Within Royal Haskoning, we have a wealth of experience in the visual inspection of extremely remote sites (e.g. St Kilda, Kosovo, the Caribbean Islands, Scillies, the Channel Islands, the Shetland and Orkney Isles and the Western Isles) using a core team of highly trained and motivated Engineers. 

We have considerable experience in the use of roped access techniques where inspections are complicated by difficult access and all our staff have attended training courses to enable them to work safely at heights. They are re-trained every two years. A large number of our staff hold IRATA qualifications for roped access.

Most of our mast and tower work is managed and carried out by our experienced Edinburgh Office team. Our Mr Freer generally fulfils the role of Project Director for this type of work. Our staff have considerable experience of working in this environment, having carried out similar works (and still working) for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Meteorological Office, National Air Traffic Services, Northern Lighthouse Board, Trinity House, Cable & Wireless Communications including their global operations division, Police Authorities (including the Metropolitan Police, Northern Constabulary, Grampian Police etc), Scottish & Southern Energy, the Wireless Infrastructure Group, Orange, One 2 One, Vodafone, and the Ministry of Defence (and their Agents over the last 15 years.

We are presently the appointed mast and tower inspection company for the Ministry of Defence Regional Prime Contracts in Scotland (for Turner Estate Solutions), Central Region (for Carillion Enterprise) and the South East Region (for PriDe). The total number of structures inspected for the MOD in any year is in excess of 1,500 structures. Structures range from 5.0m to 100m . We believe that this experience can be of benefit in carrying out similar works for the other clients.

We are the current Structural Engineering Consultant for the Meteorological Office operating throughout the UK and Northern Ireland. Through our long association with the Met Office and their Agents we have an intimate knowledge of all of the sites owned and operated by the Met Office including their location, access requirements and structural details. We have a good working relationship with all elements of the Met Office particularly the Met ES section who arrange access etc for our personal.

We are registered as a Design Co-ordinating Authority in accordance with the Ministry of Defence Safety Procedure 07, which means that we are able to provide advice to all MoD interested parties. We are also an Approved Climbing organisation in terms of SRP 07 and JSP375. We believe that this experience can only be of benefit in carrying out similar works for other parties

We have considerable expertise in the measurement of guy tensions and carry all the necessary equipment to take readings and where necessary adjust tensions. For example we have recently re-adjusted the tensions to a large number of guyed structures for the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.

We also carry in-house staff who are expert in the requirements of BS EN 62305 pertaining to lightning protection. The taking of earth readings and the design of lightning protection systems are a normal requirement of most of our tower work.

Expert advice has also been provided with respect to aircraft warning lights most notably to National Air Traffic Services and Cable & Wireless Communications. Further we have a number of specialist climbers who are experienced in electrical systems pertaining to tower structures e.g. Aircraft Warning lights, light systems etc.

Through our association with the cellular companies and their agents we have experience in the inspection of other types of related tall structure including churches, chimneys, water towers and high rise buildings. These facilities are accessed using climbing techniques, rope access and/or cherry pickers depending on the access provisions, location and type of inspection required.

We have considerable experience in the inspection and maintenance of telecommunication cabins and have experience in reviewing generator systems, earthing protection, u.p.s. and power supply systems and general structural and condition surveys of the buildings, compounds and access routes to such facilities (particularly useful in structures located on remote sites). This type of work is undertaken particularly for the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, the Police Authorities, Scottish & Southern Energy and the Ministry of Defence.

We are involved as the Management Contractor on a number of refurbishment, replacement and maintenance contracts, most notably the maintenance works associated with the Met Office and Maritime and Coastguard Agency Estates in the UK and Northern Ireland. We are also the management contractor for Cable & Wireless with respect to maintenance, inspection and management of their mast and tower estate in the Caribbean, the Channel Islands and the UK. We also have a heavy involvement in a number of projects for the Ministry of Defence. Recent examples include the refurbishment and replacement works to the Airwatch and Seawatch radar towers for the Defence Communication Support Agency on St Kilda and the provision of structural services for a number of replacement structures for Qinetiq in the Western Isles.

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