

Lanes submitted detailed evidence and data about every aspect of occupational health, safety and wellbeing, including leadership, training, staff engagement, risk assessment, incident monitoring, and investigation.

Specific health and safety initiatives it cited included a wellbeing app and practitioner scheme that support more than 1000 Lanes staff working for Thames Water, which won a Utilities Week health and safety award in 2018.

Lanes has also developed virtual reality technology for use in a 360-degree training theatre and invested in new e-learning resources to support health and safety training across its network of 22 depots.

In 2018, the company’s utility division became one of the first organisations in the UK to achieve the health and safety standard ISO 45001:2018, while the depot network achieved ISO standards 9001, 14001 and OHAS 18001.

Group health safety quality and environment manager, Paul McParland, says: “Excellence in health and safety is central to the quality of the service we aim to deliver 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

“No organisation is perfect. We’re learning all the time. Entering the RoSPA Awards each year is an important opportunity to review our progress and work on embedding a positive health, safety and wellbeing culture, right across the company.”

Lanes delivers services that include sewer cleaning, sewer lining, tankering, and asset maintenance services to industrial, commercial and domestic customers, and across all business sectors, including utilities, rail, highways and energy generation.

Brian Kerrigan, regional manager for Lanes' Glasgow depot, says: “Our solution was to install a bypass drain around the edge of the freezers which eliminated the need for more disruptive work.

“The original plan was to move the freezers temporarily, or to tunnel under them to reach the collapsed drain. Both ideas would have risked damaging insulating heat pads build into the floor beneath the freezers.

“They would have also severely disrupted operations at the supermarket, potentially to the disadvantage of customers, so the retailer was understandably keen to avoid both options if at all possible.”

Lanes was called in to give a second opinion as to what could be done, which is where the idea of installing a bypass drain with an internal excavation was born.

The project involved laying 25m of 100mm-diameter PVC pipe, taken around the corners of the freezer with 45° bends.

Kerrigan says: “The solution eliminated substantial renovation work. We had three operatives working night shifts Monday to Thursday for 15 days to carry out the work.

“The work area was kept as small as possible. At the end of each shift out team left the site spotless and safe behind barriers, so the supermarket staff could carry on working without any hindrance during the day.”

The Lanes Glasgow depot has expertise in carrying out major drainage excavations and can also deploy a full range of no-dig techniques to repair and rehabilitate pipes, including cured in place point lining and full lining.

General Dynamics UK has been awarded contracts worth £3.9 billion to deliver and service 589 AJAX armoured fighting vehicles for the British Army until 2024.

The test track, built by Griffiths Civil Engineering and Construction, allows vehicles to be fully tested before they are handed over to the Army.
Griffiths site agent, Chris Williams, says: “The surface water drainage system makes sure the track delivers the same highly-accurate performance test results all-year-round. “As such, it was important for us to commission Lanes to carry out the drainage survey and cleansing of all underground pipework.

“Its drainage survey reports provided the evidence we needed to show the client the drainage system across the test site was fit-for-purpose.”

A jet vac tanker and a CCTV drainage survey team from Lanes' Cardiff depot were deployed to carry out the work.

The drainage system included standard surface water pipes and a network of filter pipes, which collect water from surrounding ground.

Kyle Burgess, area development manager for Lanes in South Wales, says: “We were delighted have supported Griffiths on this project, which is delivering significant benefits for the Welsh economy.

“As well as CCTV drainage surveys, we can carry out a range of other surveys, including topographical surveys and GPS mapping.

“We’re highly experienced at delivering drainage services on industrial process and factory sites, where the ability to work flexibly and safely so as not to disrupt production is often vital.”

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The site is being prepared for the construction of a new waste-to-energy plant that will generate enough renewable electricity for more than 125,000 homes.

Phil Shelley, site manager at Scudder Demolition, said: “An important step is to have an up-to-date accurate map of the surface water and foul drainage system across and around the proposed development site.

