A preponderance of charging cables and unattended tool batteries created an avoidable safety headache at the Sizewell C nuclear power plant project. To wit, civils contractor Galldris has introduced an Armorgard VoltHub charging station to tidy up the jobsite.

Prior to the recent acquisition, power-tool batteries were charged in staff offices and the canteen, leaving cables across busy areas and raising concerns about battery fires. For workers coming in to eat or take a break, that meant the sort of clutter that’s easy to overlook until someone catches a foot on a lead.

Galldris selected Armorgard’s VoltHub, a dedicated unit for storing and charging tools and batteries. The company’s safety specialists had seen the system at a safety forum led by the Sizewell C health and safety team, and the principal contractor wanted a unit that could connect to the site’s fire alarm system. 

The choice also drew on first-hand experience. Julian Beard, Galldris Group’s health and safety manager at Sizewell C, had used VoltHub while working with the safety team in the intake tunnels at Hinkley Point C. 

Beard said the station brought several everyday benefits: equipment could be stored more neatly, trailing cables were removed from shared spaces, and desks and tables stayed clear. He also noted that workers could eat and work without the constant beeping that had accompanied charging in those areas. 

While its estimable equipment is put to vital use, Armorgard is presumably also at wotk preparing for EHS 2027. Meet the team and see what's new on Stand F9.

www.armorgard.co.uk/