You can be lifted...01 June 2006

A new breed of powered access equipment is being developed to help end users achieve greater time savings and working efficiencies, particularly where working conditions are difficult and inhospitable, while also delivering valuable gains in productivity and lowering costs.

At the same time, these solutions are ensuring that employers comply with the latest health and safety requirements on behalf of their workers, including the Work at Height Regulations 2005, whereby methods of working at all heights must be reviewed and risk assessed on an on-going basis.

As the maintenance industry continues to look for ways to reduce plant downtime within these increasingly stringent safety regulations, so the pressures on the time and motion practices of the engineer are increasing. Forward-thinking access equipment manufacturers are meeting the needs of a demanding industry by adding more dynamic and ergonomic features to their products, says Pete Ellis, sales director at Planet Platforms.

"Working closely with many industrial clients in sectors as diverse as agriculture, transport and the military, we have seen a significant step change in the project briefings we are now receiving," Ellis comments. "It is evident that, in the majority of current purchasing decisions, the ergonomic features of the equipment are being given a far greater priority than ever before, and we are finding that time and motion studies are often the precursor to us getting a call, because they identify what efficiency improvements an organisation can make in their manufacturing and maintenance processes.

"As manufacturers, we all need to work to gain a much greater understanding of the task itself before we can embark on designing the appropriate access equipment. We need to conduct thorough site visits and have detailed consultations with clients throughout the development process, and, where possible, involve the engineers themselves to ensure that they will be comfortable using the product, once it has been installed."

One of the prime benefits of powered access - or people-lifting - equipment is its ability to deliver the user to otherwise inaccessible work locations in environments where space is severely limited. A straight boom, for instance, can reach across and by-pass obstacles. Sometimes, though, it is the machine's own compactness and manoeuvrability that makes the real difference. This is certainly the case at the new oncology unit at the St James' (Jimmy's) Hospital in Leeds. Here, a fleet of eight ultra-compact Genie GR15 platforms from Nationwide Access are helping specialist contractor Rotary (Yorkshire) install overhead cabling and ductwork for the new wing's complex mechanical and electrical services.

Rotary is installing the equipment for Bovis Lend Lease, which has the main contract to build the new 66,500 m2 wing. Due for completion in December 2007, the wing will be Europe's largest cancer research hospital, with teaching and patient care facilities located in the new building, which is linked to four existing buildings.

Julian Nixon, depot sales manager at Nationwide Access' Leeds branch, visited the site shortly after work began on the new building to discuss access requirements with Bovis and key sub-contractors. "We advised Rotary to hire the GR15 after a number of on-site meetings to ensure we offered the most appropriate method of access for the entire contract," he recalls. The type of machine normally used for this kind of work - installing services indoors at ceiling height - is a small scissor lift and this is what Rotary's project manager Graham Rawlins originally had in mind. "The days of stepladders and trestles are long gone," comments Rawlins. "The small battery-powered scissor lifts are now the standard spec for this work, but on this occasion the compact nature of the GR15 provided access to more areas."

The Genie Runabout features a telescopic vertical mast, unlike the familiar scissor configuration. The stowed height of the GR15 Runabout is just 1.57m, with the chassis 0.7m wide and 1.35m long. With a working height of 6.47m, this model provides access through both restricted entrances and between pipework at height. The GR15's compact frame allows it to pass through narrow doorways and its zero inside turning radius means that, once inside a room, it can quickly navigate its way into the right position. "It's a superb machine" enthuses Rawlins.

Industry demands
According to Ron Jackson, product manager at JLG UK, a division of JLG Industries, restrictive workplace environments have seen industry demand for new and innovative access equipment grow rapidly.

"JLG is dedicated to continuous product research and development, which is essential when trying to meet the demand from our extensive customer base. We have a comprehensive range of products, from 4.88 metre working height vertical mast lifts to 43 metre working height telescopic booms, to meet a wide variety of needs."

Most recently, JLG has added a new series of driveable vertical lifts, the MVL and MSP, to its range. "The Mobile Vertical Lifts (MVL) series includes two models," states Jackson, "the 15MVL and the 20MVL which provide maximum working heights of 6.4 metres and 7.9 metres respectively. The MSP [Mobile Stock Picker] range includes two new models, the 10MSP and the 15MSP, that provide working heights of 4.9 metres and 6.4 metres."

All of these models have an upgraded direct electric drive system that uses the same planetary gear hubs found on the ES battery scissor range for high cycle operations and long run times. They also retain many of the features developed for earlier models, and are suitable for indoor use and narrow aisle applications.

Users can also benefit from JLG's point-and-go single joystick control and drive system, which allows the operator to drive and steer with one hand, thus improving driver comfort. "It also allows the machines to turn within their own radius, making them ideal for use in very tight spaces," says Jackson.

Compliance
"As a direct result of the introduction of the Work At Height regulations," states Mark Arnold, of Planet Platforms Eastern, "we have seen an increasing demand for more versatile mobile elevated work platforms [MEWPs] which are suitable for a multitude of tasks. Self-drive personnel lifts, which can be operated quickly and safely by one person, with on board cab-based positioning controls, are proving to be the perfect hire solution for the smaller company whose access needs are either occasional or varied."

Thanks to the large-scale awareness campaign carried out by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), such companies are now widely aware that they need to provide safer platforms from which their staff can work to conform to the regulations. However, they face a tough commercial struggle in switching operatives to machinery that they still believe is impractical, cumbersome and time consuming to set up.

"To change those beliefs," adds Arnold, "manufacturers such as ourselves are looking to produce ever smaller, more flexible units, with narrow chassis and compact footprints, which will replace what we would call traditional 'ladder jobs'. Only if the MEWP is easy to manoeuvre, simple to elevate and causes little or no disruption to the business practices of the situation it is in will it be successful in changing opinions and behaviour.

"It is up to us as an industry to ensure that we have a solid commercial basis for the decisions we make in the development of products. Safety must always remain paramount, but introducing features which simplify the process, reduce customers' downtime and increase their productivity are becoming ever more important."

SOE

This material is protected by MA Business copyright
See Terms and Conditions.
One-off usage is permitted but bulk copying is not.
For multiple copies contact the sales team.