Liquid Waste Tank Access Platform Cleanaway Liquid Management Facility
INDUSTRIAL LIQUID MANAGEMENT ACCESS PLATFORM CASE STUDY
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Safetylyne designed, custom-fabricated and installed an aluminium access gantry platform for Cleanaway, one of Australia's largest industrial waste management operators.
This height safety system provides safe, compliant top-of-tank access for inspection hatches and precision instrumentation on liquid waste storage cisterns. No more late night call outs for EWP operating teams – clean and safe access for specialised technicians to be able to perform the duties which they are experts in.

The access platform was custom-engineered and custom-manufactured to the specific tank dimensions and site conditions, preassembled in Safetylyne's Australian workshop, craned into position in a single lift, and fully installed within a day and a half.
Sector:
Industrial liquid waste management
System: Custom-fabricated aluminium gantry walkway platform with run ladder, open-web column support structure, non-slip plank floor
Scope: Design, engineering, manufacture, installation, certification
IN SITU
KEY CHALLENGES
Existing infrastructure and structural constraints
The tanks sat within an established site with significant piping and equipment at ground level. Support posts and open-web columns had to be positioned precisely to clear existing pipework while maintaining the structural spans required under AS 1657:2018. Every element of the support structure was engineered around what was already there.
Wind and seismic load engineering
The liquid storage access platform required formal engineering for wind and seismic loads - non-negotiable for a structure of this height and span in an industrial operating environment.
Safetylyne's engineers calculated load requirements and designed the open-web column support structure to meet them, with the platform geometry and fixing strategy developed accordingly.
Site access and delivery logistics
The access road surface and site configuration restricted what equipment could be brought in and how it could be manoeuvred. Crane positioning, delivery truck access and sequencing all required careful planning around the operating facility. The delivery and installation window was tight - one continuous operation.
Solving all three together
The only way to meet the structural, logistical and programme constraints simultaneously was to do the majority of the work off-site. Safetylyne reverse-engineered the delivery sequence from the installed position, then designed and fabricated the platform in modules sized for a single crane lift.
THE ACCESS SOLUTION
Safetylyne custom-designed and custom-fabricated the entire access platform system for this project in its local workshop. The structure uses open-web columns - nearly 4 metres tall - to carry the walkway platform above the tank, with support members configured individually around the existing piping and tank geometry below.
The floor system uses non-slip solid planking rather than open mesh grating. Planking provides a continuous walking surface that protects workers or equipment below from dropped objects - a practical requirement in an active industrial facility and compliant with relevant safety standards for the application.
The platform was preassembled into a single unit in the workshop, transported to site and craned into position in one lift. Installation was completed in a day and a half - one delivery, one crane operation, minimal disruption to Cleanaway's facility operations.
The completed system includes a run ladder for tank access and full-perimeter guardrails to AS 1657:2018.
A lockable access gate can be incorporated into this system type where controlled access is required.
Aluminium was specified throughout for its corrosion resistance in liquid waste chemical environments. Unlike painted steel, aluminium requires no ongoing coating maintenance and will not degrade through chemical vapour or surface exposure over the asset's operational life.
WHAT THIS INFRASTRUCTURE LIQUID STORAGE ACCESS PROJECT DEMONSTRATES
Custom-fabricating and preassembling a gantry platform of this size and complexity before it reaches site is not a standard approach - it requires thoughtful engineering, fabrication and project management to all sit in one place.
Safetylyne's in-house capability across design, engineering, manufacture and installation means the structural constraints, site logistics and programme requirements are resolved in one coordinated process, not managed across separate parties.
The result for Cleanaway: a fully engineered, compliant access system installed in a day and a half, with no ongoing maintenance requirements and full certification on handover.
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