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ACCESS
in
ACTION | FEBRUARY 2014
ACCESS in ACTION
The Strategic Forum for Construction
Plant Safety Group (SFPSG) sub-group
for Mobile Elevating Work Platforms
(MEWPs) in the UK has unanimously
agreed to change the terminology used for
additional equipment or device(s) which
can be fitted to a MEWP in order to reduce
the risk of overhead crushing injury, from
‘anti-entrapment’ to ‘secondary guarding’
devices.
The group agreed with the proposal
prepared by IPAF’s Technical Officer, Chris
Wraith which stated: all MEWPs are safe
by design and are fitted as standard with
a function enable device which provides
primary guarding system; additional
equipment or device(s) which can be fitted
to a MEWP in order to reduce the risk of
overhead crushing injury offer secondary
protection and should not replace good
practice by management and the operator;
‘anti-entrapment’ devices do not prevent
entrapment – they offer a secondary
guarding option to assist management
in reducing the risk of serious injury from
overhead hazards. Therefore the term
‘anti-entrapment’ is incorrect and the term
‘secondary guarding’ should be adopted by
the industry.
Kevin Minton, CPA Director and Chair
of the SFPSG MEWPs group, said: “The
unanimous decision of this group, who
represent all the key industry stakeholders,
demonstrates how important this change
to more accurate terminology is.
“The aim of the group is to agree on
how to ensure the safe use of MEWPs
in construction and we hope re-naming
will make it clearer for managers and
operators on site.”
Chris Wraith, IPAF’s Technical Officer
said: “The term anti-entrapment implies
the use of these devices will prevent
entrapment, even though it is recognised
there is no single solution to prevent
overhead crushing incidents from
occurring.
“A reduction in serious incidents will
only come about by the combined efforts
of operators, site management, hire
companies and manufacturers working
towards improvements and this renaming
is a step in this direction. ‘Secondary
guarding’ is a much more accurate
terminology based on sound reasoning
that describes this equipment and devices
for what they are.”
The Strategic Forum’s advice on how to
‘Anti-entrapment’ terminology to change
to ‘secondary guarding’
North American telehandler
manufacturer Xtreme Manufacturing,
LLC (Xtreme) has signed an agreement
for the staged acquisition of aerial lift
manufacturer Snorkel from its UK owner,
The Tanfield Group.
Under the terms of the deal, Xtreme
has acquired an initial 51% stake in a new
company, Snorkel International Holdings
(Snorkel), in exchange for agreeing to
cause up to $50 million to be provided
to Snorkel for working capital purposes
and for other consideration. Tanfield has
acquired 49% of the new company in
exchange for contributing all of the assets
of its Snorkel business division.
Don Ahern, owner of Xtreme
Manufacturing and Ahern Rentals, said:
“Snorkel was founded in the USA and has
a long, proud history in America. This is a
strong brand, with an excellent product
range and superb global distribution
capabilities, making it a great fit
with Xtreme. With the right strategic
investment, Snorkel will regain its rightful
position as a major player in the aerial lift
market.
“We have a large number of Snorkel
products in our own rental fleet at
Ahern Rentals, as do many other
independent rental companies. It is my
desire to provide world-class aftermarket
New ownership & investment for
Snorkel
support and restore Snorkel’s leadership
in product development. Snorkel is an
esteemed brand which has, throughout its
long history, often been the standard of
the industry.”
Xtreme is a Nevada-based manufacturer
of telehandlers, also known as rough
terrain forklifts. These machines are
widely used for lifting materials in
the construction, mining, energy, and
agricultural sectors. This agreement will
enable Xtreme to make its full range of
products and services available outside of
the USA, in some cases marketed under
the Snorkel brand.
Ahern Rentals is one of the largest
companies in the US equipment rental
market and a longstanding customer
of Snorkel. Ahern Rentals plans to offer
direct sales of Snorkel machines and
replacement parts as well as service and
repair of Snorkel products from its 75
rental stores across 23 US states.
Shareholders in The Tanfield Group
voted in favour of the deal with Xtreme.
Under the agreement, all three of
Tanfield’s executive officers have joined
the Board of Snorkel International
Holdings, while also stepping down from
Tanfield’s Board of Directors.
Visit: www. snorkel.com.au
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prevent entrapment remains unchanged
and is summarised in its Best Practice
Guidance “Avoiding Trapping/
Crushing Injuries to People in
the Platform”. This is available
free from
or the Publications section of
The SFPSG MEWPs group
made is up of experts from
the industry including IPAF,
the CPA (Construction Plant-
Hire Association), UKCG,
manufacturers and users and
agreed to the change in their
second meeting held on 18
November 2013. The group
also agreed to endorse the
forthcoming UKCG MEWP
Toolkit publication.
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