Latest info in the industry for Safety Lifting Equipment

22Jul2016

Failure to use Fall Arrest Systems Leads to Another Fatality and Conviction

robin health & safety

A few days ago, SHP published a court review, regarding the recent sentencing of a negligent site manager. This case related to a fatality which occurred in January last year, where 40 year old window fitter Tasadaq Ur-Rehman fell through a skylight, suffering serious head injuries.

On investigation, it was revealed that site manager Faruk Patel had completely neglected height safety procedures, and had continued to do so even after the fatality took place. Although HSE had issued a prohibition for work at height to be suspended, they later found evidence that it had continued under the disregardful management of Mr Patel.

During the investigation, it soon became clear that the manager's neglectful attitude to safety extended beyond the events which led to his worker's death, and included:

A failure to provide scaffolding and proper fall arrest systems for the job being undertaken.
Overseeing an unsafe working environment where suitable handling equipment was not being used, and the existing equipment was being misused, and had not been secured properly.
A failure to follow the most basic of health and safety measures, such as providing suitable PPE, making potential hazards clear with safety signs, and ensuring that a member of the team was first aid qualified.

As a result, Mr Patel was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for manslaughter by gross negligence, as well as eight months for health and safety offences, which seems like something of a small price to pay in relation to the needless loss of life caused by his lack of care. The aspect which most shocks us about this case, is the sheer scale of his indifference and incompetence, which makes it something of a miracle that no further injuries or fatalities were caused.

Another baffling yet all-too familiar aspect of this case, was the manager's ignorant and misinformed view of his responsibility, as Mr Patel openly expressed his opinion that each individual was responsible for their own safety. While it may be true that a safe workplace requires it's workers to employ safe working practices, it is first and foremost, the responsibility of those in charge to provide them with the tools to do this. Mr Patel was responsible for providing his workers with the training, knowledge and equipment needed to work safely, but it's startlingly clear that he failed miserably on all counts.

If you're an employer/manager who one day finds themselves in a similar situation, your ignorance will not provide you with a valid excuse, and will not pardon your actions (or lack of). If you oversee operations at height, you have a duty to provide fall arrest systems and personal protective equipment for your workers, in order to eliminate the potential dangers posed by working at height. If you aren't sure about what your operation needs, then make sure that you reach out to the professionals for advice, as there is no doubt that you will be held accountable if and when something goes wrong.

If you need advice on choosing the correct fall arrest equipment, please get in touch with the SafetyLiftinGear team, so that we are able to help you avoid choosing the wrong product, or failing to prepare for the demands of your job!

15Jul2016

Expedition 5: Crossing the World's Largest Islands Using PETZL and G-Force Products

mike general news

Anthony Lambert and Louis Nethercott are two former Royal Marine Commandos who are aiming to set a new world record by traversing Earth's five largest islands (Borneo, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar, Greenland, and Baffin Island) on foot. They're calling this endeavour Expedition 5, as you can probably imagine, it's an absolutely mammoth undertaking that will demand a lot of careful planning, a lot of strength and determination, and - crucially - a good deal of expedition equipment and safety gear.

And that's where we at SafetyLifitnGear come in.

We're pleased to announce that our PETZL products will be among the items Anthony and Louis use to achieve their lofty goal. PETZL, as we've mentioned previously, are a French company specialising in high-quality fall protection and rope access equipment - their extensive product range includes:

Fall arrest harnesses
Safety helmets
Headtorches
Karabiners
Self-braking descenders

Click here to see our full range of PETZL products >

Everyone here at SafetyLiftinGear is proud to be behind such an ambitious, inspirational endeavour as Expedition 5, and we are confident that Anthony and Louis will succeed, especially given the calibre of the equipment they're using! PETZL products are synonymous with sturdiness and reliability; each and every item is manufactured to exacting standards, making the company's range a superb choice for challenging environments such as those included in Expedition 5. The two men will also be using a variety of SafetyLiftinGear's own G-Force products, which are of an exceptionally high quality as well.

Useful Links:

Expedition 5's Official Facebook Page
@Expeditionfive on Twitter
Donate to Expedition 5 (all donations will be put towards the expedition's expenses; any money left over will be donated to Help for Heroes and The Royal Marines Charity)

13Jul2016

Our Southampton Depot is Now Open!

robin general news

If you live or work in Southampton or the surrounding area, you'll be pleased to know that this is our newest depot location!

