The Genie operator protective structure (OPS) and the Genie operator protective alarm (OPA) provide a choice between a mechanical system or an electrical system, with both being able to be configured according to different applications and worksite conditions.
“The Genie OPS is an optional device that can be installed on articulating or telescopic boom lifts, and provides secondary protection for operators in the event of contact with an overhead obstacle,” says Ed Richardson,
Youngman Richardson & Co sales and marketing director. “The big advantage of the
OPS system for the hire industry or those companies with boom lift fleets is that it can be transferred from one platform to another.”
PROTECTION FOR THE OPERATOR
The Genie OPS can be attached to most boom lifts with 1.83–2.44 m platforms and gives excellent visibility for a variety of worksite conditions. The tubular steel structure is designed to transfer the kinetic energy into surrounding structures while maintaining a protected area for the operator. The Genie OPS weighs 16 kg and is bolted on to the boom lift’s platform with no modifications needed.
On the other hand, the Genie OPA is designed to be unobtrusive to operators and features a pressure-sensitive horizontal bar that is fitted around waist height below the boom lift’s control panel.
“The Genie OPA is designed to alert ground personnel when an operator makes contact with the platform control panel,” says Ed
Richardson. “The OPA interrupts boom movement, sounds an alarm and causes a light to flash when excessive pressure is applied to the sensing bar.” yrco.co.nz
The Genie operator protective structure (OPS) can be installed on any articulating or telescopic boom lift and provides secondary protection for operators in the event of contact with an overhead obstacle
A change in legislation will require that everyone that operates an EWP must be deemed competent, and training is preferred
– if not required as compulsory – in order to operate an EWP on a site. Training is to be obtained from the NZQA unit standard.
Total Access managing director Vicki
Chambers says EWP operator training increases confidence and gives awareness of possible hazards that would likely be missed
Total Access puts some trainees through their paces on an elevated work platform (EWP) operator training course prior to training. “As the industry steadily raises its health and safety standards, more companies are insisting on contractors having a recognised qualification such as the NZQA unit standard.”
Ms Chambers says her company has observed an increase in the numbers of personnel undertaking EWP operator training courses. “There has been a steady rise, and we’re now running courses three to four times a week and even on Saturdays. Many construction companies won’t allow workers to use an
EWP on their site unless the operator holds a licence, so the rush is on before the new law comes into effect,” she says.
“If you are an employer, it is your obligation to ensure that your EWP operators are adequately trained. Giving your team professional EWP training is part of taking all practicable steps to ensure employee safety while working at heights.”
CORE REQUIREMENTS OF COMPETENCY
The NZQA unit standards course is a nationally accepted level of EWP training, and the units are registered on the NZQA qualification register for each trainee. The standards define the core requirements of competency, and the moderation process ensures that this content is properly delivered.
“This is the highest standard of EWP training available in New Zealand and the qualification is accepted by all employers and companies nationwide, and does not need repeating,” Ms
Chambers says. “The course ensures that operators have the experience and knowledge to be confident and safe when using elevated work platforms.”
And failing the course isn’t an option, she adds. “I think there is fear amongst some employers that their younger trainees may fail the course, but this just isn’t true. In the unlikely event that the trainer feels the trainee is not quite ready to receive their NZQA standards on the day, we help them gain the extra experience they require and then re-assess them a few weeks later.”
All training programmes and procedures are approved by HIANZ (Hire Industry Association of New Zealand), EWPA (Elevated Work
Platform Association), WorkSafe New Zealand and NZOSH (New Zealand Occupational Health
& Safety) and are held at Total Access’s branches in Auckland, Waikato and Wellington.
Onsite courses can also be arranged if required.
totalaccess.co.nz
Total Access has moved its Waikato branch to new premises at 789 Te Rapa Road, Hamilton. The move to the new building is to accommodate the company’s growth in the Waikato region, with more equipment now available for hire and future expansion plans. The new building will also provide more room for the organisation to operate. The company’s popular EWP training programmes are also available at the new Waikato branch.
Total Access has also appointed a new business development manager, Cherie Brown.
Based in Auckland, Cherie will be focused on business development for Total Access, particularly their larger corporate accounts.
The construction and engineering industry is known for being an unsafe industry in which to work. It provides employment for about 7% of the world’s workforce, but accounts for 30–40% of work-based fatalities. Despite improvements in safety performance in the industry, injuries and fatalities still occur frequently.
To address this, Professor Patrick Zou from
Swinburne University of Technology in
Melbourne and Dr Riza Sunindijo from the
University of New South Wales have written a research-based book, Strategic Safety
Management in Construction and Engineering which was launched in mid-July at Swinburne’s
Hawthorn campus.
The book takes a broad view of safety from a strategic decision-making and management perspective, with a focus on the need to integrate the science of safety management with the art of safety management.
Principles covered include the economics of safety, safety climate and culture, skills for safety, safety training and learning, safety in design, risk management, building information modelling, and safety research methods and the research-practice nexus.
These are integrated into a strategic safety management framework which comprises strategy development, implementation and evaluation.
APPLYING THE
PRINCIPLES IN PRACTICE
Techniques are included to apply the principles in the context of construction and engineering industry and projects, while case studies demonstrate the principles and techniques in practice.
“This book is suitable for a wide audience,” says executive dean of the Faculty of Science,
Engineering and Technology at Swinburne, Professor John Wilson. “It provides good strategy advice for the boardroom through to practical recommendations for site operations.”
John Morrison, director of Frontline
Coach, specialists in safety, accident and rework prevention, says: “There is a lot of safety training out there, but the question is how much learning is going on? This book is a vehicle to open up discussion around safety learning; it is an important anchor for our industry going forward.”
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Strategic
Safety Management in Construction and
Engineering is available from university bookshops and online booksellers.
August-September 2015 New Zealand Construction News
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