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Flooding remains a key threat to communities across Wales. Managing the risk through carefully planned flood alleviation schemes is a critical challenge for local authorities.
Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council is a unitary authority situated on the South West Wales coast and is intersected by three main rivers: the Neath, the Tawe and the Afan. The council is currently undertaking the Rock Street Flood Alleviation Scheme in the village of Glynneath, which lies alongside the river Neath and several other watercourses. The area has long been prone to flooding.
The council is currently undertaking the Rock Street Flood Alleviation Scheme in the village of Glynneath, which lies alongside the river Neath and several other watercourses. The area has long been prone to flooding.
The council is currently undertaking the Rock Street Flood Alleviation Scheme in the village of Glynneath, which lies alongside the river Neath and several other watercourses. The area has long been prone to flooding.
AtkinsRéalis is providing design support and health and safety services on the project. During the seventeen-month commission, we are working to ensure that a safe working environment is created while minimizing risk to the site team and the public.
The Rock Street Flood Alleviation Scheme constructs a new flood relief culvert through Glynneath and a new intake bay at Lancaster Close to divert the watercourse directly into the river Neath during periods of intense rainfall.
Together with a new twin box culvert bridge across the Nant Y Gwyddyl at the ford crossing on Glynmelyn road, the alleviation measures will reduce the impacts associated with surface water flooding and fluvial flooding in Glynneath.
The project brings several civil engineering issues that create health and safety challenges. Notably, operatives are working at deep excavation levels in unconsolidated ground conditions among eluvial deposits. The river embankment creates a constrained site, where there are few options for situating excavators and waste removal vehicles.
AtkinsRéalis’ role is to support Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council with the creation of a pro-health and safety culture, and the fulfilment of all statutory health and safety requirements on the project.
AtkinsRéalis was able to draw on a longstanding experience of civil engineering-related health and safety solutions to undertake meticulous reviews of the contractor’s technical proposals and traffic management plans, to reduce risk.
Raising community awareness of the risks was essential, as was assessing the risk of closure and/or diversion of pedestrian and vehicular routes and car parking. Our team contributed to the planning of these measures and assessed their safety. We ensured that barriers and signage were sufficient to prevent people taking their usual route, and that careful programming of the works allowed for the safest solutions to be employed.
A successful zero harm strategy has prevailed on the project to date.
The partially completed scheme has already been successful in reducing the impact of flooding, during high rainfall in early 2023. Construction works were halted and a combination of existing measures and partially completed new measures were used to divert the water into the river, away from its historical course.
This incident required us to swiftly review the plans for safe working in response to the emergency measures.
When completed, the flood alleviation scheme will improve the local community’s resilience to flood risk, reducing the adverse consequences of flooding on human health, the environment, cultural heritage, and economic activity.
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This is a challenging project from a health and safety perspective, with operatives working at five-meter depth, in extremely confined spaces. Risks include water pressure during excavation, and heavy plant loads. Our considerable experience of this sector, together with our local knowledge, makes for a safe and healthy project and community environment.
Martyn Clark
Associate Director, AtkinsRéalis
Rock Street FAS has been an interesting project to be involved in. It has brought forward many health and safety challenges, from working alongside the river Neath, excavating at depth (11m) through a raised embankment, to thrust bore tunneling beneath a busy carriageway and between properties. All tasks have needed meticulous planning to ensure the safety and wellbeing of engineers and operatives on site. This is the first construction project I have worked on with AtkinsRéalis and their support team has been crucial to the successful completion of the project.
Richard Colman
Client Project Manager for Rock FAS & Drainage Manager at Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council
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