All Safety & training Articles

A comprehensive new guide designed to increase tower crane safety has been launched in the UK. The Maintenance, Inspection and Through Examination of Tower Cranes is the latest best practice guide from the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) and was produced in partnership with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

First quarter sales of the Fire Rescue business of US company, Federal Signal, which now comprises solely of Bronto truck mounted, articulated aerial devices, rose 18% to $24 million.

A new 2-year campaign by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work could help reduce accidents and fatalities in the construction industry by promoting and demystifying ‘risk assessment.’ FIEC will play an active part in the campaign

With safety a central concern for crane users and manufacturers, Euan Youdale raises some of the issues faced by the industry

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) there were 77 fatalities in the UK construction industry between 2006 and 2007, a 28% increase on the previous year. Twenty-three (30%) of those were due to falls from height and 16 (21%) were caused by a moving or falling object. This amounted to 3.7 fatal injuries per 100,000 workers, up from 3 per 100,000 in the 2005 to 2006 period.

A series of accidents have put the safety of tower cranes in the UK under the spotlight. The industry has responded with a series of initiatives designed to put its house in order. Phil Bishop reports

As the landscape changes in the crane industry so the legislation governing it needs to reflect implications of these changes and evolve where necessary. A good example is the State of Queensland, Australia. Brent Stacey reports

CM Labs in Canada has designed a range of state-of-the- art crane simulators for the Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario (OETIO). Euan Youdale spoke to the company's CEO, Robert Weldon, about the future of simulator training for the crane market

Maritime terminal operator DP World's UAE unit has installed a simulator at the Jebel Ali port to train operators using its giant tandem lift cranes.

Neil England, business performance manager at ConstructionSkills in the UK, talks about its new Plant Manager Safety Training Scheme, and why training is everybody's business.

Gerry Hughes, executive director at the Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario (OETIO), reports on Canada's comprehensive training requirements and how his organisation is meeting those needs

Can wireless remote controls be easier and safer for you to operate on site? ALH reports

With notable projects such as the White House and Capitol Hill, Millstone Cos continues to grow as one of the largest scaffold and access contractors in the US. John Wyatt talks to its president John Miller in Upper Marlboro, MD

The planning and care that goes into scuba diving presents some valuable lessons for how we should approach working at height. Dave White, president with MEC Aerial Platforms – and a keen scuba diver – explains.

IPAF has been promoting the safe use of powered access equipment for 25 years, Maria Hadlow reports its progress and the journey ahead.

Is the access industry doing enough to attract the talented engineers it needs to sustain competitive advantage? Paul Adorian managing director of Powered Access Certification Ltd (PAC) challenges the market to invest in the future.

US fall protection equipment manufacturer, MSA, has a "Need it NOW!" delivery program designed to get products to customers in a hurry.

Skyjack and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are partners in a multi–year study using computer simulation to better understand safety issues of scissor platforms. Central to the effort is mathematically modeling the behavior of a 19–foot working height scissor platform under a variety of working conditions. Researchers will use the model to predict real–world behavior.

The world's biggest owner of aerial platforms, United Rentals, has modified its position on the wearing of full body harnesses when using scissor platforms, senior risk control manager Kevin Hernon (pictured right) tells ALH.