Overcoming problems

BODY STRESSING

No.1 cause of injury costing road authorities millions

DOH&S Worksafe Award for developing ergonomically designed tools which enable the installation of ground sockets, and effortless replacement of road-side infrastructure from a standing position 

"Sustainable Foundations allow quick replacement of posts with no further effort required to the base, reducing risk of injury to employees ”  MRWA

WORKING IN TRAFFIC

No.1 cause of serious workplace injury for road workers, costing millions every year and costing lives

"Sustainable Foundations allow quick replacement of posts, reducing risk of injury to employees by reducing time spent exposed to traffic" MRWA

DAMAGE TO UNDERGROUND SERVICES 

This is a growing concern, costing millions every year and causing major disruptions, with road workers risking their lives on a daily basis. damage to cables or gas lines can cost millions and can be fatal. 

Smart developments remain in pristine condition with no disturbance to foundations or underground services 

DIAL BEFORE YOU DIG

Safety requirements such as these take time but are a necessary evil when lives are at risk. These requirements will continue to increase and failure to meet these requirements places workers at risk 

Smart Sustainable Foundations eradicate this problem

DISTURBANCE TO PUBLIC

As the number of roadworks increases so do the delays and the growing anger from the general public. 

Smart infrastructure is replaced in less time than it currently takes to erect traffic management and barriers, greatly reducing disturbance

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT COSTS

As the population increases so does the urban density and the risk of injury to road workers, subsequently traffic management requirements are costing millions and increasing steadily

Australian standards state no traffic management required if items are replaced in less than 5 minutes

CARBON WASTE FROM CONCRETE

Dumping of carbon intensive concrete waste is become increasingly costly and time consuming as taxes on carbon waste increase. "Main Roads’ philosophy on materials use is to minimise lifecycle impacts, including embodied energy, and follow the hierarchy of reduce, re-use where possible, and recycle " 

Smart Sustainable Foundations are re-usable impact after impact, year after year ensuring zero carbon intensive waste for the entire lifespan of a development, laying the foundations for a truly circular economy where resources are re-used time and time again

CARBON WASTE FROM STEEL

Posts and bollards are extremely vulnerable to damage (especially in city centres). If installed directly in concrete they are not recyclable, with both the item and concrete becoming carbon waste.  

 Smart posts and grab-rails become recyclable and bollards even become re-usable impact after impact, relocatable and recyclable, saving millions every year.

TIPPING FEES 

The cost of dumping carbon waste is rising quickly becoming a major problem for maintenance operators and using non-sustainable methods is creating an even bigger problem for future generations

Using Smart Foundations there are no tipping fees and you actually make money from recycling the steel

TRAVEL TO TIP

Travel to dispose of waste is becoming increasingly costly and time consuming as waste facilities must be relocated further and further outside the CBD and fuel costs continue to rise

By using Smart Sustainable Foundations there will be no travel to the tip as recycling companies will come to you and PAY YOU for your steel (if you don't re-use it )

ON-GOING CONSUMPTION CONCRETE

Using non-sustainable methods every replacement uses new concrete supplies, consuming tonnes of carbon supplies on a daily basis. With sand supplies quickly running out the cost of concrete is set to soar. We urgently need to stop buying, dumping and re-purchasing these valuable carbon intensive resources

Smart Sustainable Foundations put an end to the on-going consumption of concrete supplies

ON-GOING CONSUMPTION OF PAVING

We need to stop buying, dumping and re-purchasing these valuable finite resources

No expensive paving required for repairs ( Now that I know they could be using sustainable foundations I absolutely hate seeing this sort of waste)

RE-INSTATING PAVERS

Re-instating paving is difficult and never looks quite the same, substantially reducing the integrity and the lifespan of the footpath or traffic island. Delays such as this and piles of bricks create a major litigation risk that can be easily avoided

Smart Sustainable Foundations remain in pristine condition impact after impact, year after year

FADED ITEMS

When items grow old and need repainting or revamping- instead of sending out two men plus two traffic management crew and a traffic control vehicle and variable message sign, placing the entire crew at risk of injury for hours whilst re-painting these grab rails, they could simply pop them out and send them to the powder coaters, resulting in superior finish for substantially less than half the cost

TRIP FACTORS 

Unstable paving and trip factors create major litigation risks and devices such as these which allow the post to shear above ground level leave dangerous metal protrusions that create an even greater litigation risk. This is really asking for trouble in this day and age

Smart Sustainable ground sockets are installed flush with the surface and are capped when an item is removed (cap has no trip factors)

UNSIGHTLY FOUNDATIONS

We have been buying, disposing and replacing foundations for centuries which has resulted in a short term mentality and lack of pride in the job. The result is that developments remain in a state of constant decline growing increasingly unsafe and unsightly.