“This will allow us to make sure the integrity of the drainage system for adjoining facilities is maintained during demolition and site development.

“The drainage survey will also allow our civil and structural engineers to plan the reconnection of surface water drains and foul sewers where that is necessary.”

The Lanes CCTV drainage survey team is using robotic crawler cameras and push-rod cameras to inspect pipes with diameters ranging from 150 to 300mm.

The surveys will result in the generation of an accurate drainage map of the surveyed site, as well as HD-quality video of pipework revealing its condition, and any remedial work that is needed.

Lanes won the work by competitive tender and will also carry out water jetting of drainage lines that are found to need cleansing.

Sian Wyn Jones, area development manager for Lanes Chester, said: “We use the most advanced CCTV drainage survey system. This allows us to quickly compile survey reports that focus on data of specific interest to client in a format that’s quick and easy to analyse.

“Our drainage teams in Chester have a lot of experience of working on industrial sites, including nuclear energy, so can be trusted to work safely and effectively in such settings.”

Phil Shelley said: “The Lanes teams have been doing a very good job for us. They’re very punctual, professional and responsive, and comply fully with all our site management regulations.”

ISO 45001:2018 is designed to be a significant upgrade of the current OHSAS 18001 standard, setting a global benchmark for continuous improvement in health and safety.

New elements in the standard include a clear link between health and safety and business strategy, a stronger focus on the role of business leadership and management teams, and greater emphasis on worker engagement and participation.

Lanes Utilities is wastewater network services maintenance partner for Thames Water. Its 1400 people are responsible for unblocking, cleaning and repairing drains and sewers for 15 million wastewater customers.

Lanes Group director Andy Brierley, who leads the operation, said: "As soon as the new standard came out, we knew we wanted to challenge ourselves by seeking to achieve it as early as possible. We want to be the best WNS maintenance provider, and to do that we need to be the safest."

To achieve ISO 45001:2018 accreditation, Lanes Utilities underwent a stringent independent audit of its occupational health and safety management systems and processes, carried out by the British Standards Institution (BSI).

Business systems and compliance manager, Hannah Clark said: "This has been such a wonderful accomplishment for Lanes. It's proof we have leaders who place undivided emphasis on health, safety and wellbeing.

"This was a true team effort, and everyone at Lanes Utilities can feel proud to know that they played such a huge part in achieving this accreditation.

"It's exciting to know that we're at the cutting edge of health, safety and wellbeing quality in the UK and across the globe. The standard gives us confidence that the whole organisation is stepping in the right direction and that we've got the tools and cultural values to keep improving."

In partnership with Thames Water, Lanes Utilities has introduced a 360-degree video theatre, so wastewater engineers can undergo sewer maintenance training in complete safety.

It has also pioneered new approaches to workplace wellbeing, with the introduction of a wellbeing app, which measures the happiness of its workforce, and a wellbeing and mental health practitioner programme to provide all staff with professional support.

They were called in to ensure the drainage system at the facility was in optimum condition with no blockages before it was handed over following its installation.

The test track has been built at the General Dynamics armoured fighting vehicle assembly, integration, and testing facility at Merthyr Tydfil in Mid Glamorgan.
General Dynamics UK has been awarded contracts worth £3.9 billion to deliver and service 589 AJAX armoured fighting vehicles for the British Army until 2024.

The test track, built by Griffiths Civil Engineering and Construction, allows the military vehicles to be fully tested before they are handed over to the Army.
Griffiths site agent Chris Williams said: “The surface water drainage system makes sure the track delivers the same highly-accurate performance test results all-year-round.

“As such, it was important for us to commission Lanes to carry out the drainage survey and cleansing of all underground pipework. Its drainage survey reports provided the evidence we needed to show the client the drainage system across the test site was fit for purpose.”

A jet vac tanker and a CCTV drainage survey team from the Lanes Cardiff depot were deployed to carry out the work.

The drainage system included standard surface water pipes and a network of filter pipes, which collect water from surrounding ground.

