People say, where there's a will, there's a way. When it comes to working at height, this may not necessarily be a good thing. Often, a lack of appropriate access equipment causes employees to find sub-optimal methods of reaching areas at height. This can be dagerous, reckless and is easily avoided.
People say, where there's a will, there's a way. When it comes to working at height, this may not necessarily be a good thing. Often, a lack of appropriate access equipment causes employees to find sub-optimal methods of reaching areas at height. This can be dagerous, reckless and is easily avoided.
There is a wide variety of equipment available for work at height, including fixed scaffolding, tower scaffolds, mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs), portable ladders, as well as non-integrated work platforms, or man-baskets. While the use of the latter is acceptable in very specific circumstances, it is not usually recommended. In this article we will outline what is a non-integrated work platform, how to work safely with it, and when it's not acceptable to use it as means to access height.
What is a non-integrated work platform?
A non-integrated work platform, also known as a forklift cage or a man cage, is an attachment that has been built to be used in a conjunction with a forklift truck to elevate people so that they can complete jobs at height. The elevated person has no control of the platform and all movements are controlled by the truck operator. It is very different from an intergrated attachment for a lift-truck, which provides the person in the basket itself with full control - these integrated solutions are pretty rare, with non-integrated baskets being much more common.
Forklift cages are an easy and handy way to access height if you needed to reach a certain area at your factory and had no other means to do so. However, while they are a very cost effective solution, they are also the cause of a substantial number of serious accidents. Since trucks are primarily intended for lifting materials, not people, the HSE has put together a guidance note (PM28) which clearly states the occasions upon which the use of non-integrated work platforms is acceptable. Not complying with the HSE guidance leaves organisations vulnerable to safety failures and liable for any accidents.
When is a man-basket NOT the right tool for the job?
According to PM28, any routine or planned tasks such as work associated with production, periodic maintenance or stocktaking are occasions when it is not acceptable to use forklift cages. The reason for this is because non-integrated work platforms don&#;t provide as many safety features as purpose-built access equipment, and thus they should not be used on regular or planned basis.
Non-integrated work platforms are not suitable for use on:
How to safely work from a forklift cage?
Often people need a temporary means for working at height. Occasional use of non-integrated work platforms is acceptable only in exceptional circumstances i.e. non-routine or urgent tasks for which it is impractical to purchase or hire in purpose-built access equipment, as well as any tasks that would otherwise require the use of less safe means. Some examples of cases when you can use a forklift cage are for clearing a blocked gutter, checking on high-level damage to racking suspected of causing an immediate risk or checking on the condition of damaged roof lights.
There are a few steps to follow if the circumstances do indicate the use of a forklift basket. First and foremost, ensuring a suitable truck, compatible with the basket attachment is used to lift the basket. The best way to do this is to consult with a truck manufacturer or supplier. It is also essential that the platform can be securely attached to the truck, making sure the equipment is stable at all times and people in the platform cannot reach hazardous moving parts or the controls on the truck.
Another very important thing is that the weight of the platform together with it's load of people, tools, materials and everything else carried in it is not more than half of the actual capacity of the truck. The actual capacity constitutes the capacity of the truck when it&#;s equipped with any specified attachments and, when carrying out maintenance work, any items that are placed on the platform that add to its overall weight. The user must ensure that the platform is positively locked onto the truck and that the fork arms on the truck extend fully into the fork pockets of the basket attachment.
Steps for the safe use of non-integrated work platforms:
Regulations to be aware of:
Non-integrated work platforms do not fall under the Machinery Directive in which a machine is described as &#;an assembly, fitted with or intended to be fitted with a drive system other than directly applied human or animal effort, consisting of linked parts or components, at least one of which moves, and which are joined together for a specific application.&#; Therefore, forklift cages must not be CE marked and there is no free movement of their distribution throughout the EU.
To find out more about the rules and regulations when using non-integrated work platforms download the HSE's Guidance Note PM28
Order pickers are specially designed and built materials handling equipment (MHE) that lift workers up via an elevating platform to allow the picking and/or loading of goods into high vertical shelving.
For businesses that already own a forklift and don&#;t want to purchase an additional order picker and alternative way for workers to be safely lifted is to fit the forklift with a safety cage.
In this post we briefly look at the risk control measures that need to be implemented when using a safety cage on a forklift.
A forklift cage is a safe work platform to raise or lift workers performing occasional or short-duration tasks, where it isn&#;t practical to use more expensive permanent solutions, such as scaffolding or an elevating work platform.
Before a worker steps into the safety cage, it is important the operator should perform a trial lift of the empty cage.
This trial lift will check that the cage is secured to the forklifts tynes correctly, that there is a clear vertical path for the cage to travel up and that there is no risk of the cage occupants or the cage itself contacting overhead obstructions such as doorways or working in proximity to overhead power lines.