Smart Sustainable Foundations remain in pristine condition for decades 

BOLLARDS ARE NOT IMPACT RESISTANT

Flexible plastic bollards or springloaded bollards provide no protection and quickly wear out 

Bollards can be made impact resistant and re-usable impact after impact, reducing damage to vehicles (injury to bike riders) and eradicating damage to footings.

CHEAP BOLLARDS CAN COST A MINT 

This is a good example of why we need to apply whole of life cost analysis to purchases

Buy a cheap bollard, (say $20.00) may be cheap to buy, but this bollard is on a busy corner and often impacted- requiring four people, digging, concreting and brick-paving along with expensive traffic management (notice variables message sign mounted on vehicle in the background and two traffic management staff) every time it is impacted 

Your guess is as good as mine but I'd say it costs easily more than a thousand dollars per replacement

STUPID SURFACE MOUNT BOLLARDS!

This is a newly installed bollard is not made to withstand impact yet this company put hundreds throughout a car-park! A  nightmare for the poor maintenance manager as almost every bollard in the car-park was out of alignment within weeks, the bases bent and even caps had been knocked off

We have developed an impact resistant surface mount bollard - unlike anything you've seen before it self-recovers and both the base plate and bollard are re-usable impact after impact.

DISABLED BAY BOLLARDS 

Highly vulnerable to impact disabled bay bollards are causing a major problem as cars are driving into the bay before realising there's a bollard!

We developed a bollard that remains rigid but when impacted by a vehicle the bollard absorbs the initial impact force and slowly self-recovers. If badly impacted it is re-usable and easy and extremely low cost to replace (use with Poly bollards to also remove the risk of damage to vehicles)

DANGEROUS DELAYS

Delays to repairing vital traffic signage, traffic lights or bollards can cause serious injury or death. The requirements to improve turn around times will increase and failure to meet the deadlines will incur heavy penalties

You can now ensure all work is completed on time, without disturbance

PUSHED OUT OF ALIGNMENT

A major problem when using metal fixing devices that can be damaged upon the first impact, or installing posts around school zones vulnerable to vandalism

Items are installed on Smart Sustainable Foundations using friction, which ensures items are perfectly aligned, remaining safe and secure year after year

UNSTABLE ITEMS

Pose a serious litigation risk as signs become unreadable or loose in the footing. This cost Sydney RMS millions in just one case when sign fell on someone's head causing brain damage.

Posts, bollards and infrastructure secured using Smart Sustainable Foundations will not become loose or unstable, remaining safe and secure, perfectly aligned impact after impact, year after year

SHEARED OFF POSTS 

Removing a sheared off post means having to jackhammer out the concrete and this is costly - so many remain the concrete creating major litigation risks

Sheared off posts are removed from the Smart Sustainable ground socket (from a standing position) using the sheared post removal tool

ITEMS REMOVED BY VANDALS

This is a major problem around school zones and is costing councils and road authorities millions (with one Queensland council replacing 16 signs almost every weekend due to vandalism). 

