Safety First quick hitches
WITH a number of safety alerts already having been issued by the Health and Safety Executive in connection with quick hitches, Northern Ireland-based Hill Engineering Ltd say it seems likely that legislation will be tightened and new directives applied, which could result in the banning of certain types of quick hitches.
Tragically, there have been four fatalities in the past year alone due to excavator buckets or other attachments becoming accidentally detached from quick-hitch devices. The HSE’s investigations have largely centred upon failure by operators to follow set operating procedures; more specifically, the requirement to manually insert a safety pin when using semi-automatic hitches.
Hill Engineering say they can offer a potential solution to this problem with their ‘Safety First’ Auto-Loc quick-hitch, which allows the operator to visually confirm from the excavator cab that the bucket or other attachment is securely locked in position.
Hill say the Auto-Loc not only fully complies with existing British safety standards, but also meets imminent new European legislation. In particular, the device conforms to BS EN 474.5:1996, which states that ‘it shall be possible to verify the locked position of the attachment bracket and the attachment from the operator’s position, or from the location where the locking control is operated.’
As the Auto-Loc is fully automatic in its operation, there is no requirement for the operator to leave the cab to remove or insert safety pins when changing from one attachment to another. This, say Hill, eliminates the risk of the safety pin being inserted incorrectly or not being inserted at all.
Moreover, the Auto-Loc’s innovative design is said to go beyond the British Standard by ensuring that attachments can only be released when the boom is in a safe working position. Additional features include a check-valve fitted to the ram and a certified lifting eye as standard, as well as the option to fit a non-removable safety pin as an extra safety feature.
Hill Engineering also produce a range of excavator buckets fabricated from heavy-duty steel and featuring a box beam for increased strength, allowing them to offer a complete package of hitches and buckets, including equipment tailored to suit specific requirements.
