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Executive Report: Safety on show The recent Safety & Health Expo at the NEC confirmed that Health & Safety issues continue to create business opportunities for hirers and suppliers. Speedy used the Safety & Health Expo to launch the latest campaign in its award-winning Safety From the Ground Up initiative. Make Light Work of It promotes safe and efficient manual handling through specially developed toolbox talks, information guides, CDs, posters and other educational materials. It maintains the same approach of providing clear information provided in a format that is easy to understand at all levels of an organisation, as was used in the earlier, on-going campaigns for work at height, HAV and dust. During the Safety & Health Expo, the hirer won a commendation for service excellence awarded by the British Safety Industry Federation. Research commissioned by Speedy found that 70% of site workers were unaware of legislation or guidelines on moving heavy or awkward objects. Almost two thirds of back injuries in construction are caused by manual handling tasks. On its stand at the Show, the hirer highlighted solutions such as vacuum laying machines, pallet trucks, board trolleys, powered stair climbers, compact dumpers and mini conveyors, which can increase both safety and productivity. Important business driver Health & Safety remains an important business driver in hire,” said Graham Neave, Speedy’s Health & Safety Manager. “We have recently updated our entire Safety From the Ground Up campaign materials, and re-launched it to all staff, including those who joined the group following last year’s Hewden acquisition. At this exhibition we have received a lot of interest in work at height solutions from professionals outside construction, such as schools and manufacturing companies, who need solutions. Hirers are ideally placed to source and supply the appropriate equipment and advice.” In similar vein, A-Plant promoted its Setting the Safety Standard campaign, detailing solutions to meet current and future legislation and which incorporates an updated version of its Site Safety Pack covering key topics. Products on show included Birchwood Industries’ Razordeck self-erecting low-level platform, and Ezidig, a mini excavator attachment that detects electromagnetic signals from cables and buried metallic services. ESS Safeforce, Hire Station’s specialist safety equipment hire business, reported strong interest at the Show. Operations Director Andrew Cull said that, since EHN profiled the organisation last September, it has continued to expand. “We have established another emergency response Safety & Rescue team, and business generally is strong as our name becomes more widely known. Our training services are also in greater demand.” Highlighted on the stand was a specially developed breathing air trailer that gives rescue workers a constant oxygen supply, without them having to carry heavy cylinders on their backs. Work at height solutions Not surprisingly, many providers of work at height solutions exhibited at the Show. Monkey Tower displayed its eponymous unfolding scaffolding system that is mounted on an integral trailer, is raised manually in 0.25m increments to give a maximum 6.5m working height, and which has a stated safe working load of 250kg. It was invented by Dr Alan Watt after finishing his PhD developing unfolding satellite equipment for NASA. Handrails and toeboards are incorporated on the product, which measures 700mm wide and weighs 300kg. New from Euro Towers is the Klik High Clearance Unit, designed to be constructed over obstacles such as office desks, hedges and factory machinery. Available in 2, 2.5 and 3m lengths, it is 700m wide. An integral five-rung ladder facilitates access to the 1.5m high platform, and a guardrail is incorporated. Castors enhance mobility and the legs on the product are adjustable to cope with uneven surfaces. Also exhibiting was Spanset, which was named as the Hire Industry Supplier of the Year in the recent HAE Hire Awards of Excellence. Its hire customers include HSS, Aggreko and Lavendon Access Services, supplying items such as fall arrest equipment, harnesses, PPE and training. Peter Ward, Manager Height Safety, believes the company won the Award “because of the comprehensive support and advice we provide as well as the products, including advice leaflets that can be branded for distribution to hirers’ customers.” Bravi UK promoted the Leonardo self-propelled personnel lift, a battery driven machine that weighs 450kg. It is 76cm wide, 169cm high when stowed and gives a maximum platform height of 2.9m. Front wheel steering gives a zero turning radius and inbuilt extensions allow the platform length to be increased to 1.71m. Also shown were Load Mate vehicle loading ramps to facilitate loading and unloading wheeled equipment. National training network One of the main aims of Turner Access’ presence was to promote advantages of the advanced guardrail method of tower assembly. The company says is it is developing a national network of approved training agents that can educate people in best practice procedures and the principle of ‘collective’, rather than individual measures of protection. During the Show, the company reported keen interest in its Deltadeck 250, a self-contained low-level platform with five working heights up to 3m. Addressing dust hazards, Casella promoted a new range of application specific sampling kits, designed to help users select equipment for compliance with COSHH regulations. These include one aimed at construction and another for woodworking industries, both containing a Microdust Pro real-time dust meter and an Apex sampling pump system, together with sampling heads and filters for monitoring individuals’ exposure and dust levels in surrounding areas. Running alongside the Safety & Health Expo at the NEC was the Facilities Show, and amongst the exhibitors was Envirosource UK. The company offers an innovative compact dehumidifier that extracts water from the ambient air on a large scale, and purifies it ready for drinking. Water can also be heated, and the machine can provide up to 24 litres/day. A light indicates when the filter needs changing. The company’s Hitesh Gohel believes the product has hire potential in offices, and for sites that are some distance away from a mains drinking water supply. • Supplier Contacts Bravi
UK
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www.bravi.uk.com
Executive Hire News › Archives › July 2008 › Executive Report › Safety on show
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