Items secured on Smart Sustainable Foundations remain perfectly aligned, safe and secure year after year and cannot be removed without Smart tools 

ITEMS DIFFICULT TO REMOVE

Posts and items of roadside infrastructure embedded in concrete are difficult to remove so items no longer in use are often left in the concrete footing 

If a Smart item is no longer in use, you simply remove the item and cap off the ground socket. No trip factors

HEAVY EQUIPMENT

Items embedded in concrete or in areas with a limestone base, require jackhammers and heavy equipment to perform repairs this is not only hard work it is disruptive and costly

Smart tools are sold at cost and all work performed effortlessly from standing position

DELAYS DUE TO RAIN

As concrete will not set in the rain, delays in the winter (when quickly replacing vital road-side items, is even more important) are common and pose a serious litigation risk (and when a jackhammer or cement mixer is required it is even more dangerous as using electrical equipment in the rain is, well, just asking for trouble)

By installing items on Smart Sustainable Foundations you totally remove the risk of being unable to replace damaged and unsafe items due to bad weather 

UNSTABLE TEMPORARY SIGNAGE 

Temporary signage is costly to erect, extremely unreliable (costly to erect and maintain) and dangerous, greatly increasing your risk of litigation

Smart ground sockets can be installed when pouring concrete and items are installed in less time than it currently takes to erect temporary signage

FADED AND UNSAFE ITEMS

When inserted directly into concrete it is difficult to replace an item so old faded items become less of a priority than damaged items, consequently our roads become unsightly and unsafe.

Using Smart Foundations items can be quickly removed, and replaced and old items instead of being thrown away, can be revamped for re-use

RHS POSTS BENT BY VANDALS

WA Main Roads was using RHS posts but  found they can bent by hand, making them highly vulnerable to vandalism

CHS posts up to 3.6 mm are considered by MRWA to be frangible but cannot be bent by hand, substantially reducing workload and improving safety of our roads. No risk of posts being bent by vandals leaving dangerous metal protrusions 

CHS posts are now approved for use on the State road network

BOLLARDS REQUIRE LARGE CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS

Without any shock absorbing mechanism  bollards need to be installed in massive footings to protect from dislodgment when impacted by a vehicle. This is problematic as you run into underground services and they still get damaged when impacted. 

By making bollards impact resistant you require less intensive foundations and foundations become re-usable impact after impact 

SIGNS REQUIRE LARGE FOUNDATIONS

Some authorities (including MRWA)  specify posts should be installed 650 mm deep in paved areas. This is hard work, interferes with underground services, is expensive and causes major damage when impacted.

Using Smart Sustainable Foundations signs can be installed from as shallow as 150 mm depth  and foundations are re-usable impact after impact

DANGEROUS TEMPORARY MEASURES

Current methods are time consuming and so delays are inevitable, creating dangerous litigation risks (here, the bollard that was damaged 6 times in one year is missing from a school crosswalk!)

Smart items are replaced in the same time it takes to place a traffic cone over the problem - No temporary measures required, keeping our roads and footpaths cleaner and safer 

ITEMS RIPPED FROM GROUND

Metal brackets are extremely unreliable (shown here is a new install already dislodged) and are growing increasingly expensive, often damaging the surrounding paving if dislodged and are expensive to replace. Even when galvanised are not rust or impact resistant - are not sustainable and every one will need replacing several times over the lifespan of a development 

Smart Sustainable Foundations cost less to buy, cost less to install, ensure items remain perfectly aligned, do not rust or corrode and keep working for the entire lifespan of a development

METAL RUSTS

Metal devices even if galvanised will rust and corrode and as metal is not impact resistant it is not suitable for this application causing downstream litigation risks and creating a major clean-up job for future generations

Smart Foundations will not rust or corrode and continue working impact after impact

DELAYS FIXING TRAFFIC LIGHTS

Current methods of installing and maintaining traffic lights are time consuming (taking hours- even weeks on some locations) causing unnecesarry disturbance, risking lives and costing millions. Yet all this work provides no future benefit so as populations grow, delays will only increase

Smart traffic light columns are replaced quickly and efficiently, without disturbance or waste

CORROSION

Steel posts installed directly in concrete rust out quickly and become dangerous litigation risks.

As the post is protected from the concrete and moisture by the self-healing ground socket, you eradicate this risk and also make posts removable, reusable and 100% recyclable

DAMAGED METAL DEVICES /POSTS

As metal posts and fixing devices inserted directly in concrete are not impact resistant, they can be damaged upon the very first impact and create dangerous protrusions 

Smart Sustainable Foundations are impact resistant, will not rust or corrode- lasting decades

DISLODGED BASES

Because many road-workers consider concrete to be disposable (and until now- it was) they install posts in bases that are easily dislodged- simply creating more work and waste and posing further litigation risks.

