The SAFElink Alliance (Main Roads, Leighton, BMD, Maunsell and Arup) is delivering the $700 million Ipswich Motorway Upgrade between Wacol and Darra.More than 20 Ammann rollers are at work on the project, scheduled for completion at the end of next year.SAFElink Alliance logistics manager Craig Laycock said the group chose to source its rollers through Australian Ammann distributor Conplant primarily because of the safety benefits of the ROPS2 anti-rollover system.ROPS2 is a two-stage system available on vibrating Ammann rollers. The system first alerts an operator when a pre-set gradient is reached. Then, if the machine continues to tilt towards a dangerous angle, it is shut down.“We elected to hire all of our rollers through Conplant because of the availability of this system. ROPS2 has been fitted to all vibrating Ammann rollers on this project,” Laycock said.“It’s a significant safety feature because it means it’s all but impossible for an operator to roll the machine. It’s particularly valuable for less experienced operators and in sloping or soft-edged work areas.”Conplant client services manager Jeremy Shaw conducted a full day of dedicated compaction training for operators and engineers on the project to ensure they knew all the features of the Ammann machines onsite. “There is a wide combination of rollers onsite, including vibrating, smooth drum, trenching and multi-tyred rollers,” Shaw said.“Conplant conducted detailed training so that the operators were familiar with all the safety and productivity features of the machines, and so that they and the engineers understood what regular maintenance needs to be conducted, and when.”
