Specialist in incident management

Dealing with incidents safely, quickly and effectively is Wilchem's core business. The incident management specialist has been involved in the SAA (road extension program Schiphol - Amsterdam - Almere from Rijkswaterstaat) project since the very beginning and now also in the latest phase, the widening of the A9 between Badhoevedorp and Holendrecht. 

Wilchem works on the SAA route on behalf of Ballast Nedam Road Specialties, which in this case provides maintenance for contractor combination VeenIX. "Part of that 'package' is also incident management," says Willem Bekkink, head of business office at Wilchem. "It's a specialism that you don't just do 'on the side'. That makes us a permanent partner for it. With an office in Zaandam, in the region of the A9, this project is right up our alley."

Unique road surface cleaners

When does Wilchem spring into action? "At all possible incidents from small to very large," answers Hans Zwang, project manager at Wilchem. "If there is an incident on the highway, we get a notification and first of all we place the necessary traffic measures, such as collision absorbers, so that the emergency services, road inspector and salvage company can do their work safely. Then we get to work cleaning and repairing any damage that has occurred. The goal is to restore traffic flow as quickly as possible, so that traffic coming from behind is not stuck in traffic jams for too long." Bekkink gives an example: "In a high-impact incident where the guide rail is down, damage to the asphalt has occurred and fluids have been released, we always start the cleanup action with a cleaning action. Our road surface cleaners are unique in this, though. We use high-quality technology equipped with a special rotor deck, hot water and high pressure, allowing us to remove all kinds of contamination with one machine."

Repairing damage

In addition to securing an incident, road surface cleaning does form the main part of incident management in many cases, Bekkink knows. "We also deploy immediately to clean up the verge. Furthermore, we take full responsibility for repairing all damage, placing the guide rail back in position and repairing damage to the asphalt. We repair small holes and scratch damage caused by a broken rim, for example, ourselves, while we rely on partners for larger asphalt damages. We have a good relationship with the asphalt contractors in our country so that we can act quickly in these kinds of incidents."

Innovations

As an incident management specialist, Wilchem has close contact with the Department of Public Works. "We sit on several working groups," says Zwang. "In the safety working group we develop and discuss new innovations and plan possible test setups to increase safety for emergency services, road workers and road users."

Hazardous substances

Incident management on highways is only a small part of Wilchem's scope. In fact, the company is also familiar with the ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp and Zeebrugge. "If something happens at sea or on a ship itself with the cargo of a container, for example, we solve it," Bekkink says. "The hazardous materials expertise sometimes comes in handy on the road as well. We are also regularly called upon to provide the fire department with knowledge, information and advice to ensure that an incident involving hazardous substances is properly resolved. We are the only party in the Netherlands with a mobile drip pan in which we can safely transport 40ft containers with leaking cargo and transport them to a location for further handling. And so we operate throughout the country and far beyond. Our Emergency Response Team (ERT) flies all over the world."