MAST-GUIDED EQUIPMENT
18
ACCESS, LIFT & HANDLERS
JULY-AUGUST 2014
“This area is improving weekly and deliveries
are following that trend,” Lainé says. “With the
recovery of the economy, several residential
and condominium projects are springing up
out of the ground and are asking for that kind
of access equipment. Another demand slightly
emerges; the need for small industrial lifts to be
installed permanently on structures such as silos
structures and containment tanks. Fraco has
started to adapt these lifts to comply in certain
situations with explosion proof requirements.”
However, with increased interest in mast-
guided access equipment, the greatest
challenge is worker safety.
Training and safety
“Training and the availability of training is big
for mast climbing work platforms,” says Gordon.
“There are lots of users of these systems
however, not enough are properly trained.”
As contractors evolve into efficiency experts
and understand the value that motorized
equipment plays in effective site logistics, work
management and overall productivity, reliable
equipment and service providers are involved
much earlier in the process than ever before as
a partner in on-time project completion. Hand-
in-hand with that is training and worker safety.
“My understanding of incidents while using
MCWP is due to lack of training,” says Gordon.
“Working with our customers and speaking with
people in the field, there are a lot of users of the
equipment, but they are unsure of what their
responsibilities are as a user. They are not sure
what training their employees are required to
have and therefore result in the users not having
the necessary training.”
Regulations and misconceptions of the use
of transport platforms have long been noticed,
Scaffold and Access Industry Association (SAIA)
O’Shea has worked endlessly to bring training
and safety to the forefront of the industry, and
with IPAF, Hydro Mobile will move forward
with a mast climbing work platform safety and
training program. The company has developed
a dedicated structure called Hydro Mobile
University that dispenses training programs and
certifications. Training is available through Hydro
Mobile or distributors.
“Our emphasis on training is one of the key
factors in increasing our clients’ efficiency,”
says Daigle. “With Hydro Mobile University, our
clients can come and get accustomed to using
the platforms they have purchased even before
the platforms have been delivered. And our
after-sales service is unrivalled.”
As these products continue to gain acceptance
in the field, will traditional scaffolding ever be
replaced by powered access? No, most say.
Keeping with tradition
“There is a reason traditional scaffolding is
still around; there are times when it is the best
solution,” says Baumgatner. “Safway project
managers, engineers and industry specialists
are trained to identify the right solution for each
application and consider work process as the
key influence in decision-making.”
Mast climbing work platforms offer nice
efficiencies in multi-trade applications and
occupied space projects. Height and other site
conditions will influence the optimal mix of
vertical access products that can be suggested.
Using a mast climber is effective when the
work process can adapt to its vertical path.
Gordon with Klimer says when choosing
whether to use traditional tube and clamp
scaffolding or a mast-guided piece of
equipment, the first question asked should
be, “Can the work be completed safely and
effectively from the perspective form of
access?”
Once this question has been considered it’s
people agree. It is not clear to the users who
exactly is regulating the usage, whether it be
OSHA, the department of labor, etc., so, in turn,
it becomes confusing for the user and rather
than using the transport platform and risking
fines, they might go with another option where
the jurisdiction is more clear.
Lainé says Fraco has added some functionality
to its website that has allowed it to see an
unexpected interest and concern for training
card deliveries.
“Owners and users of Fraco products are
contacting our training service to be sure that
their cards are valid, for cards renewal and to
set appointment for additional training,” Lainé
says. “Also, we have a lot of questions about
safe use of Fraco equipment on jobsites.”
Hydro-Mobile, which is an International
Powered Access Federation (IPAF) member and
training center, has one of the nation’s most
well-known safety and training directors, Kevin
O’Shea.
The International Powered Access Federation
(IPAF) is a non-profit industry organization
made up of member companies from over 45
countries. IPAF is concerned with promoting
the safe and effective use of powered access
equipment, namely boom lifts, scissor lifts and
mast climbers. A PAL card (Powered Access
License), part of the IPAF training program, is a
marque of quality training worldwide in which
over 100,000 cards are issued annually. The
courses are also used to provide awareness
training for U.S. government health and safety
inspectors (OSHA) and have been adopted by the
Fraco SEH Series
fully galvanized and
stainless steel.
Safway is currently preparing for the
commercial sector rebound and it is making
investments across sectors.
