Maccaferri has been awarded European Technical Approval (ETA) for its RB 1500 (ETA n.12/0396) and RMC 050 ICAT/2 (ETA (n.12/0455) ) rockfall barriers, following stringent testing in accordance with the European Test and Approval Guideline 27 (ETAG 27) of the European Organisation for Technical Approvals (EOTA).

The CE mark (quality standard) for the barrier systems has also been awarded based on subsequent quality checking of manufacturing, supply and assembly systems.

The main strength of both of these rockfall barriers is that they can be installed onto any rock or soil slope quickly and easily, even under severe environmental conditions. They also require minimal maintenance.

The RB 1500 system has been carefully developed to ensure the anchorages require the lowest possible pull out resistances, meaning that shorter and cheaper anchorages can be used for the fence, reducing installation costs, whilst RMC 050 ICAT/2 system has no upslope bracing ropes or anchorages which considerably reduces material requirements and drilling time on site.

Another difference among the systems concerns the main interception structure, for the RB 1500 barrier it principally consists of steel ring panels, whereas for the RMC 050 ICAT/2 it is steel cable panels.

Both barriers exceed the most stringent requirements of the ETAG 27 and achieve a category A performance rating. The impact tests were conducted in the Belluno region of the Italian Dolomites.