A-one+ gets to gripes with The Blade

UK contractor A-one+ maintenance operatives in England’s southern counties of Kent, Sussex and Surrey are now protected by a new vehicle-fitted crash cushion. The Blade - manufactured by Dutch company Verdegro Blade - is designed to absorb impacts including those by large heavy vehicles that have increased bumper heights. A-one+ said that the Blade is the only crash cushion that has been tested to US MASH crash testing standards, the most demanding in the world. The cushion, when deployed on a vehicle,
November 7, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

UK contractor 2316 A-one+ maintenance operatives in England’s southern counties of Kent, Sussex and Surrey are now protected by a new vehicle-fitted crash cushion.

The Blade - manufactured by Dutch company Verdegro Blade - is designed to absorb impacts including those by large heavy vehicles that have increased bumper heights.

A-one+ said that the Blade is the only crash cushion that has been tested to US MASH crash testing standards, the most demanding in the world.

The cushion, when deployed on a vehicle, extends out 6m.

“Cars and lorries have got bigger and we need tougher protection for our staff working in front of our impact protection vehicles repairing the roads, litter picking or clearing up after accidents,” said Gavin Crittenden, A-one+ transport manager for the region.

“When the cushion is deployed behind an impact protection vehicle, if anything hits it the IPV’s brakes lock and the cushion absorbs all the impact to stop the truck being pushed forward and threatening our operatives, even under braking,” said Crittenden.

The Blade unit measures 6m long by 2.4m wide and its strength comes from a composite aluminium welded profile. The unit has 12 internal “blades”. During an impact four blades cut through the aluminium composite H-beams, with another eight cutting through welded tubes, absorbing the impact. The remaining weak aluminium parts bend away safely.

Alongside the Blade, A-one+ is using a new RedX arrow board on its new protection vehicles. RedX, also manufactured by Verdegro, is designed to match the latest traffic management signage used to signal lane closures on smart motorways.

Road Markings, Barriers & Workzone Protection

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Haulotte unveils high-precision vertical mast Stars for difficult-to-reach work zones
    April 24, 2018
    Haulotte has unveiled a new range of high-precision vertical masts which the manufacturer claims will require minimum maintenance and reduce costs and downtime. Haulotte’s vertical mast booms deliver work platforms for difficult-to-reach places using telescopic masts that can climb to a working height of 6m to 10m. Often used for road-side maintenance work, units like the new Star 8 S vertical mast aim to “provide agility in confined areas” says Haulotte. The mast is “easy” to transport from site to site
    Read More
  • India is toughening penalties for driving offenders
    June 7, 2016
    In a bid to cut India’s high rate of road crashes, the country is working on much tougher penalties for offenders. Drivers that are underage or hold fake licences will face much heavier fines, as well as jail sentences of up to three years and one year respectively. Meanwhile tougher penalties will also be applied to vehicle repairers fitting fake parts, as well as for producers and suppliers of fake parts. Car manufacturers are also being targeted, with fines being imposed for vehicles featuring poor safet
    Read More
  • New structure for A46 bypass
    January 10, 2025
    A new concrete structure is being built for the UK’s A46 bypass.
    Read More
  • Mott MacDonald picks up Highways England’s operations centre deal
    March 28, 2018
    Mott MacDonald will set up an asset management system as part of Highways England’s new technology operations centre. Under the T-TOC contract - Tools for the Technology Operations Centre – Mott MacDonald will work with Fujitsu which will develop a suite of software systems to monitor and manage electronic assets across Highways England’s network. Highways England has nearly 100,000 intelligent infrastructure devices across England’s strategic road network – trunk roads and motorways. T-TOC will enable a
    Read More

Highlighted Content