Geotechnical contractor Geobear has become the UK’s first geopolymer solutions provider to receive Highways Authorities Product Approval Scheme (HAPAS) certification. The HAPAS certificate ensures that Geobear’s solution meets the highest standards for use in UK highways projects. This accreditation is a part of Geobear’s commitment to safety, sustainability and quality, allowing it to reach further into UK markets, appealing to a wider scope of prospective clients.
HAPAS certification is awarded to products and technologies that have demonstrated high-quality standards to benefit UK highway construction. Issued by the BBA (British Board of Agrément), the certificate verifies Geobear’s ground improvement technology for use as a solution to subsidence. The injected geopolymer treatment fills voids in the soil, improving the ground, structures above it and their foundations.
The technology provides a non-invasive solution to subsidence, suitable for all kinds of infrastructural projects, such as railways and highways. Unlike traditional solutions that require heavy machinery and excavations, the geopolymer can be injected using small steel tubes and monitored with laser levels.
Established in 1998, the BBA set up the HAPAS scheme to accelerate the UK’s approval process for innovative products used on highway related projects. The certification is offered to businesses from various product sectors. This is the first time it has been awarded to a company using geopolymer technology to improve the ground.
According to the British Geological Survey, subsidence is one of the most damaging geohazards to Britain today — estimated to have cost the economy £3 billion in mitigation efforts and repair. Cases are also predicted to rise due to extreme weather caused by climate change, increasing the need for sustainable, cost-effective solutions that are also certified by organisations like the BBA.
“The HAPAS certification is a major achievement for Geobear,” explained Geobear’s UK managing director Simon Hughes, “We want to ensure that our clients are receiving a quality solution and being the first in our sector to receive this accreditation means that we can deliver to this important standard. This will enable us to develop further into UK markets where we are eager to grow, including infrastructure.”
Learn more about Geobear’s certifications and how they ensure quality ground engineering at geobear.co.uk.
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