During the IADC Annual General Meeting in Barcelona, IADC President Frank Verhoeven revealed the winner of the Safety Award 2023: Boskalis for its improved safety design of the water box.
Boskalis introduced new water boxes for sand fill areas, a design which is touted as greatly improving safety for its employees. The water boxes have been designed, calculated and constructed in such a way that the risk of implosion due to soil pressure is eliminated.
Using an adjustable platform on the outside of the water box, it is possible to remove or add planks to regulate the water level within the sand fill area, a feature appreciated by the sand fill teams as this way of working eliminates safety risks.
The water box features an external, manually operated and adjustable platform that can be reached with a safe stairway. As the soil and water level rises, the platform can be moved up. This allows for project staff to add planks from the outside of the water box. The design is a “plug and play” setup and can easily be transported to a work site where local staff can receive instruction on how to handle the water box safely. Used in many projects around the world, this type of water box is currently being used by Boskalis on the Manila International Airport project.