Laing O’Rourke’s Select Plant Hire arm is trialling a hoist on one of its tower cranes in London to help boost safety for drivers and reduce their fatigue levels.
The firm has installed a hoist-based lift on Laing O’Rourke’s Soho Place site in London to help operators get down from the cab more quickly and safely when they need to, as well as letting support crews gain access faster in the event of an emergency.
Select also has a demonstration unit running at its facility in St Neots, Cambridgeshire.
The lifts will be installed in 12 more locations in the next three to six months as crane erections occur. Select currently has a fleet of 20 lifts with plans to increase them to 50 over the next 12 months.
Darren Twelvetree, senior plant manager at Select Plant Hire, who manages and co-ordinates hoist activities for the firm said: “Most crane operators go to work by climbing the tower crane sections. That increases the level of fatigue. Relief driver changeovers and rest breaks are very key to the operators.”
Operator Casey Elsby added: “When you are up there, you think what if something did happen to me up the crane? How quickly would I be taken down. With the hoists being installed it puts me at ease.”
