Changi Airport Group (CAG) has launched several initiatives to ensure the safety of workers and the security of the Changi East construction site, where Terminal 5 will be constructed in 2020.
The massive new terminal will have an initial capacity of up to 50 million passengers annually when completed in 2030. Works also include a three-runway system and drains and tunnels to move bags and people.
Land preparation for the mega construction site—spanning 1,080 hectares— started in 2014, and major tunnelling works will start in 2019.
Currently, there are some 3,000 workers and 700 vehicles on site daily. This is expected to increase to 20,000 workers on site at the peak of construction.
As the construction site is right next to one of the world’s busiest airport, new technologies are being adopted to ensure workers’ safety and prevent disruptions to the airport’s flight operations, said Marken Ang, CAG’s assistant general manager, Changi East Safety, during a media briefing on 9 October 2018.
New safety measures
Among the new measures introduced is the opening of a checkpoint, in September 2018, to monitor human and vehicle movements in and out of the work site. Workers entering the airfield are issued with a transponder daily, which they must return when they leave the area. This allows all workers to be tracked, via geo-fencing and electronic tracking, on a digital map and prevents incursions into the airfield area.
All the works are monitored round-the-clock from a command centre, which receives information through surveillance cameras and live feed from ground supervisors.
Other new technologies include smart glasses for hands-free communication and to stream real-time video footage to the command centre, and a height infringement detection system to ensure aircraft safety. — Construction+ Online