The work, carried out by Lanes Group plc on behalf of main contractor Osborne, was designed to make sure the drains worked effectively, reducing the risk of flash flooding during heavy rain.

Lanes, the UK’s largest independent drainage specialist, was praised by Osborne for completing the planned work, plus additional pipe cleaning and repairs, within a tight timescale.

Ben Forsyth, Lanes Group Strategic Development Manager, said: “A combination of rigorous planning, focussed implementation, and close partnership working between our East London drainage teams and their counterparts at Osborne were key to this project’s success.

“The positive outcomes demonstrate the value of Lanes’ ability to deliver the fullest range of services – from surveying through to no-dig drainage rehabilitation – seamlessly, safely and sustainably, both strategically, and for individual projects.

“In terms of pipe rehabilitation, Lanes can also deliver a mixed range of solutions, including ambient patching and UV lining, as we as significant excavations, where needed.”

The programme involved carrying out highway drainage repairs and desilting at multiple locations along a 22km stretch of the M1 from the A406 North Circular Road to the M25 in Hertfordshire.

Over 130 nights, many thousands of metres of highway drains were desilted and CCTV camera surveyed. A total of 150 point repairs, also known as patch liners, were installed, along with six full-length pipe liners.

Drainage engineers from the Lanes East London depot in Rainham were deployed on the programme, carried out under 13 phases of traffic management, supported by Osborne highway operatives.

Site Supervisor Michael Clifford, who led the Lanes team, said: “We coordinated the work carefully to maximise productivity, with the drain cleansing and CCTV survey teams pushing ahead while the repair team followed up where defective pipes were identified.

“We only had a window of up to 5h per night to carry out our work, yet there were times when we could clean and survey up to 600m of pipe and install six patch liners in one shift.

“We worked very well with our Osborne colleagues and I’m glad to say they were pleased with the progress we made, even during some long periods of freezing weather during a harsh winter.”

Productivity was aided by deploying an advanced recycler jet vac tanker. The machine could filter and continuously reuse its jetting water. This meant it could operate for the whole shift without having to refill its 14,000-litre water tank.

Keeping highway drains in good repair is vital to prevent localised flooding during periods of heavy rain, which can be a serious road hazard, and contribute to congestion by slowing traffic.

The full-length liners – one 90m, the others between 30 and 50m long – were installed by Lanes sewer rehabilitation division, based in Manchester.

It used a technique called ultra-violet (UV) cured in place pipe lining (CIPP). A glass-reinforced-plastic (GRP) liner, impregnated with UV-sensitive resin was installed in the defective pipe, then inflated with compressed air. A UV light array was then pulled through the liner to cure, or harden, the resin, creating a new pipe-within-a-pipe.

The patch liners were shorter, 1-2m long, and were cured with resin that reacts in ambient temperatures. All lateral connections were reopened using a robotic cutter, pictured above.

It has developed a wellbeing app for measuring happiness at work combined with a practical support programme led by a qualified wellbeing and mental health practitioner.

The initiative, developed by Lanes Utilities, the wastewater network services maintenance partner for Thames Water, was recognised at the Water Industry Achievement Awards held in Birmingham on 21^st May 2018, organised by Water and Wastewater Treatment magazine, Water Effluent and Treatment News, and Utility Week Live.

Guests at the ceremony were told judges had been so impressed by the strong submissions that they split the Health and Safety Initiative Award, giving the Health and Wellbeing Award to Lanes and the Safety Award to Affinity Water.

Judges were impressed by the way Lanes combined novel digital app technology with determined practical support to transform the lives of many colleagues.

The initiative aims to give genuine help to colleagues in need. For the company, this has the beneficial effect of underpinning high customer service standards, and retaining skilled and experienced colleagues, significantly reducing recruitment and training costs.

Field workers must answer the wellbeing app’s question – How Happy Do You Feel? – at the start of every shift. They are also asked if they want to talk to someone about any concerns. If they do, they are contacted by the wellbeing practitioner.