Safety stats point to benefits of cranes
The latest statistics from the HSE, for the year ending April 2010, expose yet again the need to avoid manual handling and give more credence to calls for wider use of vehicle-mounted cranes and other load-handling devices. The figures show that, across all industries, 31% of all fatal, serious and over-three-day injuries during the last reporting year were related to manual handling. This represents 37,000 people whose lives have been directly affected.
In the road transport sector the story is even worse, with 38% of all reportable injuries related to manual handling. So, while handling- related injuries are significant in all industries, road transport has even more work to do to improve its safety record. The simplest and most effective way to reduce the risk of this type of injury is to eliminate the need for manual handling by changing the processes involved and providing employees with suitable load-handling equipment.
A recent trend in crane manufacture is to incorporate full hydraulic control for all but the lightest units. Hydraulic control of boom lifting and lowering as well as slewing and rotation helps ensure smooth and precise load handling with reduced risk of the sudden and unexpected movements that can cause accidents to users and bystanders. These features are now widely available on cranes with maximum working loads from 500kg upwards, such as the Penny Hydraulics FV500 and larger models.
The use of proportional controls, another recent innovation on smaller cranes, helps to ensure movements follow the amount the levers are depressed, which promotes greater precision and safety.
According to Penny Hydraulics, remote controls are also becoming more popular. These are especially useful from a safety point of view because they reduce the need for operators to climb on their vehicles. Instead, users stand well away from the vehicle and load when handling is in progress.
Two types of control are generally available. The first is attached to the crane by a length of cable known as a wander lead, while the second is a wireless device that provides the user with complete autonomy to stand in any position with the best all-round view of the working area. Both are offered as no-cost options on the range of Penny Hydraulics SwingLift cranes.
Another trend in crane design is to remove weight without compromising on performance and safety. During the last year or so, Penny Hydraulics have used in-house advanced CAD and finite element analysis tools to re-engineer their products to reduce weight through optimized design and the use of alternative materials to replace some steel components with lighter alloys.
Operators can now install one of these devices with reduced impact on the overall vehicle weight to leave more carrying capacity for improved operational flexibility and productivity. Although this helps with all types of vehicle, it is especially useful for those in the 3.5-7.5-tonne class where remaining within the overall weight and carrying capacity limits is always of concern to operators.
