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 | | BUILD SAFELY | | | Facelift | | 21/12/2006 | | | At some stage many people with a building or renovation project will need to work at height and overcome the problems posed through gaining safe and easier access to many different and difficult areas.
When presented with such a situation you'll need to ask yourself how to do this. To look around and find out what equipment is available to you and what training you may require to use it safely. One clearer way of accessing areas safely, and in many cases more efficiently, is to use a hydraulic platform, cherry picker, magic carpet or mewp, these are just some of the names this type of machinery can go by.
To the builder the most popular type of machine would come in the form of a small to medium sized trailer, the choices having greatly improved over the last few years because of the benefits powered access has shown to us, and the introduction of the Working At Height Regulations.
Many people have not used these machines before, and can often look at them in trepidation. But in all honesty they are safer and easier and in many cases more efficient to use than many conventional types of access equipment such as ladders etc, currently used for a lot of exterior and interior work.
Cherry pickers allow you to gain access by moving the basket or cage up, down, across etc, allowing you to get to the exact place you want to be in. The bending and stretching elements of the job in hand are then eliminated. Stopping and starting is minimised by the height and outreach of machinery, with set up made easy, the average trailer mounted machine taking approximately 5 minutes. Whole elevations can be tackled with the minimum of fuss and due to cage capacity extra tools and materials can be taken with you - no more going up and down.
Generally speaking most trailers don't have to be delivered they can be towed behind a car, four wheel drive or van. They can be set upon grass without damage (some having tracks which prevent this) as well as hard standing and one man can use all of them alone. Variable height can be reached dependant on the trailer size, narrow access machines, can pass through standard doorways, there's a machine to help in 97% of scenarios.
When choosing your machine these are the six points you need to consider when setting up :-
How high is my job? The height quoted on machines is a measurement from ground level to the maximum platform height, plus the reach of the average man.
How much outreach do I need? The outreach of a machine is measured from the centre of the turret to the fingertips of the average male on a fully extended boom. Remember to include the vehicle width.
How much weight can I carry? Outreach is dependant on weight within the cage ie. The less weight in the cage the greater the outreach. Always calculate the total weight that the machine will have to carry including any tools and compare this to the machine's safe working load. The average male weight is 85kg or 13 stone.
What are may ground conditions? Gradient, wet or rough will make a different you your choice of equipment.
Am I working inside? When working inside you may wish to consider an electrically powered machine. You will need to measure any doors that the machine may need to go through.
Can I operate the machine myself? Machines apart form HGV and the highly qualified specialized ranges can be self operated.
What's the cost? - self operated.
Training is available for the user on all types of access equipment, however, when reaching over 26m, a trained IPAF (International Powered Access Federation) operator would then be supplied. For the smaller types of machine a competent Company will provide comprehensive handover, and demonstration should it be required.
IPAF is the international body, recognized by the HSE, which covers all aspects of working safely at height for powered access users.
Theses courses generally start with registration and introduction, followed by theory, talks and tests, familiarisation of platforms with practical tests, question time and course evaluations. There are seven categories of machine that you can receive IPAF training for and these are :-
Scissor lift,
Self-propelled boom,
Spider,
Push around Trailer,
Truck/van mounted up to 26m non HGV based,
Truck mounted over 26m HGV based
Vertical personnel platforms.
Individuals will need to identify which category or categories will be of most benefit to them. If you are unsure then its wise to pick up the phone and call a local access hire company to help source an approved IPAF training centre or visit either
As you can see, the benefits of powered access provide us with many advantages in tackling building or renovation projects. The machinery has quickly established itself within the market place as a necessary piece of safety equipment. With well over 60 different types of trailers for the builder to choose from, there's one to suit virtually any application so the working at height question has become a much easier, safer and economical option.
What's the cost? - operated. | |
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Transport , Earth Moving , Piling , Mixing Equipment , Cranes , Scaffolding , Workwear , Sheds , Laboratories , Other , Civil Engineering , Working at Height , Training & Consultancy
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