YOUR SAFETY, OUR PRIORITY

French manufacturer specialising in the design and construction of emergency shelters and ventilation systems, we support professionals in underground spaces to ensure the safety of their operators.

Safety in underground works

Underground works represent multiple dangers, which is why the safety of the operators is a must.

Generally speaking, individual and collective protective equipment has played a fundamental role in improving working conditions underground, thanks to technical progress and the efforts made by the various players in this field.

SUB’ROCA uses its know-how to support the underground work trades and contribute to risk control.

The Safety and Health A personal matter

Jean Bertolotti, CEO of Sub’roca

firefighter
fireman

It is from the youngest age that the notions of protection and safety have reasoned in me. As a budding handyman from the age of 9, I took part in renovation work in the family home with the watchword: wearing protective and safety equipment.

« Prevention is better than cure ». My experience as a military firefighter brought me into contact with serious situations that quickly made me aware of the need to act on the means of protection and safety in the service of people. Many situations could have been avoided if specific protective equipment existed.

tunneling
tunneling

The world of the underground

As the son and grandson of a miner in the Lorraine coal mines, I was lulled by the stories of mines and tunnels. From the age of 13, I was able to accompany my father on construction sites such as the Marseilles tramway (2003) where I helped him hold measuring devices and note results on a notepad.

mining

The protection of Men

When I was a volunteer firefighter in Lorraine, I intervened with retired coal miners who were continuously exposed to silica-laden dust during their work shift. These people, now suffering from the occupational disease of silicosis, are suffering the consequences of these exposures while they have spent no other time than doing their work.


For more than ten years, I have dedicated my time to the protection of people so that similar situations do not occur again for current and future generations.

mining
tunnel

Safety in underground environments, a necessity

Facilities open to the public (collective premises, underground parking lots, road tunnels in operation, subways, etc.) have emergency exits allowing users to escape from the disaster area and thus protect themselves from the dangers of the disaster. These facilities also have numerous sensors and alarms that alert users in case of need.


However, during the construction phase, there are no escape routes or warning systems. This means that in the event of a fire or the presence of noxious gases, the situation is likely to turn into a disaster, as historical situations have shown.

tunnel

As is often the case, it is the unfortunate stories of the past that create the standards of the future. The Channel Tunnel fire and the A86 motorway tunnel fire should serve as a lesson to us all. In this second disaster, 19 workers were trapped for several hours and were saved by taking shelter in a pressurized cabin of a tunnel boring machine. More recently, the fire in the High Speed 2 (HS2) tunnel in London demonstrated the importance of equipping the site with emergency shelters.

Operators, project managers or companies working in underground sites still too often consider, sometimes for economic reasons or because of a poor risk analysis, that a simple distribution of fire extinguishers on the machines or along the structure is sufficient to ensure the protection and safety of workers.

Moreover, they frequently consider, without foundation, that the operators « will have ample time to escape from the tunnel in case of fire » without considering the poor visibility due to the smoke or the management of one or more injured people.


Today, I am fighting to install safety equipment in underground sites to increase the chances of survival of the operators.

narrow refuge chamber
narrow refuge chamber

As is often the case, it is the unfortunate stories of the past that create the standards of the future. The Channel Tunnel fire and the A86 motorway tunnel fire should serve as a lesson to us all. In this second disaster, 19 workers were trapped for several hours and were saved by taking shelter in a pressurized cabin of a tunnel boring machine. More recently, the fire in the High Speed 2 (HS2) tunnel in London demonstrated the importance of equipping the site with emergency shelters.

Operators, project managers or companies working in underground sites still too often consider, sometimes for economic reasons or because of a poor risk analysis, that a simple distribution of fire extinguishers on the machines or along the structure is sufficient to ensure the protection and safety of workers.

Moreover, they frequently consider, without foundation, that the operators « will have ample time to escape from the tunnel in case of fire » without considering the poor visibility due to the smoke or the management of one or more injured people.


Today, I am fighting to install safety equipment in underground sites to increase the chances of survival of the operators.

About Sub'roca

Sub’roca is an expert company in safety for underground works. We manufacture different designs of emergency shelters adaptable to various underground environments (tunnels under construction, operating mines, etc.).

We also design and manufacture air quality measurement devices for underground and outdoor work. Finally, we offer temporary ventilation systems.

Our research department carries out ventilation studies, dust and exhaust fume measurements and provides training in site ventilation.

Sub’roca is an expert company in safety for underground works. We manufacture different designs of emergency shelters adaptable to various underground environments (tunnels under construction, operating mines, etc.).

We also design and manufacture air quality measurement devices for underground and outdoor work. Finally, we offer temporary ventilation systems.

Our research department carries out ventilation studies, dust and exhaust fume measurements and provides training in site ventilation.

More than 20 years of experience

Sub'Roca_logo PNG

Our production site in Florange (57190)

Our production site is located 1h30 from Paris, in the Grand-Est region of France, which in the past was marked by its strong mining and steel industry.

We have taken advantage of this particular history to develop over the years innovative equipment to ensure the safety of people working in underground and confined spaces.

MADE IN FRANCE

A team

Expert

Expert

Dynamic

Dynamic

Dedicated

Dedicated

close to its customers

close to its customers

INNOVATIVE

INNOVATIVE

Expert

Expert

Dynamic

Dynamic

Dedicated

Dedicated

close to its customers

close to its customers

INNOVATIVE

INNOVATIVE