When it comes to a company’s most valuable assets, there’s no doubt they’re the employees. Business success and growth is directly related to the happiness and productivity of workers, so if you care about ensuring the future of your company, you’d have to include this among your primary considerations.
In short, you can fail-proof your business if you take your employee’s safety and well-being into consideration. Besides investing in suitable insurance coverage, this includes paying attention to acquiring adequate bits of machinery, as well as making sure there’s training on their proper usage, cleaning, and maintenance.
Such is the case particularly with access equipment in the example of practical industrial ladders and crane platform cages suitable for conveying personnel. Since there’s a vast range of designs and constructions from various materials, plus the need to handle each with utmost safety and caution because of the greater risk of harm, you should carefully look through the options before making the final purchasing decision.
Types of Material and Personnel Lifting Equipment
In workplaces where there isn’t high-level storage, there’s no requirement for any particularly complex machinery, other than the regular step stools and ladders. The few differences between these two are related to the sturdiness and size, the ladders being created for more rigorous jobs and withstanding heavier impact than the light tasks of the steps.
Now, when dealing with bulkier and more awkward shaped equipment in the industrial warehousing settings, or working in more demanding work environments, such as mining, building and construction sites, then the reliable industrial ladders and step stools might not prove to be handy enough. Not quite like the specialised heavy-duty crane platform cages.
There are different types of these cages, designed for the different types of goods they can carry, as well as people, ranging from models that accommodate one person, all the way up to eight. Some of the common names you can find them as include forklift cage, personnel cage, workbox, and workbox crane among others.
Depending on the applications you require them for, you can find them with several features, in the likes of doors, roofs, as well as mesh sides. What’s important to understand is crane cages are meant to be used with heavy-duty and small cranes alike, though they can also be transported with forklifts, which isn’t the case with the forklift cages since they aren’t designed to be lifted at extreme heights like their counterparts.
When choosing either of these convenient types of work platforms you’d need to set safety as your priority. To be able to do so, you’d have to pay attention to several things that we’re going to elaborate on.
Things to Consider When Shopping for Material and Personnel Lifting Equipment
As mentioned, there are different designs, hence the necessity to take your specific work needs into account. You can start by focusing on certain aspects like:
The Features
Based on the goods you’re transporting, you ought to have in mind whether or not you prefer cages with mesh screens on all sides. Certain bulky items in long and awkward shapes are best stored and transported with cages that have only one side covered, same as those transported at ground and mezzanine levels. Whereas smaller items require mesh protection for safe handling – including a roof.
If the case is with lifting personnel, then these safety features (plus internal handrails) are a must for carrying out special tasks of short duration – especially in instances where it’s not that practical to assemble scaffolds. For transport purposes, some stores even offer integrated fork arm slippers. Assess your operations, consult the professionals, suppliers, manufactures, and staff using the equipment, and you’d count on a wise decision!
The Capacity
Same as with the choices of industrial ladders and stools, even if you pick the most advanced designs with optimal features that still doesn’t guarantee safety. Not unless you also include capacity among your priorities. That’s why there are different options suitable for different weight loads.
No matter whether you carry out the shopping in person, or look for online offers, it’s impossible to leave out this crucial consideration. If you intend to use the cages on more occasions and would benefit in the future from a type adequate for more than one person as the current requirement, then perhaps it’s best to think in advance and purchase the option with the bigger capacity. The same can be said about cages that transport goods.
The Safety Standards
Regardless of which type of elevated work platform you decide to buy, you can’t forget to check the safety standards either. Each of the designs should be created based on the adequate strict Australian standards and supplied with product certification.
When in doubt about certain aspects, talk to professionals, and check for in-house testing on the equipment pieces where you choose to buy them from. In addition, it’s advisable to research the regulatory requirements based on the activities and location where you intend to do the lifting, hoisting, and lowering of the heavy loads using the equipment. If added safety is needed, consider the use of fall protection harnesses, and PPE in the form of helmets and safety work boots.
The Training and Maintenance
Since these industrial lifting platform workpieces are meant to operate at heights, sometimes to the extreme, it’s necessary to handle them with caution. Besides ensuring proper training of staff and everyone who would get to operate them, it’s essential to take regular checks and maintenance seriously. The thorough inspection of a six-month period should be boosted by pre-use and after-use inspections to make sure everything is in order.
Benefits of Material and Personnel Lifting Equipment
Once you purchase this equipment, you can rest assured it’s a wise long-term investment because of all the benefits it would offer for your business. Some of the most basic advantages you’d get to experience immediately after introducing the lifting crane and forklift cages range from improved use of the workspace to improved employee safety.
Greater productivity and efficiency, as well as lower costs and waste aren’t far behind. This should clear any doubt you might be having as to whether it’s a wise idea to make this financial move.
