When you visit the floating gate area at the tunnel construction site in Rødbyhavn, one of the first things you notice is that red carpets have been rolled out everywhere. This of course makes the FemernReports dispatchers feel more than usually welcome. But in fact, the red carpets – which are properly laid out felt mats – serve a different and more practical purpose.
Prevents fall accidents
The primary purpose of the mats is to prevent slip-and-fall accidents in the winter when ice, snow, and mud can be a risky challenge when moving around the square on foot. The red mats are non-slip – even when they get wet. A side benefit is that they work in the same way as an extremely hard-wearing doormat that absorbs both moisture and dirt.
Synlig fra tårnkraner
– The mats are easy to install, as they can be laid directly on the ground without any kind of attachment to the substrate. They can be moved around and reused again and again on all kinds of surfaces. The strong, red color is visible from heights – even from the large tower cranes. We are looking forward to seeing the effect of the red mats on the other side of the winter season, and have already received positive feedback from the employees who travel in the floating gate area, says Eva Bunimovicz, communications manager at Femern Link Contractors (FLC).
Marks safe pedestrian zones
The red mats also have the advantage that they clearly mark where it is safe to walk on foot, and where vehicles and machines must pay particular attention to pedestrians.
It is common on construction sites in France to mark footpaths with red carpets, and it is also the FLC consortium’s French element – the major contractor Vinci – that has introduced the idea to Fehmarnbyggeriet.
FemernReport chooses all that despite taking the red carpets as an expression of how honored Northern Europe’s largest construction site is by our visit.
