Civil Infrastructure and specifically structures (steel, concrete, and masonry structures) are core assets enabling optimal efficiency and production to their owners. Many entities have experienced the severe impact of structural failures on human harm, production losses, and damage to property.

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Many infrastructures have also reached the end of their design life (typically 30 years) and need a substantial life extension at inflated costs due to minimal maintenance done over the assets' life.

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To emphasize the importance the South African OHS Act also prescribed relevant legislation.

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The misconception exists that structures are designed and constructed to last forever. In truth, every structure has a limited design life (typically 30 years), BUT adequate budgeting (optimally, yearly 2.5% of asset replacement value), thus regular maintenance must be done to ensure this design life is reached.

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It is simply insufficient to ignore the problem or initiate limited interventions, like visual inspections/audits and addressing only identified issues. Structural degradation (i.e. corrosion) causes exponential deterioration and increase in risk & intervention costs.

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It is important for any Enterprise to embed a structural life cycle-costing and -intervention program and good processes and solutions related to the maintenance of structures in the organization. Through our Structural Integrity Management System (SIMS), we tick all the above boxes. SIMS ensures structures can be effectively managed and feasibly maintained for their operational conditions to fulfill the intended purpose over their useful life.

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Collaborit has the expertise, capacity, vast practical experience in both engineering and execution; and proven systems, processes, and solutions to ensure Structural Integrity is properly managed.

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Why Manage Structural Integrity?

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• To prevent unsafe structures; structural failures; related production losses and thus damage to property

• Due to legislation: Occupational Health and Safety Act (1993) – Construction Regulations, 2003 Section 9. Structures: “Any owner of a structure shall ensure that inspections of that structure upon completion are carried out periodically by competent persons in order to render the structure safe for continued use: Provided that the inspections are carried out at least once every six months for the first two years and thereafter yearly and records of such inspections are kept and made available to an inspector upon request.”

• To reduce and prevent exponential-deterioration and-increase of risk and costs

• Structures have a typical design life of 20-30 years if adequate continuous maintenance is done

• Pro-active asset management/maintenance reduce life cycle and rehabilitation cost

• To ensure the extension of the expected life of the structures

• Due to the fact that normal maintenance crews don’t have the understanding, capability, and capacity to effectively execute structural repair and rehabilitation projects

 

Niche Industrial and Mining Solutions

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• Structural Engineering:

  • Designs (including dynamic)

  • Draughting

  • Feasibility studies

  • Structural Audits

  • Detail structural defect surveys

  • Concrete & steel diagnostics and surveys

  • 3D Scanning & Modelling

  • BIM Modelling and Maintenance expansion

  • Company-specific updates and compiling of guidelines; standards & specifications

• Structural failure Services:

  • Root cause failure analysis

  • Turnkey Structural Failure Rapid response (design, implementation, and construction).

• Structural Integrity Management