WESTPORT EQUIPMENT – RAPID-EPS HITS THE MARKET
WESTPORT EQUIPMENT IS A NEW EQUIPMENT RENTAL COMPANY FOUNDED BY LIAM BREW, A VETERAN OF THE INDUSTRY WITH A HISTORY OF WORKING WITH SAFETY AND DESIGN DRIVEN PRODUCT SOLUTIONS
Part of the drive behind this new business is to bring products to contractors which enhance safety and at the same time deliver value through efficiency and innovation. In keeping with this drive, Westport Equipment is delighted to bring the Rapid-EPS (Edge Protection System) to the equipment rental market in Ireland, sourced from an award-winning manufacturing company with a track record in engineering world-leading edge protection for the construction industry. The system offers a unique post which secures itself against the slabs above and below to provide a secure fixing location for the accompanying mesh panel with integrated toe board and no drilling needed for installation.
After many years of listening and observing the needs of contractors and installers worldwide, the Rapid Post was created and rapidly became a system recognised globally for its sheer performance. Rapid-EPS developed something unique and revolutionised the way edge protection is installed worldwide today.
After a soft launch with a select group of contractors where meetings and demonstrations took place with safety and operational leaders, the first client to take the product from Westport Equipment was the Comer Group at its Milner’s Square Development in North Dublin. Offering quality urban living in a dynamic area of the city, the development comprises 260 apartments and a creche building. The Comer Group and its contractors on site took immediate interest in the product and have put it to work quickly in the live environment.
Alan Mulligan, Project Manager for Comer Group, said: “The Rapid Post Product immediately struck us by the simplicity and ease of installation and we saw further benefits by the removal of risk associated with moving large heavy components of edge protection equipment, both around the site during installation and removal and also risk with further lifting operations within the building. The components used, while robust steel products, are also easy to lift and to install. There is clearly a place for this product in the tool-chest of safety kit at our disposal.”
The tool-free compression post has been designed for easy, quick installation. When recently tested against other systems, the speed with which the Rapid Post and Panel can be installed was significantly quicker, almost 10 times faster than drill and fix systems, allowing other trades to access work areas faster and reduce the labour costs significantly for the main contractor.
Liam Brew of Westport Equipment said: “The unique Rapid Panel offers the widest fixing centres on the market, meaning more panels can be installed in a shorter amount of time and fewer components to install, creating further time and cost savings. Unlike scaffolding, the Rapid Post and Panel system requires no skilled labour and when asked, clients and installers have given the system the green light. For Westport Equipment, standards are always the priority.
The system has no problem with meeting and exceeding BSEN13374:2013+A1:2018 for Class A and B, confidently meeting the standard for floor to ceiling containment which is becoming more of a demand on site for meeting health and safety requirements. It’s also a unique selling point for this system. We look forward to continued investment in our fleet of this product to meet demand. This week we have seen a welcome approval for taller building heights in Dublin and this product is ideally placed to provide a safe space for the contractors involved in the high rises of the future skyline in Ireland.”
Denise Maguire
Editor of Irish Construction Industry Magazine