Safe Work At Height With Aerial Work Platforms

A 34-year-old man from Colchester has been seriously injured after using a makeshift aerial work platform in order to replace a light fitting. The incident occurred at Adhere Industrial Tapes in Colchester a year ago, and the injured man is still undergoing physiotherapy and using crutches, faced with the prospect that he may never work again after suffering multiple fractures to his skull, leg, back and wrist. The man, who has not been named, was standing on a cobbled-together aerial work platform which had been created by placing a metal cage on top of a wooden pallet, before being lifted by another truck. As he began to carry out maintenance on a light fixture, the cage fell from the truck’s forks and the man fell a total of seven metres to the ground.

It was ruled by Colchester Magistrate’s Court last week that the company involved had failed to ensure that right procedures and equipment were in place to carry out work at height. The work that the man carried out was not properly planned, nor was it appropriately supervised. The company involved was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive after it was revealed that none of the company’s drivers had been trained in lifting persons, nor were the essential safeguarding standards adhered to. Restraint harnesses were overlooked and there was no means to secure the cage to the forks of the truck. The work was inherently dangerous and did not conform with the health and safety standards laid down by the government; the man should have been using a verified, safe and secure aerial work platform for the job, which would have surely prevented his injury and saved his career.

Aerial work platforms offer a safe and economical solution for one person to work at height, and features such as their emergency down and stop buttons, levelling indicators and the closed-in nature of the platform help to ensure an employee’s safety when using one. They are most popularly used in hospitals, schools, warehouses and other areas where carrying out maintenance at height is often required. Most aerial work platforms are supplied with integrated chargers and built-in battery indicators, and are considered to be much more versatile than static mobile towers, as their heights can be adjusted with just the touch of a button. This also contributes to safety regulations, as should employees experience a problem whilst working at height, it is a simple process to return them to the ground.

It is vital for all companies to ensure that safe systems of work are in place to protect their workforce, and it is also the company’s responsibility to provide the correct equipment for all tasks which need to be carried out. If there is the chance of any employee having to carry out work at height, companies must ensure they purchase an aerial work platform such as Midland Pallet Truck’s MJCPT 3.0m mobile aerial work platform, rather than allowing employees to construct a dangerous alternative which could put them at risk. 

Lightweight Pallet Trucks To Prevent Back Strain For Employees

Injuries that occur as a result of muscle strain in the back or the shoulders are one of the most common types of workplace injury that can befall an employee, and this is especially true for those who manoeuvre heavy pallet trucks around a busy workplace all day, every day. One in five of all workplace injury complaints are related to back pain, with the manual handling industry being one of the largest culprits. Pallet trucks are constructed entirely for the purposes of moving heavy loads from A to B, and so it follows that the actual construction of the trucks should be as lightweight as possible, not only to ensure that there is no unnecessary weight added to an already heavy cargo, but also to drastically cut the chances of complaints such as back or muscle strain.

Using a lightweight hand pallet truck is paramount to ensuring staff safety without compromising on high quality. Trucks such as the i-ton 1000 Hand Pallet Truck offer a piece of equipment that weighs in at just 38kg, yet can carry up to 1000kg safely and easily. This is due to a highly advanced Techno-polymer compound, a lightweight material that is as rigid and robust as the steel which pallet trucks are normally constructed from. The material also protects from external corrosive agents such as water or harsh chemicals, in much the same way as a galvanized or stainless steel pallet truck might. The operating lever which controls the lifting mechanism of the truck can be used with both right and left hands, and the hydraulic pump elevates the truck to its highest height in just three strokes; both of these mechanisms combine with the incredibly lightweight nature of the truck to make it extremely easy and safe for staff to use without picking up a strain or muscle complaint.

For smaller loads and even smaller spaces, the ML0308 Portable Folding Pallet Truck weighs in at just 26kg and when not in use, it can be easily stored by being hung up on a wall or on the side of a cupboard. Despite its incredible lightweight construction, it can still safely carry and lift up to 300kg of cargo, and like many other trucks which boast lightweight credentials, can be used within a van or truck to truly take the strain off employees for a while.

When using lightweight pallet trucks in a car, truck or other form of transport, it is vital that they are used in conjunction with a pallet truck chock, which works by immobilising the rear wheels of a truck and ensuring that they can’t roll off the edge of a loading bay or truck bed. As well as providing extra security for the items within the truck, pallet truck chocks also help to protect staff members against the dreaded back strain by enabling them to place the truck into the van without risking an injury in turning it onto its side or lifting it into a tyre.

