Craig Nienaber, Business Development Manager for Safe Access Solutions (SAS) at HUBER Technology, explores why the company is seeing a growing level of interest in its safe access solutions for critical infrastructure providers, including their application in wastewater treatment assets.

Craig Nienaber: Critical National Infrastructure in the UK is defined as those national assets in 13 sectors that are essential for the functioning of society, including energy supply, water supply, transportation, health and telecommunications. The majority of these sectors are broad and encompass hundreds or thousands of assets.

Whatever sector they are working in –, water, flood defence, transport, road, rail, energy, data centres, industrial and other high security sites - safety and reliability are always key issues for all critical infrastructure providers, particularly with those tasked with providing 24/7 service levels in what are often challenging operating environments.

Generally, critical assets typically require the protection of electrical, communication, and utility chambers, flood proofing, the prevention of unauthorised access and damage from vandalism, theft, and sabotage via a combination of security-rated and attack-resistant options.

HUBER Technology has amassed a wealth of expertise and knowledge in this field – we have been providing Safe Access Solutions (SAS) worldwide for over 50 years and globally our multi-million pound SAS sales continue to grow year on year.

In the UK, while the UK water companies have had a specific focus on our SAS applications in their potable water assets, we’re now seeing a growing level of interest in their use on wastewater assets.

With an excellent level of resistance to corrosive wastewater environments, a wide range of our SAS products are particularly well-suited for this.

All our solutions use state of the art stainless steel production technologies compared to alternative solutions like mild steel and cast iron with a shorter shelf life which are more susceptible to degradation and failure. Rust and a shortened lifespan are unfortunately all too often a feature of cheaper, less well-made, well-engineered alternatives.

It’s always important to consider these issues at the start of any major project - no doubt many of us have read of instances where major projects have been seriously compromised. While the ancillaries may only represent 1% or 2% of the total cost of a project, it is important to invest in the right type of protection from the outset to protect against costly, preventable failures.

With the major multi-billion pound AMP8 investment programme now underway, which includes a significant spend on improving the resilience and capacity of their stormwater treatment infrastructure and service reservoirs, we now receive enquiries on an ongoing basis about their use on access to underground storage tanks and pumping stations, to mention just two.

These solutions include our:

• TT2.1/TT2.2 security doors - Flood-Proof Doors - Technical Doors - Products

• SD5 & SD7.R security manhole covers - Manhole Covers - Manhole Equipment - Products

• TT7 pressure-tight doors - Pressure-Tight Doors - Technical Doors - Products

• Safety access ladders and fall protection systems - Safety Climbing Systems and Fall Protection

Our installed worldwide equipment base of 50,000 solutions includes some 10,000-plus of our technical doors in countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Middle East.

We have 17 types of technical doors, (with further options available) which include our TT7 pressure-tight submarine doors. These doors are increasingly the choice of critical infrastructure solution providers.

In the wastewater sector, they are now being incorporated into off-site factory manufacture of modular solutions as part of the pre-construction stage of concrete panels for underground stormwater storage tanks.

Alongside this our manhole covers for above and below ground infrastructure afford an outstanding level of corrosion resistance with a long service life and minimal deterioration, making them ideally suited for aggressive wastewater treatment environments. With 18 different types, they also include security-rated and attack-resistant options which are often a prerequisite for assets in remote unmanned locations.

Whatever projects the UK water companies are working on, safety is of course always an issue of paramount importance. Our solutions also include safety access ladders and fall protection systems for user access and working at height tasks, together with filtration systems to ensure employees and contractors are breathing safe and clean air when working in what are frequently confined and enclosed spaces.

The same factors are also under consideration by other critical infrastructure providers who face similar issues and challenges in constructing and maintaining their own specific assets.

These also extend to ensuring a high level of defence to ensure resilience to flood-related incidents and the prevention of water ingress. The increasingly highly automated processes used across these different sectors makes the prevention of water ingress into expensive, highly complex electrical and electronic equipment which underpin a host of operational functions an absolute prerequisite.

In this context, we’re also seeing an uptake in interest from one particular area of focus for HUBER - the proliferation of data centres across the UK. Designated as Critical National Infrastructure, according to the UK government, the UK is already host to over 520 data centres and is set to see continued and significant growth in the coming decade.

Given the pivotal role these centres will play in both public, business and government life, protecting them from water ingress from both above and below ground will play a key role where we expect our solutions to be used to provide 24 hour protection in order to ensure that services will be available on an interrupted basis.

Another key area of importance for critical infrastructure providers is access to trusted, dependable after sales service. Worldwide, HUBER is known for the level of ongoing support it provides to its customers – another essential for customers seeking peace of mind solutions. We don’t walk away after a sale saying “job done” – it’s part of our company ethos that we will always respond quickly to any queries or concerns raised, no matter how small, and ensure that they are resolved satisfactorily. Customers are also able to order the SAS products directly through our webshop on the website - Manhole Covers - Manhole Equipment - Products

To conclude, later this year we will be holding a webinar in the autumn as part of our regular lunch and learn webinar series on the use of our SAS solutions in wastewater solutions – please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you’re interested in learning more and we will add your name to the attendee list.

For more information about our SAS solutions visit our website at - Equipment in Stainless Steel: Safe Access Solutions | HUBER Technology

And if you’d like more information or an informal chat I’m always happy to talk – you can email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or contact me via mobile on +44-7850-209276