6
NEWS
ACCESS, LIFT & HANDLERS
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2013
EVENTS DIARY
2013
ICUEE
Oct. 1-3
Louisville, KY
2014
AED SUMMIT 2014
Jan. 15-17
Houston, TX
INTERMAT MIDDLE EAST
2014
January 20-22, 2014
Abu Dhabi
WORLD OF CONCRETE
Jan. 21-24
Las Vegas, NV
THE RENTAL SHOW
Feb. 9-12
Orlando, FL
HIGHLIGHTS
HERTZ EQUIPMENT RENTAL
CORP. (HERC)
reported a 14.7
percent increase in revenues
to $384.3 million for its second
quarter with operating profits
up 72 percent to $48.2 million
over first quarter results. The
U.S. alone saw a 16.7 percent
increase in rental revenue.
Scaffolding and rental
company
HARSCO
INFRASTRUCTURE
saw
revenues grow 7 percent to
$251 million in the second
quarter of 2013, compared
to the second quarter in
2012. The company said this
reflected improved volume for
industrial services and rental
equipment in some global
Revenue increased slightly
in the first half of 2013
for
PALFINGER
, although
European markets remained
weak. Revenue stood at a
record $633 million for the
half year, 2.2 percent more
than in the first half of 2012.
In North and South America,
demand increased over several
quarters, the company said.
Terex safety notice requires
Genie Z-135/70 inspection
Terex AWP has issued a safety
notice requiring an inspection
of the secondary boom angle on
Genie Z-135/70 booms.
It coincides with the
manufacturer’s continued
investigation into the collapse of
a Z-135/70 belonging to Kimberly
Access in London, UK, on June 5.
The boom’s operator was killed in
the incident.
In the statement Terex said it had
been made aware that in some
instances, machines calibrated
in the field were not done so in
accordance with the machine’s
service manual. However, the
company made clear it was not
suggesting that the accident
at Kimberly Access was due to
improper calibration.
“This safety notice is being
issued to ensure that machines
that were calibrated after leaving
Terex AWP’s factory were
calibrated in accordance with the
procedures in the Genie Z-135/70
service manual. This Safety Notice
requires a simple inspection of the
secondary boom angle. Completing
this inspection procedure will
confirm whether the secondary
boom angle sensor is properly
calibrated and the machine is safe
to use.”
In the safety notice, Terex AWP
was adamant the Z-135/70 is
safe to use. “As our thorough
investigation has progressed, the
integrity of the Genie Z-135/70
machines in the field continues
to be confirmed. Genie Z-135/70
machines are safe to use as
intended provided the machine
is in proper working order, the
operators are properly trained, and
the owners/operators follow the
warnings and instructions provided
by Terex AWP, which are located
on the machine.”
Kimberly Access has released
a statement in response to
Terex’s safety notice on the
Z-137/70 boom, stating that it
had not attempted to calibrate the
secondary boom angle sensor on
28 AWP deaths in first
half of 2013, IPAF says
There were 28 fatalities worldwide
involving aerial work platforms in
the first half of 2013 according to
IPAF’s accident database.
This compares to 32 for the
whole of 2012 and represents
a 65 percent increase over the
17 fatalities recorded in the first
half of 2012. IPAF said it believed
the increase reflects the fact that
its accident reporting project is
capturing more data, and not
necessarily that there are more
accidents.
The main causes of the fatalities
in the first half of this year were:
overturn (10), fall from height (9),
entrapment (5), electrocution (3)
and impact with aerial platform.
The five entrapment fatalities
compares to one fatality of this
type in 2012.
Thirteen of the fatalities involved
booms, 10 involved scissor lifts,
and three were related to vehicle
mounted platforms. In two cases,
the machine type was unknown.
Of these fatalities, 13 occurred
in the U.S., eight in Europe (two
each in France, Germany, the
Netherlands and the UK), and one
each in Armenia, Canada, Ireland,
Malaysia, Norway, Spain and the
UAE.
For the full report, commentary
and information on IPAF’s accident
database, see the whole story on
the machine involved and that only
Terex personnel had carried out the
procedure.
The statement added,
“Preliminary findings of appointed
independent experts have raised
concerns regarding the machine’s
integrity that are distinct and
separate from the concerns raised
by Genie in their press statement.”
Kimberly’s fleet of 25 Z-135/70s
remain grounded “until these
concerns have been fully explored
and until Kimberly is totally
satisfied that the 135/70s are safe
to operate or have been made safe
by modification,” the company
said.
Stay tuned to
for
updates on this story.
Boom truck rental company
Runnion Equipment has
added Elliott Equipment
Company’s line of HiReach
aerial work platforms to
their fleet in Caledonia, WI.
The line of HiReach aerial
work platforms includes 27
models with working heights
ranging from 45 feet to 140
feet and lifting capacities
of 500 pounds to 14,000
pounds. “For everything
from positioning people
to lifting loads, working
at heights or digging
holes, HiReach aerial work
platforms help complete jobs
faster, schedule crews more
efficiently and maximize
equipment utilization,”
the company said in a
statement.
