Dietikon ZH/Berlin – 50Hertz is working with HighStep Systems AG for another four years. The Berlin operator of transmission networks wants to equip around 2023 masts with the Swiss fall protection system in 850 alone.
According to a press release, HighStep Systems AG, based in Dietikon, is a contractual partner of the German transmission system operator 50Hertz, based in Berlin, for a further four-year period. HighStep Systems offers a fall arrest system that allows employees to climb up and down electricity pylons efficiently, safely and ergonomically. According to sales manager Gregor Wylenzek, several hundred existing high-voltage pylons have already been equipped for 50Hertz since 2018, and new large projects will now follow for the coming years. “We are very much looking forward to further collaboration,” says Wylenzek.
Systems are expected to be installed on around 2023 masts in 850 alone. This includes, among other things, new buildings in which the HighStep fall arrest rails are installed in the middle of the mast wall. These can then be accessed or climbed using one of the HighStep-Lift or HighStep-Easy systems.
The basis for the collaboration since 2018 is that HighStep Systems was able to win an EU tender. In this context, the fall protection system was certified to be the safest, most user-friendly and most economical in comparison. Among other things, it was particularly important for 50Hertz that the system base of the permanently installed HighStep rail was maintenance-free and that security was guaranteed through multiple connections.
The HighStep system consists of two components: an aluminum rail as a system support and a selectable climbing device. HighStep Easy works with the help of two independent pedals, while HighStep Lift can be viewed as a mobile service lift. In terms of application, the focus is on electricity pylons, wind turbines, transmission towers and industrial facilities. There are several thousand installations in operation worldwide - primarily in Europe and also Asian countries. In addition to 50Hertz, customers also include the Swiss transmission system operator Swissgrid, the European high-voltage network operator TenneT and the Chinese energy company State Grid Corporation of China.