Looking To the Future: Invest In Manual Handling Aids

The vast majority of businesses have their Christmas contingency plans in place already, and are well-equipped to deal with whatever the festive season may through at them. But the savviest and smartest of managers are already looking far ahead, beyond the Christmas season, to the time when business returns to normal and the profits are reduced after the busiest time of year. Recession and austerity is plaguing the country, and many businesses are in two minds about how to approach 2013. Popular advice dictates that businesses should make cuts, but this causes harmful redundancies among staff, budgets reduced across the board and profit margins made much smaller. Other schools of thought believe that the best way to combat the effects of recession in the next twelve months is to invest.

With markets so unpredictable, and the country teetering on the brink of falling back into recession all the time, warehouses, factories, distribution centres and other businesses in the freight and logistics field are reluctant to make huge investment in aspects such as staff training and company equipment. But devoting larger portions of the budgets to the correct training of their existing staff members, and purchasing new apparatus such as pallet trucks or stacker trucks, can help to secure the future of a company. Once the markets begin to rectify themselves, businesses will be fully equipped to take their company to the next level, aiding growth and expansion.

The key for many companies is to try and look further ahead than the next few months. The financial crisis will not last forever; some businesses are saving money by taking on inexperienced, young staff members, or renting pump trucks to avoid buying their own. This leads to less productivity, smaller budgets and a smaller likelihood of emerging from the financial difficulties with any semblance of profit. Those who invest in the foundations of their business, in items such as hand pallet trucks, lift tables or new storage systems, will stand themselves in good stead for the future.

A good workforce is only fully functional if it is fully equipped. By making cuts and reducing budgets, workforces are forced to adapt their processes and become less productive. When purchased as new and properly maintained, much of the equipment that is vital to these processes can last a lifetime, and will serve a company for years after this country escapes this era of austerity.

Why A Manual Stacker Beats A Forklift For Cost-Effectiveness

When faced with the prospect of purchasing new apparatus for a warehouse environment, many managers often find themselves in two minds over two specific pieces of equipment: the forklift truck and the manual stacker truck. One of the biggest considerations given when trying to make the decision is the cost-effectiveness of each truck. Which will initially cost the most? Which will cost the most to run in the long term? Which will have the highest return on the investment? This thorough guide examines the ways in which hand-operated stacker trucks can be much more cost-effective than a forklift truck, and why businesses should be looking to invest in the for the long term.

When purchasing a forklift truck, many managers tend to disregard the extra costs they will have to invest as time goes on, to ensure the maintenance and proper operation of the truck. Some will purchase a forklift with the idea that they will pay a one-off lump sum for the equipment, and not have to splash out on another truck for many years. What they don’t consider is that forklift trucks often have a number of additional hidden costs. Training, for instance, is compulsory for any employee who will be operating it. Courses to ensure an employee has the correct qualifications to operate the apparatus can cost thousands, with refresher courses needed every few years to ensure their training is up to date. One of the main advantages of buying a manual stacker truck by comparison is that they currently require no license to operate in the workplace, and though basic safety training courses may be necessary, there are no specific qualifications or top-ups needed for staff members. This saves on training and also means that anyone in the workplace can operate them, rather than a specified few who have undertaken training.

The cost of actually running a forklift truck when compared with a manual stacker is often overlooked too. There is the option to purchase a gas-operated forklift, which won’t need charging, but it will go through expensive canisters of gas and use up just as much energy from a different source. As suggested in the name, a manual stacker truck such as the 1000kg 1.6m manual stacker from Midland Pallet Trucks is operated entirely by manpower and manual labour. Hand and foot controls lift pallets to workable heights without needing to be connected to a power source at all, saving on all kinds of fuel expenses.

Maintenance on battery and gas-operated forklift trucks is also an added expense. Levels of distilled water within battery cells need to be constantly monitored to check that they are maintaining a consistent level. Without this maintenance, batteries can dry out and need replacing, which results in an even higher bill for the equipment department. Manual stackers’ freedom from the use of power sources means that the only maintenance required is of the aesthetic type, protecting the truck from corrosion and rust, and ensuring that all joints are smooth and well-oiled.

In summation, the cost of running a manual stacker truck when compared to a forklift truck is lower in every aspect. From initial outlay to employee training, and from fuel allowances to maintenance costs, the money saved when using a manual stacker can be used to great effect elsewhere within a business at a time of great economic uncertainty.