Safway Launches New Low Cost Suspended Access System

Safway Group has launched of QuikShield, a low-cost, versatile suspended access system designed for stability and ease of assembly, with plywood decking in steel frames. 

Erection of QuikShield requires no specialized tools or labor. With its light, easily manipulated platform sections, it can be assembled at a rate of 600 sq. ft. per worker, per day. Plywood in galvanized frames is positioned on dual-wire-rope tendons. As sections are placed, they are suspended with 3/8-in. chain, using the same brackets that Safway uses for its QuikDeck system.

QuikShield provides a surface rigid enough to support ladders and wheeled equipment, although its deck need not be horizontal. This makes it suitable to deliver access along curved surfaces, such as bridge arches.

QuikShield features include:

• Stackable sections (in sizes and shapes from 1'x4' to 2'x8') are stable but light enough for easy handling.
•  The smooth, continuous surface makes material movement as well as containment and removal of blasting debris easier.
•  Its non-slip wood surface protects workers against accidents and falls.
• A unique bracket provides a fool-proof connection to the suspension chain above, and also offers a visually-indicated positive lock on the tendon cable below.
• Rigid, adjustable-height guardrails increase security and facilitate work in low-overhead situations.
• The system handles live-load capacities from 25 to 100 pounds per square foot.

“During a pilot project on Boston’s iconic Longfellow Bridge, the product proved that in the right situation, it’s a game-changer,” said Mathieu Grumberg, engineering manager for Safway Group’s Bridge Division. QuikShield covered spans between segments of QuikDeck on each end and in the center of the bridge’s arches, providing access for J.F. White’s team of workers. QuikDeck is Safway’s top-of-the-line rigid suspended access system and is utilized in combination with QuikShield.

Michael Keller, the project superintendent for J.F. White, said “The wooden deck [of QuikShield] provides much more traction, plus it gives us a more secure feeling. Stability-wise and strength-wise, there’s no comparison to the other systems I’ve worked on,” he added.

Peter Bidgood of Carpenters Local 40, who worked on the Longfellow Bridge project, said the QuikShield system is, “very universal,” adding, “There are a thousand-and-one applications for us. It’s easy to work with, and I think it’s safe. With some of the other systems I’ve seen, the materials are too heavy. You really don’t have to muscle these panels.”