With recent changes to non-feasance rules governing Council liability in relation to injuries and incidents in public places, there is more pressure than ever on Local Governments throughout Australia to eliminate potential hazards from their infrastructure.This is particularly true along footpaths and walkways, where subsidence or other physical damage can develop into trip hazards and slip hazards resulting in injury, and potentially costly litigation.
To overcome these issues, the City of Greater Dandenong in Melbourne’s outer south east, has developed a ‘Rapid Response’ approach to hazards reported by the public. This involves fast and efficient repair by one of the Council’s hazard repair ‘Flying Squad’ maintenance teams. Where ‘time is of the essence’, selecting appropriate repair methods and materials for the repair crews has played a critical role in the success of the ‘Rapid Response’ .
“An important consideration during the development of the Rapid Response system was to make sure that we’d be able to complete high quality repairs in the shortest possible time frame,” said David Russell, Contract Audit Officer with the City of Greater Dandenong. “Using MBT’s EMACO® SET-45 for the majority of these repairs has not only enabled us to maximise the productivity of our work crews, it has also helped us to minimise the public inconvenience caused by having traffic management and work zone safety barricades in place for extended periods.”
Manufactured and supplied by concrete and construction chemical specialists MBT (Australia) Pty Ltd, EMACO® SET-45 is a super high speed pavement repair and anchoring material which sets in 15 minutes and can take rubber-tyre traffic after only 45 minutes.
Supplied as a one component concrete repair and anchoring material, EMACO® SET-45 chemical-action concrete bonds to both concrete and masonry and is suitable for use in both indoor and outdoor applications. This product is ideal for use in a wide variety of municipal and heavy industrial repair jobs, including footpaths and driveways, kerb and channel repairs, including roundabouts and traffic islands, concrete pavement joint repairs, expansion device nosings, and for anchoring iron or steel bridge and balcony railings.
In addition to the benefits of speed and ease of use, EMACO® SET-45 is also providing the Council with substantial savings on their total repair bill when compared to the previous repair methods for removing trip hazards.
“In the past, most of these trip hazard repairs were completed in two visits, the first of which would see a ‘temporary’ repair made with asphalt/cold-mix, followed by a second ‘permanent’ repair – pull out and replace – which was completed when scheduling permitted. “By enabling us to complete a high quality repair, quickly and efficiently, with only one visit, EMACO® SET-45 is delivering substantial cost savings.”
For further information please contact Colin Peterson at MBT (Australia) Pty Ltd, telephone (02) 9624 4200, email colinpeterson@mbt.com or visit www.mbtaus.com.au.