Whether you own a local business that requires lifting and material handling gear, or if you're carrying out temporary operations in the area, which calls for the use of locally hired equipment, we have everything you could possibly need - all stored in a convenient location at great prices! Whatever the demands of your job may be, big or small, our friendly team will be able to find the deal that's best for you.

Best of all, our new Southampton location will also be part of our convenient click and collect system, which means that you'll be able to order all your required items online, to be picked up from your nearest depot.

Some of the equipment we supply includes:

Height Safety

*Harnesses

*Fall Arrest Blocks

*Roof Anchor Systems

Lifting and Rigging

*Chainblocks

*Leverhoists

*Webbing Slings

Material Handling

*Pallet Trucks

*Platform Tables

Sack Trucks

and more!

If you're looking to buy or hire our high-quality site equipment in Southampton, you can get in touch by calling 0800 860 69 69. If you'd like to visit our depot, you can find us here:

Unit 4 Southampton Trade Park,

Third Avenue,

Southampton

SO15 OAD

11Jul2016

Huge Savings on Height Safety Equipment

adam products

Clearance Sale: Order Now While Stocks Last!

If you're looking for a great deal, then you're in luck! We've reduced the prices of a huge selection of Height Safety Equipment and even though these products are hugely popular, there's still time for you to place your order! Here are a few of the items currently on offer here at SafetyLiftinGear:

Restraint Rope Lanyard
Harnesses
Hi-Viz Jacket
Shock Absorbing Lanyard
Hi-Viz Overall Harness

There is limited stock on these items so once they're gone, they're gone for good! Hurry and place your order now - all of these items can be found in our Height Safety Special Offers.

08Jul2016

Electric Wire Rope Hoists in Action!

mike general news

M-Build (a building and maintenance company based in Warwickshire) recently purchased an Electric Wire Rope Hoist from us and were extremely impressed with the lifting device. They loved how simple it made the task of lifting goods to the heights at which they operate.

We at SafetyLiftinGear sell a range of electric hoists, each with its own unique specifications and weight load limit, ensuring that any load can be lifted under any circumstances. Each electric wire hoist comes fully tested and certified, as well as coming with a 12 month warranty. All of our hoists are available both to buy and to hire.

If you're interested in purchasing a Wire Rope Hoist of your own, please click here.

01Jul2016

Electric Stacker Trucks: A New Addition to Our Range

mike products

We are pleased to announce that we have added a new electric stacker truck to the SafetyLifitnGear catalogue. These trucks are ideal for low-duty applications in warehouse environments, with automatic functionality that makes loading and stacking easier than ever before.

Here's everything you need to know about our new arrival:

1000kg Powered Electric Stacker

LoadSurfer ECL1029

Compact, lightweight 4-wheel design
Superb stability
Sideways tiller
Automatic lift cut-off function extends battery life
Includes built-in charger
Weight load limit: 1000kg
Lifting height: 2840mm

Buy or hire now >

We are among the UK's leading suppliers of high-quality lifting and handling products. Please visit our Material Handling Equipment department to browse our full material handling range, or call 0808 123 69 69 if you have any questions for our customer service team.

30Jun2016

Working at Height: Unsafe Practices Can Lead to Severe Injuries

mike health & safety

It's easy to underestimate just how dangerous working at height can be. Remember, 'working at height' doesn't always mean standing on top of a skyscraper; the UK Health & Safety Executive defines it as "work carried out in any place where a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury". Whether you're standing on a scaffold or an upturned box, if there's a chance you could fall and hurt yourself then it counts as working at height.

And when you're working at height, it's crucial to take the appropriate height safety measures. Again, it's easy to underestimate the measures that might be required - everybody knows that you need some sort of fall prevention system in place when you're working on a rooftop, but people are often perfectly happy to use, say, a stepladder without considering whether or not it's safe to do so.

But just as some lucky people have fallen from great heights and emerged relatively unscathed, many people have fallen off stepladders and ended up badly hurt. Earlier this month, The Construction Index published a story about two BT employees, both of whom fell from stepladders while at work and suffered injuries of varying severity. The first man lost his senses of smell and taste; the second was left with long term memory problems, partial vision loss, and multiple fractures to his skull and spine. These two incidents occurred within hours of one another; BT eventually pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches and ended up paying a fine of £600,000 (plus costs of £60,000).

This unfortunate story deftly illustrates the importance of height safety measures. Never assume that you/your workers will be safe because 'it's not that high' - be sure to assess the risks properly and take any measures necessary to minimise the risk of an accident.

Click here to browse SafetyLiftinGear's full range of height safety equipment.