Monday 2 December 2013

Smart PAL card?

Smart PAL card

Initial thoughts on reading the details of this are that it looks like a great idea...

But in practice on a busy site will it work? Or will smart PAL cards get 'shared' between operators? Will the devices get 'tampered with' to try to work around them and result in damage to the machine?


Only time will tell if the investment in this technology will pay off... perhaps we'll let someone else be the guinea pigs!

Tuesday 30 July 2013

When is a good customer a bad customer?

You have just had your latest acquisition liveried and ready for hire when the phone call you have been waiting for comes in... Its a regular customer looking for the use of your shiny new Leo 18GT plus.

The hire desk does its bit and the machine, shiny and looking smart, is duly despatched and delivered by one of the regular drivers to a the customers job in York. The lads on site are delighted to see its condition and comment to the driver how good it is to get a brand new machine.... it should really impress their client. The handover goes well and the machine is left allowing the job to begin. the driver is careful to point out how important it is that the lads on site return the machine to us in good condition.

Off hired ten days later we collect the machine to find it covered in dust, debris (not a problem) but worst of all covered in red oxide paint and what looks like mastic sealant. in fact the basket and controls are so bad decals are illegible... the driver notes the condition and is rebuked by the customers operative who says that its a piece of plant and that this sort of thing should be accepted by us.

On return we notify the client of the damage and the associated costs of repair (knowing full well that the machine will never be 'new' again no matter what repairs are carried out) and we are advised that they refuse to pay the charges, saying that the 'damage' is wear and tear, that they will not use us again if we impose the charges. They throw in for good measure that the machine was in that condition when delivered, was late, that the driver never mentioned looking after it, even stating that the dent in the cage was done when the collection driver was removing it from site!

Result, we enforce the costs for the damage having done everything right and nothing at all wrong, then we fight for the money and last but not least we lose a customer who has been a good payer in the past and always looked after the machines...

Who'd be in the hire business?   

Monday 8 July 2013

Specialist products or mainstream equipment...

Spiderlift access platforms are more common in the market place than they have ever been. Whilst many powered access platform providers have gone down the path of having these machines in their fleet, others have found to their cost that mixing 'specialist' platforms with booms and scissors can be a recipe for disaster...

As spiderlifts have become increasingly popular more and more providers have requests for them. At first glance it looks very appealing to have them in the fleet but when they sit around for a while the premium rates that they hoped to get look less attractive due to the low utilisation and this causes hire desks to use the technique so often adopted when machinery stands idle. They drop the rates just to get it out. This is despite the cost and complexity of hiring out this type of access platform.

Now we have made it a mainstream product. In the eyes of the customer its a narrow, lightweight boom with outriggers. Maybe you also transported it cheaply as well. These two components lead to problems. The machines get treated less well by both customer and hirer alike, delivery is without a proper familiarisation, operators have problems using them and this leads to frustration on all sides. Before you know it customers are unhappy, leading them to not wanting to pay and hirers and their staff start to treat the machines as more of a nuisance factor.

As the market matures what will transpire is that prices will be pushed down, service levels will drop, equipment will deteriorate, and the return on investment will be eroded. This will make mainstream hirers think again whether to incorporate spiderlifts into their business. Only time will tell...      

Tuesday 2 July 2013

H&S when working with MEWPs onsite

So here's a great example of how it should be done... But why do contractors onsite (and I'm not just talking about small companies or one man bands...) struggle to get it right when working with MEWPs onsite?


The story surrounding this job can be found on our News Page, but let's have a look at the Health & Safety implications of this job.

You want to change LED lighting panels in one of the busiest railway stations in central London. You need a machine which will give you a lot of outreach at a low level over an escalator. You talk to a hire company and they survey and recommend a tracked spiderlift. Prices are good, you book the machine. What next?

How do you fulfil your Health and Safety responsibilities? Who are you responsible for? What happens if someone gets stuck in the machine?

First steps are to complete a risk assessment. There are some good templates on the web - not least on the HSE website where there is an interactive tool which results in a printable risk assessment. If you're ever in doubt, it can be a good idea to work with an external consultant - we use Sigerson Associates. We can't all be experts at every aspect of running a business; so outsource those areas you know are a weakness for you.

Your risk assessment should highlight any areas where you need to take action to protect your employees, the public, yourself and anyone else who may come into contact with your work or work area. In this example the contractor identified that his employees did not have the required training or experience required to operate the spiderlift. Hiring an IPAF qualified operator from Higher Access resolved this issue - and gave the contractor one less thing to worry about, especially as he was working in tight confines above an escalator.

Next, what about a competent person to be on the ground in case of emergency? Along comes Higher Access operator, number two!

So what if the machine breaks down or fails? Well, your banksman is now in place so he can use the emergency procedures (from the Operators Manual) to lower the machine safely to rescue the operator in the cage. But now your machine is stuck in the middle of Kings Cross Station and has to be out of the way of the public by 4am.... Emergency breakdown cover - with a dedicated number for an engineer on call - can be provided for instances such as this.

One of the most essential factors when working with MEWPs onsite is to ensure ground conditions are safe and able to support the machine's weight and loadings. The contractor obtained the safe loadings for the floors the machine was to drive and set up on, then worked with Higher Access to ensure these were not exceeded. The use of 600mm square nylon spreader pads helped to reduce the outrigger point loads to this end. We can supply spreader pads with all our machines as we believe they are crucial when working with spiders - the importance of this cannot be underestimated.

The contractor also needed to ensure that no unauthorised persons entered the work area. A fairly simple task in this instance as the machine was working in pedestrian areas. Cones and pedestrian barriers were utilised to create a safe margin around the machine; the banksman also kept an eye out!

There are of course many factors individual to each job which need to be taken into account on a case-by-case basis, we've highlighted just a few.

As it was, the job ran smoothly with no emergencies or breakdowns and all work was completed... but if it hadn't the contractor had already ensured all contingencies were in place.

What's that phrase someone reminded me of earlier? Perfect planning prevents.... poor performance!!!

Monday 1 July 2013

Welcome to our new blog!

Welcome to Higher Access' new blog!

We already have a Website, Facebook page, Twitter feed, Google+ page, Youtube channel.... So why now a blog too?

Well, none of those other sites are the best place for us to give our opinion on.... anything really! They're great for us to show you what we're up to and as a source of (really useful!) information, but there's a lot going on in and around the powered access industry and we'd like to have our say!

There will be plenty coming over the course of the next few days and weeks, we hope you'll join us, maybe even subscribe to our blog or follow one or two of our other social media pages!