As Smart foundations are re-usable it is cost effective to use a little more concrete which ensures the entire concrete base is re-usable impact after impact, year after year and cannot be dislodged 

DANGEROUS PROJECTILES

Using methods such as this, the entire base can be ripped from ground or easily removed from metal ground sockets or upon impact from a vehicle with posts, grab-rails and bollards becoming dangerous projectiles.

Smart Sustainable Foundations ensure items remain safe and secure year after year and can only be removed using tools provided

ENTIRE TRAFFIC ISLANDS MUST BE REPLACED 

As a result of the constant battering entire traffic islands must be replaced, creating unsightly mess, litigation risks, unecessarry waste and costing road authorities millions every year

 Smart sustainable Foundations protect the traffic island from damage impact after impact, year after year

SPECIFICATION CHANGES

Items embedded in concrete become immovable and unable to quickly adapt to changing requirements. Specification changes, events, disasters, or roadworks require temporary measures 

Smart Signposts can be replaced in seconds, removed, replaced or relocated and the socket capped

ONE BOLLARD COSTING THOUSANDS 

As a result of the constant battering this one bollard was replaced six times (and by the end of the year the entire island had to be replaced) imagine the carbon waste and what it is going to cost over the next 50 - 100 years!

Smart sustainable Foundations protect the bollard and traffic island from damage impact after impact - Zero ongoing costs for decades

BARRIERS EXTREMELY VULNERABLE

Grab-rails, bike racks and barriers are vulnerable to damage and extremely costly to maintain

Smart sustainable Foundations ensure rails remain perfectly aligned, safe and secure, and are replaced quickly and efficiently keeping our roads safe. Zero damage, zero waste and steel becomes recyclable

INSTALLING INFRASTRUCTURE CAN TAKE WEEKS

Using current methods we lay the concrete foundations, install the brick-paving, and then someone comes along and digs them up to install infrastructure - destroying the integrity of the foundations and causing irrepairable damage. This can cost hundreds of thousands and is extremely time consuming, taking weeks on large developments

Now you can install the infrastructure for an entire development in a single day, preserving the integrity of the foundations and creating a perfect finish with all items perfectly aligned, safe & secure. MORE INFO 

METAL POSTS STUCK IN CONCRETE

This creates dangerous litigation risks, creates a lot of unecesarry work, carbon waste of both the metal and concrete and reduces the lifespan of the footpath, creating more downstream costs and waste

Smart items are removed and replaced quickly and efficiently, No waste and posts become recyclable

RHS POSTS REMOVED BY VANDALS

As many RHS posts are installed using rapid-set concrete they can be easily removed from paving creating additional damage and workload, creating litigation risks, unecessarry costs and landfill

Smart CHS posts cannot be removed without the Smart ergonomic tool. UPDATED MRWA SPECS

RHS POSTS DANGEROUS

RHS posts are light-walled, so are easily bent by vandals. When bent create dangerous litigation risks, as the edge is like tin can and rusts very easily (as you can see they are very dangerous)

 Smart CHS posts cannot be bent by hand and when impacted they have no dangerous protrusions

UPDATED MRWA SPECS

CRUDE TEMPORARY FOUNDATIONS

Because foundations are replaced on a regular basis the concrete footing is regarded as disposable and consequently standards are often crude, reducing the aesthetics and safety of a development 

 Smart footings create a perfect finish, remaining in pristine condition for decades

WAITING FOR CONCRETE TO CURE

Concrete takes time to cure adding time on location (especially necessarry when installing large signs, heavy items or in windy conditions) - and in rainy conditions it is impossible so delays are inevitable.

Reducing time on location is critical to improving the safety and sustainability of future roadworks 

CLEAN-UP 

It takes loger to remove the broken paving and concrete, sweep up the mess, and remove the traffic management, than it takes to remove and replace a Smart item. No mess, no waste 

Reducing time on location is critical to improving the safety and sustainability of future roadworks 

LACK OF PRIDE

This is the finished product of a new replacement by main Roads WA . Using temporary foundations provides workers with little incentive to do a good job, resulting in very unsightly footings

We urgently need to improve standards - would you be happy if someone did this to your property?

