Removing Graffiti by Bristol Docks
Graffiti vandals use tags to mark their territory and there is often an element of one-upmanship involved. The more challenging the location of the graffiti, the greater the kudos to the perpetrator, which is why you'll often see unwanted tags in highly visible, hard to reach places.
As a result removing these graffiti tags often presents additional challenges - as was the case in a recent project next to Bristol docks.
DOUBLE challenge ON H&S REQUIREMENTS and environmental impact
Our client asked us to remove a cluster of unsightly tags from a concrete wall right next to the water. This is in a popular area by the docks, near restaurants and office complexes, and the tags were highly visible to people crossing the busy bridge next to the wall.
Removing the tags required us to provide our operatives with safe access and to protect them from any potential fall into the water below. It also meant that we needed to complete the work without the risk of contaminating the waterway beneath the wall.
As we were media blasting our operative also required personal protection including helmet, respirator, safety goggles and gloves.
Meeting the regs and achieving the desired outcome
OneFifty is highly experienced in carrying out complex cleaning projects. To achieve a safe system of work our operative wore a fall restraint system which was anchored to the adjacent building’s external steel structure. In the event of a trip or fall the system would have immediately locked off, preventing the operative from falling any further. Our operative also wore a life vest, so in the unlikely event that they did find themselves in the water, the vest would have automatically inflated upon impact and keep them afloat.
We chose media blasting using finely ground glass to remove the graffiti safely and effectively as this avoided any risk of contaminating the waterway below the site being cleaned.
The cement wall looked great once the work was completed and everyone was happy both with our approach to meeting the complex requirements associated with the work and the excellent results achieved.
If you need help with removing unwanted graffiti tags please contact Max or Andy on 0333 234 1445 or email your enquiry and we will get back to you as quickly as possible.