13
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014
ACCESS, LIFT & HANDLERS
HIGHLIGHTS
■
Riwal has opened a new
location in São Paulo, Brazil.
The depot in the Campinas
region comes as Riwal seeks to
broaden its market coverage,
while establishing a closer
proximity to its customers
and maximizing transport
efficiency. It accommodates a
range of aerial work platforms
and telehandlers. In addition
it serves as a training center
offering IPAF certified courses
to operators. Pedro Torres,
Riwal's region director with
responsibility for Brazil said São
Paulo is a key area for Riwal.
■
Skyjack has appointed Ken
Moore as area sales manager
– Australia, reporting to Jason
Cranmer, sales and operations
director, as part of the firm’s
growth plans for the country.
Moore brings to the role more
than 13 years’ experience in the
aerial work platform industry,
having worked in sales and
operations for various hire
companies in Australia.
Ashtead enters
FTSE 100 list in UK
HSE focuses
on calibration
in Genie
Z-135/70
collapse
investigation
The UK’s Health and Safety
Executive has said an initial
investigation into the fatal
collapse of a Terex AWP Genie
Z-135/70 boom in London, UK,
belonging to Kimberly Access,
showed that the machine
might not have been calibrated
correctly.
The response came in a
letter from the UK Minister
of State for Disabled People,
Mike Penning MP to IPAF CEO
Tim Whiteman. It followed a
letter from Whiteman to the
government in November
calling for an urgent review of
the time taken by the Health
& Safety Executive (HSE) to
respond to the accident, which
occurred at Kimberly’s west
London depot in June 2013.
The HSE is now carrying
out a detailed technical
examination of the control
system to substantiate these
findings. Penning assured
Whiteman that if any evidence
arose that these machines
were unsafe to use it would
release that information
immediately.
■
For highlights from the
letter and more information,
visit
.
Ashtead Group has joined the
FTSE 100 list of major UK stock
exchange quoted companies.
The FTSE 100 is one of the
key business lists in the UK
and Europe, comprising the top
100 capitalized business on the
London Stock Exchange.
Ashtead has seen its share
price increase steadily during
2013, from around £4.30 at the
start of the year to the current
high of more than £7.70. Two
years ago the share price was
around £1.50. The company’s
market capitalization is currently
£3.9 billion.
The company has seen its
share price rise on the back of
impressive growth figures for its
U.S. business Sunbelt Rentals.
It’s UK company, A-Plant, has
also seen improving results
recently.
Skyjack supplies big
Modern AWP contract
Skyjack will supply more than 250
aerial work platforms to Modern
(Singapore) Access & Equipment.
Comprised mainly of electric
scissors, the company said the
order represented a significant
investment designed to improve
the size and capability of its rental
fleet.
Simon Cracknell, Skyjacks’ newly
appointed business development
director for the region, agreed that
the deal also came at an important
time for the manufacturer as it
sought to grow in this increasingly
important market.
“Today we are looking to
Modern (Singapore) Access
& Equipment company has
bought 250 aerial work
platforms from Skyjack.
establish sustainable partnerships
with dealers and rental companies,
and I am mindful that Moderns’
positive reputation is a shining
example of how we wish to grow in
the region,” Crackwell said.
‘Anti-entrapment’ terminology dropped by UK associations
The UK’s Strategic Forum
for Construction Plant Safety
Group’s (SFPSG) sub-group for
Mobile Elevating Work Platforms
(MEWPs) has unanimously
agreed to change the terminology
associated with devices designed
to reduce the risk of overhead
crushing from ‘anti-entrapment’ to
‘secondary guarding.’
The group agreed with the
proposal prepared by the
International Powered Access
Association’s (IPAF) technical
officer Chris Wraith which stated
that, “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,” the statement
concluded.
Further guidance on the
prevention of entrapment when
using MEWPs is available to
download from the CPA and IPAF
websites.
The SFPSG MEWPs group made
is up of experts from the industry
including IPAF, the CPA, UKCG,
manufacturers and users and
agreed the change in their second
meeting held on 18 November
2013.