TEMPORARY MEASURES - METAL PINS

Inserting a metal pin to realign a post is becoming common practice (although not to mrwa specs this work was performed by MRWA maintenance staff) and is unsafe and unsatisfactory

We urgently need to improve standards, regulation and pride in our roads

DELAYS REPLACING TRAFFIC LIGHTS  

Delays to repairing vital traffic light columns can cause serious injury or death. The requirements to improve turn around times will increase and using current methods if the damage increases (which it will) authorities using these methods will struggle to cope 

You can now secure traffic light columns on sustainable foundations and replace columns less time than it takes to wrap a traffic light column in warning tape

BOLLARDS TO STOP A VEHICLE

Until now the only way to stop a vehicle was to install a steel bollard in a concrete foundation at least 1 metre deep and fill it with concrete. This is expensive and despite all this hard work- either the bollard or the foundation is going to give way when impacted! Replacing both the bollard and footings every time they are impacted can cost hundreds of thousands over the life of a development

We have developed a means of making bollards impact resistant and a bollard that will stop a passenger vehicle, whilst also preserving the foundations

BENT BOLLARDS 

When a bollard installed directly in concrete is impacted either the bollard bends or foundations are damaged, there is no good outcome - something's got to give! Anyone recognise the building?

Using the Impact Recovery System you can make every-day bollards self-recover from impact saving hundreds of thousands over the life of a development

SURFACE MOUNT BOLLARDS 

When a surface mount bollard is impacted either the bollard bends, the base plate bends or foundations are ripped up - either way both the bollard and foundations need replacing every time one is impacted. 

Smart Impact Recovery Surface Mount bollards become re-usable impact after impact

TIRED UNSAFE BOLLARDS 

Instead of digging up the bollard and entire concrete footing when a bollard is old and unsightly (but the foundations are still good) - you can save money by covering them with bollard covers. (He's got the bollard cap on his head, in case you were wondering)

Smart Bollard covers are available in poly (stone look) rusted finish laser-cut or stainless steel

UNSAFE BARRIERS & TEMPORARY ITEMS

Temporaray items for events (bins, bollards, barriers, signage, seating, tables) are often unstable and unsafe especially barriers, creating costly maintenance during events and creating dangerous litigation risks.

Now you can install all of these items on Smart Sustainable Foundations so they remain safe, secure and easily removable, replaceable and relocatable by authorised  persons

CONSTANT DAMAGE TO BOLLARDS 

City of Perth had  a major problem with bollards in the city centre. They were replacing not only the foundations but also the bollards on a daily basis, costing hundreds of thousands a year

We developed a means of securing both in-ground and surface mount bollards making both the bollard and the foundations re-usable impact after impact (no springs)

DANGEROUS BIKE PATH BOLLARDS

Solid steel bollards have no place on a bike path and create dangerous litigation risks. Even worse are unstable removable bollards that leave dangerous trip factors when removed. Along the coast this is a major problem as rust causes metal sockets to become extremely unreliable.

MRWA came to us for a solution. The Smart Low Impact Bollard (no dangerous springs) remains rigid but absorbs impact reducing risk of injury and is secured on Sustainable Foundations - no risk of rust or corrosion and no trip factors when bollards are removed

DISASTERS

The latest problem – clean up after cyclones, events and floods is time consuming and becoming a more regular occurance as our weather is changing

Emergency signage can be installed for flood zones or barriers to block entry to an area following an accident, event or disaster, and the infrastructure for an entire development can be installed and replaced up in a single day! Greatly simplifying events and clean-up following disasters

CHANGES AND UPGRADES

Changes to specifications and infrastructure upgrades are time consuming and costly, creating unnecessary disturbance, unnecessary waste and unnecessary delays.

Smart Sustainable Foundations make changes to specifications and future upgrades, a breeze! An entire development can be upgraded in a single day! (concrete bases can also be made relocatable)

ALTERNATE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR EVENTS

At last a simple way to make better use of infrastructure and space as items become removable, replaceable,  relocatable and even interchangeable for events or if needs change throughout the day, week, from season to season, or even from decade to decade. Instead of being static environments subject to constant damage they become Smart dynamic environments that quickly change to meet changing needs