When servicing offshore wind turbines the transition of personnel from boat to the ladder is dangerous in anything but the calmest of seas.
All manner of seaweeds, slimes and crustaceans are looking to sites to colonise and this makes the ladder rungs very slippery and potentially sharp. Warwick Design was tasked with developing a device to keep the rungs free of growths.
The moulded ring, clipped around each rung, is constantly jiggled around by the waves so prevents and removes all growths keeping the ladder shiny clean.
The rings had to be very robust to resist this constant motion and the occasional boot of the operator. A polymer was specified that had excellent resistance to the elements including high levels of exposure to UV radiation. Nevertheless simple and quick attachment was required for retrofitting at sea.
