Delft University of Technology
Faculty Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering
Transport Technology



F. Calis Onderhoudswerktuig voor monumentale panden met een gracht.
Literature survey, Report 2003.TL.6760, Transport Engineering and Logistics.


Maintenance and inspection of listed buildings with a moat from a ladder on a pontoon are no longer possible, as a consequence of stricter rules from the Health and Safety at Work Inspectorate. The Government Buildings Agency has therefore been forced to look for other possibilities. Possibilities which do be in force for regular returning conditions also. In order to avoid a prejudiced approach, the problem to be investigated has been split into three study areas: the workplace, reaching the required height and support on the ground.

A range of workplaces are possible, but under these conditions, several can be immediately excluded, as banned by the Health and Safety at Work Inspectorate. These include standing on a ladder or working suspended in a safety harness. Work in a suspended work bin is also not permitted. Work on a scaffolding or on a raised workplatform is permitted. The preferred choice of workplace depends on the duration of the work and the possibilities for installing the chosen system.

In order to reach the specified height of 20 metres, use of a ladder is not permitted. Scaffolding is less flexible, but on the basis of price differentiation and depending on the frequency of use, it may still be the best solution. However, the most flexible and compact solution is the telescopic arm.

The final study component focuses on the system of supporting the device, either on the ground or on a floating construction. It turns out to be possible to create a floating construction, but for reasons of stability and simplicity, a combination of direct support and floating emerges as the most obvious choice.

By combining the solutions from these sub-problems, multiple possibilities emerge. However, the type of work and the planned investment will determine the preferred option, which will then be further elaborated.


Reports on Transport Engineering and Logistics (in Dutch)
Modified: 2003.10.17; logistics@3mE.tudelft.nl , TU Delft / 3mE / TT / LT.