When workers have entered the safety cage and before lifting commences it is imperative to ensure all workers in the cage are:
The following risk control measures should be put in place when operating a forklift safety cage:
Interested in purchasing a forklift safety cage? Contact our sales team on 13 22 54 to discuss available safety cages and other attachments available to increase the versatility of your forklift.
Reference List
There is a wide variety of equipment available for work at height, including fixed scaffolding, tower scaffolds, mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs), portable ladders, as well as non-integrated work platforms, or man-baskets. While the use of the latter is acceptable in very specific circumstances, it is not usually recommended. In this article we will outline what is a non-integrated work platform, how to work safely with it, and when it's not acceptable to use it as means to access height.
What is a non-integrated work platform?
A non-integrated work platform, also known as a forklift cage or a man cage, is an attachment that has been built to be used in a conjunction with a forklift truck to elevate people so that they can complete jobs at height. The elevated person has no control of the platform and all movements are controlled by the truck operator. It is very different from an intergrated attachment for a lift-truck, which provides the person in the basket itself with full control - these integrated solutions are pretty rare, with non-integrated baskets being much more common.
Forklift cages are an easy and handy way to access height if you needed to reach a certain area at your factory and had no other means to do so. However, while they are a very cost effective solution, they are also the cause of a substantial number of serious accidents. Since trucks are primarily intended for lifting materials, not people, the HSE has put together a guidance note (PM28) which clearly states the occasions upon which the use of non-integrated work platforms is acceptable. Not complying with the HSE guidance leaves organisations vulnerable to safety failures and liable for any accidents.
When is a man-basket NOT the right tool for the job?
According to PM28, any routine or planned tasks such as work associated with production, periodic maintenance or stocktaking are occasions when it is not acceptable to use forklift cages. The reason for this is because non-integrated work platforms don&#;t provide as many safety features as purpose-built access equipment, and thus they should not be used on regular or planned basis.
Non-integrated work platforms are not suitable for use on:
How to safely work from a forklift cage?
Often people need a temporary means for working at height. Occasional use of non-integrated work platforms is acceptable only in exceptional circumstances i.e. non-routine or urgent tasks for which it is impractical to purchase or hire in purpose-built access equipment, as well as any tasks that would otherwise require the use of less safe means. Some examples of cases when you can use a forklift cage are for clearing a blocked gutter, checking on high-level damage to racking suspected of causing an immediate risk or checking on the condition of damaged roof lights.
There are a few steps to follow if the circumstances do indicate the use of a forklift basket. First and foremost, ensuring a suitable truck, compatible with the basket attachment is used to lift the basket. The best way to do this is to consult with a truck manufacturer or supplier. It is also essential that the platform can be securely attached to the truck, making sure the equipment is stable at all times and people in the platform cannot reach hazardous moving parts or the controls on the truck.
Another very important thing is that the weight of the platform together with it's load of people, tools, materials and everything else carried in it is not more than half of the actual capacity of the truck. The actual capacity constitutes the capacity of the truck when it&#;s equipped with any specified attachments and, when carrying out maintenance work, any items that are placed on the platform that add to its overall weight. The user must ensure that the platform is positively locked onto the truck and that the fork arms on the truck extend fully into the fork pockets of the basket attachment.
Steps for the safe use of non-integrated work platforms:
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Regulations to be aware of:
Non-integrated work platforms do not fall under the Machinery Directive in which a machine is described as &#;an assembly, fitted with or intended to be fitted with a drive system other than directly applied human or animal effort, consisting of linked parts or components, at least one of which moves, and which are joined together for a specific application.&#; Therefore, forklift cages must not be CE marked and there is no free movement of their distribution throughout the EU.
To find out more about the rules and regulations when using non-integrated work platforms download the HSE's Guidance Note PM28
Order pickers are specially designed and built materials handling equipment (MHE) that lift workers up via an elevating platform to allow the picking and/or loading of goods into high vertical shelving.
For businesses that already own a forklift and don&#;t want to purchase an additional order picker and alternative way for workers to be safely lifted is to fit the forklift with a safety cage.
In this post we briefly look at the risk control measures that need to be implemented when using a safety cage on a forklift.
A forklift cage is a safe work platform to raise or lift workers performing occasional or short-duration tasks, where it isn&#;t practical to use more expensive permanent solutions, such as scaffolding or an elevating work platform.
Before a worker steps into the safety cage, it is important the operator should perform a trial lift of the empty cage.
This trial lift will check that the cage is secured to the forklifts tynes correctly, that there is a clear vertical path for the cage to travel up and that there is no risk of the cage occupants or the cage itself contacting overhead obstructions such as doorways or working in proximity to overhead power lines.
When workers have entered the safety cage and before lifting commences it is imperative to ensure all workers in the cage are:
The following risk control measures should be put in place when operating a forklift safety cage:
Interested in purchasing a forklift safety cage? Contact our sales team on 13 22 54 to discuss available safety cages and other attachments available to increase the versatility of your forklift.
Reference List
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