Hire and Rental News - November 2017

42 HIRE AND RENTAL NEWS • NOVEMBER 2017 Northline signed an extended rental arrangement for 135 Toyota forklifts and reach trucks which it will utilise at its nine warehouses and distribution centres around Australia. The bulk of the new fleet is made of up over 90 new Toyota 8FG25 2.5-tonne gas-powered counterbalance forklifts. “The 2.5-tonne 8-Series forklifts are well built and reliable and are the mainstay of our forklift fleet,” Craige Whitton, Northline’s Chief Executive Officer said. “We’ve never had a Toyota forklift down for a long period. In this industry we need to know our equipment will be ready to meet demand at peak periods and having a fleet of Toyota forklifts gives us the confidence we need.” Northline’s new Toyota fleet also includes more than 30 Toyota reach trucks and order picker forklifts plus four heavy-duty 15 to 20-tonne engine-powered forklifts. Toyota Material Handling Australia Corporate Account Manager Peter Lown said the decision to enter into another long-term arrangement with Toyota was testament to Northline’s trust in the strength of the Toyota brand. National freight company renews forklifts partnership Durability and reliability of its Toyota forklifts were key to the partnership renewal between national freight and logistics company, Northline with Toyota. Craige said the quality of service and strength of the support received from Toyota was a key factor in Northline renewing its relationship with Toyota. “If an issue arises we know a Toyota technician will be on site within a few hours, and if the problem can’t be fixed then and there a replacement forklift will be provided, so there’s no loss of productivity.” All Northline’s forklifts and reach trucks are serviced by factory- trained Toyota technicians at regular intervals. They also undergo a weekly ‘start-up’ check where minor problems are dealt with on site and potential future issues can be flagged for later attention. “The consistency that comes from the one technician visiting the same depot each time is a real benefit to us,” Craige said. Toyota’s I-Site online fleet management tool was another key factor in Northline’s decision to renew with Toyota. Craige said the Toyota I-Site technology fitted to its new fleet of Toyota forklifts and reach trucks offered greatly improved functionality and insights. “The Toyota I-Site software is fully integrated and all our managers have access to it,” he said. “We have downloaded the mobile app that provides alerts and reports – it’s very user friendly and makes the task of managing a large fleet of forklifts easier.” Contact:1800 425 438 or visit website: www.toyotamaterialhandling.com.au SafeWork SA said working in close proximity to mobile plant, such as cranes, forklifts, earth moving equipment, EWPs, delivery vehicles, order pickers and prime movers and cranes, increases the risk of serious injury or fatal incidents. Workers were reminded in the alert serious and fatal incidents can occur including during pedestrian movement near vehicles or plant, reversing and manoeuvring, loading/unloading, hitching or unhitching trailers, lowering ramps, mounting or dismounting from vehicles, securing loads, moving materials and maintenance work. Employers and PCBUs must have safe systems of work that identify the risks and the means to eliminate or control those risks to ensure the safety of people working with or near mobile plant. If SafeWork SA: Beware the risks when working near mobile plant SafeWork SA recently reminded workers of the risks associated with mobile plant in the workplace, following a fatality involving an articulated crane. construction work is carried out at a workplace where there is any movement of powered mobile plant, a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) needs to be developed that identifies the site-specific hazards and the appropriate risk controls. SafeWork SA provided a list of possible causes of incidents and examples of control measures including: plant operated near persons and utilities; noisy or traffic congested work areas; restricted vision or unfamiliar site; plant working on uneven or unstable surface; high speed or reversing plant; unauthorised or uncontrolled worksite access/egress (exclusion zones); competency of the plant operator; non-use of taglines; inadequate positive communication; operator blind spots; poor space planning; plant reach not taken into consideration. Control measures might include: identification of traffic hazards and implementation of a traffic management plan that controls areas of interaction between people and mobile plant (eg: exclusion zones, spotters, traffic controllers); alarms for moving plant are operational and appropriate for the site conditions; mobile plant movement plans are communicated regularly to all site personnel; traffic speed is clearly identified and controlled; plant operators are competent and have the relevant licences; workers and others receive adequate training, instructions and supervision to protect people from plant- related risks with the specific work site; loads are adequately secured. Contact: 1300 365 255 or visit website: www. safework.sa.gov.au MATERIALS HANDLING, STORAGE & SAFETY Craige Whitton, Northline’s Chief Executive Officer