Australasian Mine Safety is the leading voice for all key decision makers within Mining company's and major contractors. Delivering the latest industry news as it breaks.
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120 The Australasian Mine Safety Journal Summer 2011/12 LIFTING SAFETY Mobile Fall Protection for Heavy Machinery and Plant Equipment Products for safe working at heights have developed signifi cantly in leaps and bounds over the last seven to 10 years in the Australian market and rightfully so. Every worker who is exposed to working at heights on a daily basis through the course of their job deserves the highest level of fall protection available in the market today. H owever in recent times most innovations have come in the way of improved safety harnesses, fall arrest lanyards and ancillary products. But there is still a plethora of tasks conducted in industry today, and working at heights within the mining industry is a prime example where it is very diffi cult to provide economical fall protection for workers, especially when they are located in the fi eld some distance away from central depots or maintenance workshops. Within the mining operations around Australia, every minute that the equipment in the fi eld is not working or in operation is costing the company literally thousands of dollars in lost productions. These losses are usually never recaptured. Workers' safety is of the upmost importance within these dangerous work environments and whilst they have available at their disposable the latest innovative harnesses, lanyards and fall arrest blocks, what these products attach to in many cases in the fi eld can be undesirable and in many cases render the whole systems dangerous. A practical solution for this issue of a 'safe' anchor point or attachment point has eluded fall protection designers for years till now. Beaver Technology Services (BTS) now offers to the mining operators and their contractors a complete fall protection solution for in-fi eld service of heavy machinery and plant equipment including working on off-road trucks, loaders, dozers, fl at deck trailers to name just a few with a practical solution for safely working at heights that allows for 100% on the ground hook-up utilising their NEW range of Mobile Free Standing Fall Protection System (MFSFPS). Designed with the workers' safety foremost in mind, the BTS range of Mobile Free Standing Fall Protection System (MFSFPS) are ideal solutions for any applications where an overhead fall protection is required but the overhead location is unreachable or does not exist. The range provides an inexpensive yet safe solution to fall protection needs for various mining companies and their contractors that require temporary fall protection to carry out their daily requirements. BTS's range of Mobile Free Standing Fall Protection System (MFSFPS) is available in many diverse confi gurations including Quad Frames; Access Stair Systems; A-Frame; Horizontal Rail System & Service Trailer Mounted Frames. Users will appreciate the option of customising any of the range of structures available for their own specifi c site requirements of having either a fi xed height structure for a specifi c application or having the fl exibility of an adjustable height structure that can be used in many applications on site. Standard Horizontal Rail units can have a reach of up to 8.4 metres in height with horizontal spans of up to 7 metres. Custom widths and heights are also available across the range to suit specifi c site requirements. The structures are designed to safely accommodate two workers as standard but can be modifi ed to take additional workers if required. Safe access and egress on equipment is done safely with the workers attaching themselves onto the structure via their harness and fall arrest block whilst remaining on the ground. Optional access stairs can be incorporated in most structures to provide a stable stepping platform onto the equipment. All the structures are made out of lightweight aluminum and powder-coated steel which allows all structures to be easily transportable and can even be moved by hand around the site. Optional attachments such as tow-hitch mount for mounting onto forklifts or service vehicles further increases the mobility on site. Other optional inclusions to assist workers in their daily work activities included Hydraulic, Manual, Electric or Petrol Pumps for vertical height adjustment. Six different types of wheel options allow further ease of movement by hand, and service trailer mounts that allow the fall arrest equipment to be towed behind a fi eld service vehicle. For more information on BTS range of Mobile Free Standing Fall Protection System (MFSFPS) contact Beaver Technology Services on +61 2 8811 3500 or sales@beavergrp.com.au. Beaver Technology Services (BTS) is a leading designer, manufacturer and supplier of innovative products for safe working at heights and in confi ned spaces. Log onto www.beavergrp.com.au for a complete range of products. BEAVER TECHNOLOGY SERVICES