Case Study: Multiplex at Holborn Viaduct

Innovation Improves Safety Standards & Reduces Risks

Innovative safety attachment supports Multiplex to achieve Mobile Elevating Work Platforms Critical Risk Management Standard on flagship Holborn Viaduct site…

When construction firm Multiplex landed the prestigious Holborn Viaduct contract in central London, they were keen to ensure optimum safety standards for all those on-site working at height.

Holborn Viaduct, when complete in 2026, will offer 405,000 square feet of office space, incorporating wellness and socialising areas to create a workplace for the future.

Multiplex appointed MEP Hire as its trusted hire solutions provider after they were able to further enhance safety on-site through the development of a new PAV attachment.

MEP Hire has been providing LLA solutions for over a decade. With over 8,900 LLA machines in fleet across the UK, they are the partner of choice when it comes to working at height.

Proven industry innovators MEP Hire understood that for Multiplex, the safe carriage of materials such as pipes, ducting and strut work when using PAVs (Push Around Vertical) was paramount, with the need to lift up to 40kg of materials to heights of around 5m.

MEP Hire worked with Safe MEWP, which manufactures safety attachments, to champion the design and development of a new-to-market specialist attachment that secures materials to PAVs.

The UKCA-approved Materials Handling Attachment connects to the popular JLG Power Tower PAV, securely holding pipe materials in place, whilst keeping them clear of the handrail and positioning them close to the working area.

Tom Howard, Project Lead at Multiplex, said, “the solutions available from MEP Hire proved invaluable to both Multiplex and our sub-contractors on-site. Not only were we able to achieve the safety standards we set out for the site, but we have also seen that productivity rates when handling materials at height have improved greatly.”

The attachment has ensured that on-site contractors are fully compliant with Multiplex’s Working at Height MEWP policy. It has also significantly improved the safety of MEWP users on-site, whilst lowering the risk of materials being dropped from height. Multiplex has also seen productivity rates increase, which can be directly linked to this added safety feature.

Sales Director, Neil Collier added, “as a true specialist in LLA, we are expertly placed to best advise our customer partners on, not only meeting, but exceeding safety standards. This massively enhances the well-being of all workers on-site, but it improves productivity rates as well, as all of our solutions are chosen with both safety and efficiency in mind.”

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