Two Bronto S 50XDT-Js joining our fleet in May

Soon to be joining our fleet, Facelift Access Hire introduces the Bronto Skylift S50 XDT-J, a brand new medium sized truck mounted platform. The unit may only be on three axles but it is a real heavyweight performer. Designed as an access hire company all-rounder its performance makes it particularly suitable for inner-city sites.

The platforms unique three section super-jib offers unrivalled up-and over reach, unheard of in this height category. The two section telescopic cage boom provides 16 meters of up-and-over at 33 metres height, a maximum working outreach of 35 metres and an incredible 10 metres of down reach, this Bronto provides access to previously inaccessible locations over rooftops, vestibules, canopies, harbour walls and bridges. It goes without saying that maximum outreach and its 700 kg cage load are top-of-the range for its GVW.

The 6x4 rear steer platform chassis offers incredible maneuverability and front axle Hydro-Drive great traction in bad terrain. All this comes with the incredible variety of Bronto XDT optional equipment, including 1300 kg boom winch and 360 degrees camera cage. The control system remains the tried and tested Bronto, the same as in all Bronto units and legendary for accurate, smooth operation and its remote calibration features.

Bronto S50XDTJ - Truck Mounted Hire - Spec sheet

Bronto S50XDTJ - Working Envelope

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Climbing warehouse racking results in serious fall

A Hertfordshire company which designs and manufactures shop fixtures and displays has been fined after a worker fell and fractured his pelvis.  

On 3 November 2010, Denis Cronin, 47, a production assistant from Baldock, was dismantling racking at a temporary warehouse Benchmark Fabrication Ltd had been using in Hunting Gate, Hitchin.

He was straddling one of its beams when it splayed, causing him to fall two metres onto a wooden pallet below. Mr Cronin’s pelvis was fractured in three places, he was in hospital for a week and took a further three months to fully recover.   An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Mr Cronin and his colleague had been told by their manager to use the zig-zags in the uprights of the warehouse racking as a ladder and also that method was standard practice at the company.   At Hertford Magistrates’ Court, Benchmark Fabrication Ltd of Jubilee Road, Letchworth, Hertfordshire admitted breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £2,923.50 in costs.  

HSE Inspector, Graham Tompkins, said: "Climbing warehouse racking is extremely dangerous, the managers at Benchmark should have been aware of this and provided the appropriate equipment - in this case a set of library steps or a small self supporting tower scaffold. "If they were unsure, there is plenty of advice and guidance on how to dismantle this racking safely on HSE’s own website. "HSE will take action against employers who break the law by failing to provide their employees with the necessary training and equipment to do their job safely."   Latest statistics for Hertfordshire show that in 2008-2010 two people were killed and 60 suffered a major injury while at work.  

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Levelling Death Wish

Story from Vertikal.net

More images in our rogues gallery

Spotted by a regular reader in Slovakia, a compact Rough Terrain scissor lift being used on a slope, the machine was fitted with levelling jacks so no problem there …. except for the cribbing used to add a little more lift. 

There is nothing wrong at all with the principle – it is more how it is done and what can go wrong. But first the situation, best described in out correspondent’s own words.

“I came across the attached situation two hundred yards from our own depot, thankfully not our machine and in the interest of fair play, I have covered up the name of the rental company that owns the machine, as I don’t believe it is fair to implicate them in this man’s actions.” 

“I observed this man for about 15 minutes, during which time he went up and down twice. However, each time he tried to go up, the machine seemed to refuse, (for reasons unknown to me, as although it is set up dangerously, it is level), but eventually he would get it to go up.” 

“Clearly not the right machine for installing this light over the ramp, but it was the only machine on site, and he used it for the other lights over the flat part of the yard, and then proceeded to fit the last light as shown in the picture. Incidentally we had an articulated boom in our yard at the time, within sight of where this man was working, and we did offer our services on a couple of occasions, but they insisted on using the scissor lift.”

The problem is of course that he has used odd off-cuts of wood, none of which matches anything… to make matters worse the top piece is too short and the unit is precariously perched on it. A slight move or shake and this unit could so easily fall off the cribbing, with the dynamic loading taking of over possibly resulting in a fatality. All for the sake of making do and supposedly saving a bit of time. 

If the unit did go over the time lost/wasted would amount to several thousand percent of that saved – not to mention the trauma and cost of such an incident… Odds not worth playing. A classic Death Wish.

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Facelift Access Hire introduces the ZT Safety Harness to London Underground maintenance companies

We recently introduced the ZT Safety Harness to a number of maintenance companies working with London Underground. The Harness features and benefits were presented to operative teams, together with a video screening and live demonstration of the harness.

