Capital Equipment News May 2016

WORK @ HEIGHT: GOOD PRACTICE

WORLD NEWS

Minister Ramatlhodi also stated that 35% of mining fatalities are related to working at height. This statistic is echoed in the construction sec- tor and is compounded by a lack of fall protec- tion gear and equipment, and undoubtedly a lack of knowledge of safety requirements. The construction boom in South Africa is rap- idly driving up demand for work-at-height solu- tions, and also increases the need to conform to safety governing procedures, rules and regula- tions. Recent changes to economic conditions also drive a need for efficiency culminating in deployment of improved ways of working at height. “The trend of deploying more mobile elevated work platforms to perform work-at-height duties more efficiently, requires proper instructions on how to operate machinery while following safety and compliance regulations. "These are the prerequisites aimed at the re- duction of fatalities in high risk industries,” says Du Randt. In addition, all driven machinery is regulat- ed by the National Code of Good Practice and therefore has to comply with this legislation. NCOP 2015 associates mobile elevated work platforms with a C53 license. Du Randt elab- orated, “This license is currently based on the MEWP unit standard and, albeit controversial in its construct, delivers a sound basis for operat- ing a MEWP. We found that some training pro- viders incorrectly associate one of the crane unit standards putting the operators and employers at risk.” Operators should be transparent in sharing this legislation with its customers. In the construction, mining and energy indus- tries it is compulsory that operators are properly instructed on how to operate any mobile elevat- ed work platforms, forklifts and telehandlers. This extends to the lifting category where an operator of a mobile elevated work platform with a capacity of 750 kg or more requires a valid license for operation. This license is renewable every two years. Note that this regulation is su- perseded by NCOP 2015 but should form the absolute minimum when using the equipment. Operators of machinery should always wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Further, they should understand the components of the machine and its basic func- tions, the possible hazards in the operating area and emergency procedures in the event of an accident. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 the safety officer on site, together with the employer, bear ultimate re- sponsibility for understanding and adhering to all safety policies and procedures. This respon-

sibility includes ensuring that all employees know the Act. “Discipline and vigilance are the cornerstones of a shared safety culture. This means taking time to plan the work, complying with all regu- lations, rules, and governing safety procedures, choosing the right equipment to perform the work and then ensuring proper use,” concludes Du Randt. Building a safety culture means pre- venting unnecessary accidents. The upfront effort and continued attention to this aspect of high-risk work will make good business sense in the long run. Founded in 2003, the Eazi Group is Africa’s market leader in rental, sales, servicing and training of work-at-height solutions with the largest and most diverse fleet of Scissor Lifts, Boom Lifts, Mini Cranes, Personnel Lifts, High Capacity Telehandlers, Rotational Telehandlers and Telehandlers on the continent. Born of a vision to make working-at-height safer and more efficient in the workplace, the Eazi Group is a 100 % South African owned company that provides its products and ser- vices to all sectors of the mining, light industrial, heavy industrial, entertainment and construction industries. With its fleet always at the forefront of tech- nological developments and the largest, most qualified team of technicians in the industry, as well as its partnerships with the best-of-breed global manufacturers, the Eazi Group supplies work-at-height solutions to its customers any- where in Africa and prides itself on ensuring that all its customers’ service and support require- ments are met 24/7. The Eazi Group has four business units: Eazi Access Rental, Eazi Sales and Service, Eazi Equip Africa and Uplift Quality Solutions as the training division. The company recently concluded an ac- quisition with Ethos Private Equity, a leading South African private equity investor into me- dium-to-large businesses in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. b

OSHA UPDATES SCISSOR LIFT HAZARD WARNING

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released an up- dated hazard alert for scissor lifts following a year-long investigation into incidents that killed 10 people and injured more than 20. All of the incidents were preventable, the agency stated and most stemmed from employers not addressing fall protection, stabilisation or positioning. The hazard alert provides the following recommendations: • Scissor lifts should be installed with guardrails. • Only trained workers should be allowed to use scissor lifts and keep work within easy reach to avoid leaning away from the lift. Training should include never standing on the guardrails. • Employers should ensure scissor lifts are stable by following the manufacturer’s instructions and using the device outside only in good weather conditions. • Position scissor lifts at least 3 m away from electrical power sources and im- plement traffic controls to prevent work- ers or vehicles from approaching the lifts. The alert was initially developed following the death of a University of Notre Dame stu- dent and employee in 2010. The untrained employee was 11 m up in a scissor lift filming a football team practice when winds – which were gusting at more than 80.5 km/h, blew the lift over and killed the worker. Stuart Hopkins, former director of training from mobile tower association PASMA has retired. He has been instrumental in developing and introducing a range of training cours- es considered to be the industry standard in the UK and increasingly internationally. More than 70 000 PASMA PhotoCards are now issued annually, compared with 45 000 in 2008. He holds the certificate in training practice from the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, the RoSPA safety instructors certificate and was chair of the IPAF training committee, 2004-2005 PASMA TRAINING DIRECTOR RETIRES

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