Fibreglass Grating Gets Royal Approval at New RNLI Training Centre

With a name synonymous to reliability and safety, it was natural that the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) would think carefully about its choice of contractor when developing the new £25m Training Centre at Poole, Dorset.

In specifying the material for the pontoon system covering, it was imperative that the surface guaranteed the highest standards of safety and durability needed to cope with heavy use during extreme weather conditions.

Fibreglass Grating Ltd was already a firm favourite with the RNLI, having been successfully installed at RNLI Lifeboat Stations throughout the UK. The company was delighted to be selected by main contractors, Dean & Dyball, to manufacture the pontoon system decking through Intermarine Ltd.

As well as fulfilling the design aesthetics, it was crucial that the surface for the pontoon system was completely non-slip. Fibreglass grating offers optimum levels of safety, even in freezing conditions, and when subjected to oil and high seas. It is also algae resistant and maintenance-free, making it not only one of the safest, but also the most cost-effective surfaces on the market today.

Everyone involved at Fibreglass Grating Ltd was delighted to watch as Her Majesty the Queen became one of the first patrons to walk along the new pontoon decking as she opened the new facility recently.

"We have used fibreglass grating on many occasions in the past and therefore did not hesitate in recommending the material for the newly constructed pontoon system at the RNLI Lifeboat College and Sea Survival Centre. Fibreglass grating provides one of the very best slip resistant surfaces we have ever encountered, which as the Health and Safety of our trainees is of prime importance during their training programme naturally makes this material highly desirable."

"Apart from fibreglass grating surfaces being exceptionally sure footed, there is virtually no maintenance and all that is required to keep the surface in pristine condition is an occasional jetwash."

RNLI COMMENTS - Chris Refoy