The live demonstration was particularly well received, as it was then easy to see how practical and comfortable the harness was to wear and how it performed in the event of a fall.

The ZT harness can be used in many situations when working at height. The operatives have many uses for the harness system from fixing guttering on station roofs to working within the inverts on a station platform.

As the rail industry tries at all times to adopt best safety practice using Facelift’s Rail Division and the ZT Harness, it proves to be a real benefit to their operatives and surveyors who are called to react at short notice for the rails emergency and planned maintenance needs.

The pictures shows Steve Morris and Paddy Orrell of ZT Safety Systems during an evening presentation on site to one of our clients who are promoting the use of our harness. 

Contact Bruce Lever of our Rail Division on 07515051012 - or email us at brucel@facelift.co.uk

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Ex demonstration Nifty lift units for sale

We currently have a limited number of ex demonstration Niftylift 90, 120 and 170 trailer mounted platforms for sale.  These road towable trailers are in excellent condition and will be sold with a full manufacturer’s warranty.

For full details please call Andy Northwood on 07977 561122 or by email at andyn@facelift.co.uk

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New Genie GS1932 scissor lifts for sale at 2011 prices!

We can offer brand new Genie GS1932 scissor lifts for sale, complete with full manufacturers warranty for £6,995 excluding VAT and delivery.  We have a limited number of this popular scissor lift available at this fantastic price. 

For full details please call Andy Northwood on 07977 561122 or by email at andyn@facelift.co.uk.

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Great shot! F100 winner Brian Rumble

Brian Rumble is our F100 Winner for January. Brian's dramatic shot of the Simon UB40 Underbridge Unit was taken at the Graig Bridge over the River Cothi in Brechfa Forest Carmarthenshire. Brechfa forest is one of three forest areas that were under Brian's supervision, with a total forest area of approximately 20,000 hectares. 

Brian's role for this project was Forest Civil Engineering Site Supervisor. Working together with principle bridge inspector David Killer, they carried out a detailed structural inspection of the 30m bridge.

The Facelift Simon UB 40 assisted and improved this vital bridge inspection as a safe and easily controlled access platform. Following the inspection, the bridge failed and will now have to be replaced in this coming financial year.

View the High res image here

Congratulations to Brian, the F100 competition is open to everyone to enter, so even if you're just driving by and happen to see one of our machines, take a picture and send it in, you could win £100!

Images can be uploaded here.

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3 Companies fined after worker falls 6 metres.

Three Dundee companies have been fined a total of £336,000 after a worker fell six and a half metres through a roof light onto a concrete floor.   Christopher Carson, who was 23 at the time, competed as a floor gymnast at national level and was also a coach in the sport. As his day job, he was working as an electrician's labourer for Robert A.S. Crockett and Partners Ltd.  

Crockett and Partners had been contracted by Electroguard Security Systems to fit a lighting system as part of a larger project at Dundee Cold Stores Ltd, Kingsway West, Dundee.   Dundee Sheriff's Court heard that on 3 October 2008, Mr Carson was attaching cables to the wall of the building in order to install the new security system. One of the cables he needed was on the roof of the building so he decided to use a mobile platform to get to the roof level and then walk across the roof to retrieve it. Once on the roof he realised he needed some clips, and as he was returning to the platform he stood on a roof light and fell through it, hitting machinery in the building below, before landing on the concrete floor.  

He suffered a number of fractures to his back as well as fractures and dislocation to his left shoulder. He also suffered a puncture wound to his lower back from a drill bit which was in his pocket when he fell.   Mr Carson required surgery to reattach three tendons to his shoulder and had to undergo physiotherapy. He still suffers from chronic pain in his back and shoulder from which he is making a slow recovery. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Dundee Cold Stores Ltd had not asked either Electroguard Security Systems or Robert A.S. Crockett and Partners Ltd for a written risk assessment for the work they had been asked to carry out. Nor was there a method statement from either company as to how the work was to be carried out safely.  

Although Electroguard had carried out a site risk assessment for working at height, this was not specific to the job at Dundee Cold Stores. This risk assessment was known to its employees, but not to those of Crockett and Partners, who had been subcontracted by Electroguard to do the same type of work at height. The fact that employees would be working at height ought to have been the focus of safety planning, however no safe system of work was implemented to ensure any risks identified were eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level.  

The investigation also revealed that Robert A.S. Crockett and Partners Ltd had not given Mr Carson any training or information that would have helped him identify that the roof could be fragile. Additionally, Dundee Cold Stores Ltd did not carry out any safety inductions before contractors started work on the site, nor were there any safety meetings once the work had started to ensure that it was progressing safely.   At Dundee Sheriff Court today, Robert A.S. Crockett and Partners Ltd of Scott Street, Dundee was fined £66,000 after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

Electroguard Security Systems of Strathmore Avenue, Dundee was fined £135,000, and Dundee Cold Stores of Whittle Place, Gourdie industrial Estate, Dundee fined £135,000 after they both pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.  

After sentencing, HSE Inspector Harry Bottesch said: "Mr Carson has suffered significant and lasting injuries because his employer left him to work at height unsupervised and without clear instructions about what work he was expected to do and how he was to do it. Nor was there any safe system of work in place to allow him to work safely at height.   "Where roof lights are present, it should be assumed that the area is fragile to walk on. If these three companies had thought about the obvious risks involved, and planned the work properly then Mr Carson's injuries - and the impact they have had on his life ever since - could have been avoided."  

In 2010/11, 13 people in Britain died and there were more than 760 serious injuries after work-related falls from height. Guidance on working at height safely can be found at:http://www.hse.gov.uk/falls/index.htm

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Hard hitting safety campaign from Canada

This Ladder safety commercial from Canada is for Prevent-It.ca, their hard-hitting campaign is to raise awareness about occupational health and safety.

The campaign includes provocative television ads that depict “accidents” and talk about how they could have been prevented. The ads are graphic and disturbing but the message is simple.

The ads are designed to get people talking about the importance of workplace safety and to help change the mindset that says workplace injuries and illnesses are inevitable and acceptable. The only acceptable number of workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities is zero.

Kick-off events for the campaign were held in Hamilton, Ottawa, London, Thunder Bay, and Toronto. At a press conference in Toronto’s Union Station, WSIB Chair Steven Mahoney acknowledged that the television ads are shocking and and difficult to watch. “We’re not afraid to be controversial.

This is not a feel-good campaign. We’ll feel good when the number of injuries and fatalities go down.” A key message of the campaign is the idea that creating a safe workplace is everyone’s responsibility. “We’re not pointing a finger at the employer or the worker,” says Mahoney. “We need to bring them together to solve this problem.” In 1998, the WSIB adopted “the elimination of all workplace illnesses and injuries” as its vision statement.

Today, we’re taking that vision beyond words in a call to action for all Ontarians. There are potential hazards in every workplace; each one of us needs to take some responsibility for eliminating those hazards and keeping ourselves and each other healthy and safe at work.

The WSIB, along with its health and safety partners, is working toward achieving a fundamental change in attitude and behaviour towards occupational health and safety in Ontario – a change from a society which accepts workplace injuries and fatalities, to one which embraces health and safety. We want Ontario to have the safest workplaces in the world. If we believe it we can do it.

Ladder Safety Training

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Suspended sentence after death of workman

A Leicester man has been given a suspended prison sentence after a worker was killed when he fell through a roof at a disused factory unit in Leicester.

Robert Jozwiak, 44, of Humberstone, was repairing the roof on the former textile dye house at Evington Valley Road, Leicester on 3 June 2009 when it gave way and he landed on the concrete floor six metres below. His skull and back were fractured and he died from his injuries later that evening. He had been instructed to carry out the work by Musa Suleman who was helping to bring the building back into use. Mr Suleman, 56, of Freeman Road North, Leicester, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for failing to ensure the work he arranged to be carried out was properly planned, supervised or carried out in a safe manner. He pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was today given a 12 month prison sentence suspended for two years at Leicester Crown Court.

He was also ordered to pay compensation of £13,800 to Mr Jozwiak's family and full costs of £17,337. Passing sentence His Honour Judge Simon Hammond said Mr Jozwiak's death was a terrible tragedy that could have been prevented.

He said there were clear lessons to be learned and urged anyone working on buildings to treat health and safety as their top priority in order to prevent injury or death. After the hearing HSE inspector Karl Raw said: "The roof was made of corrugated asbestos cement sheets, and the work required careful planning and consideration of the risks involved. Tragically, Mr Suleman failed to do this and to properly supervise the work which resulted in the needless death of a husband and father. "Safe routes and protective equipment should have been in position to allow Mr Jozwiak to get to work areas without injury, and measures to prevent or mitigate any falls should have been in place.

"Work at height remains a major cause of injury and fatalities in the workplace and for this reason it is important appropriate planning, supervision and safety measures are essential. This becomes even more critical when a job involves work on or near fragile roofing materials as at this site."

Last year more than 4,000 employees suffered major injuries after falling from height at work, and 21 workers in the construction industry died. For more information on HSE's shattered lives campaign go to www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlivesA Leicester man has been given a suspended prison sentence after a worker was killed when he fell through a roof at a disused factory unit in Leicester.

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