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Fencing off the risk
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With a clear eye on the Work at Height Regulations, Tinsley Special Products has developed its own safety system to stop truck drivers becoming fall guys.
Words: Brian Weathertey / images: Tom Cunningham Last October, CM conducted its first ever test of fall-restraint systems. With operators under constant pressure to meet risk assessment obligations under the Work at Height Regulations. it was a timely event.
During the course of our investigations, we found equipment suppliers dividing into two distinct camps: those with systems that 'catch' you if you fall (fall arrest), and those that stop you falling in the first place (fall prevention). Of the two, it arguably makes more sense having a barrier preventing a driver 'going over the top' (or edge). That said, fixed side fences and guard rails on a trailer or truck body can get in the way when it comes to access for loading and unloading. Consequently, most of those systems encountered by CM have, until now, tended to be based around fall-restraint reels and harnesses rather than fixed fences.
However, at the recent SED Show, our eye was caught by 'Safety Gard' from Tinsley Special Products (TSP), developed in conjunction with Ainscough Crane Hire. TSP commercial development manager Graham Morley takes up the story: "it's basically a taut cable system fitted to a winch that works with a system of side posts. At the moment it's been fitted to ballast carriers, but we're also now developing a range to include normal C&U trailers."
While Safety Gard is a relatively new arrival on the fall-prevention market, Morley reports: "As far back as 2007 we had requests to look at safety systems, and, in particular, from the heavy haulage industry, although then it was more to do with special types. Several ideas were aired and a couple of prototypes were made."
Among the options considered by Tinsley was the use of extending side panels to create a walkway around the main trailer platform. During this period it held discussions with Rom-Tech, designer of the Romgard integrated protected access walkway system tested by CM last October.
Balancing act The other solution, says Morley, was a post and tensionedwire system. Each had its advantages and disadvantages. "When you look at any fall-prevention system," says Morley, "there are a number of key factors to consider: cost effectiveness; [whether it is] deployable at ground level: and whether it will actually be used by a driver."
Using the internet. Morley looked for other similar systems around the world. "What we did find was that in Australia and New Zealand they were using deployable walkways that dropped down around the side of a truck, although they tended to be on livestock trailers where they were working a lot higher up.
"We had a look at that approach with the idea of using composite hand rails and walkways — but in the end we came back to the same key factors whereby you're almost Crane hire giant writing a complete risk assessment just to deploy the Anscough has ordered entire system, so at that stage we put it on hold."
a large number of units, Subsequently, TSP switched its attention to a post and complete with extendible tensioned-wire arrangement, and looked at a number Ladder at the rear of different ideas before settling on its current system of a series of vertical steel posts sited around the edge of the trailer's load platform with a continuous length of plastic-coated wire strung between them on each side, and tensioned via a system of pulleys.
"The posts are slotted and bolted into place," reveals Morley, "so they can be removed easily if necessary — although we found in trials with Ainscough that they could load ballast trailers with the wires and posts in place."
All the posts can be lifted up and placed from ground level, reports Morley, while the cable is stored in the trailer's side raves. "All you then really need is to use the pole supplied to hang the wires onto the pulleys before you tension them."
Fit for purpose
With the product having no fixed spec, Morley stresses that customers can match Safety Gard to their own operating needs. "You can have two, three or four wires. Ainscough chose three, top to bottom, as they felt that afforded them the protection they wanted. But there's no reason why we couldn't also provide mesh between the posts or curtainsided material with an advertising message too. The only things that needed to remain in place on the Ainscough trailer were the header board and tail board." These were used as an advertising space.
On the up and up
Clearly Work at Height legislation covers climbing up on to a trailer load platform, and within the Safety Gard package Tinsley fits a neat extendible ladder at the rear of Ainscough's trailers. "It can be a slide-up ladder, or hinged or folded," says Morley. "We liked the slide-up design because it allows you to use it with uneven ground. People tend to look for the hardest solution and miss the simple stuff" Having developed Safety Gard for special types trailers. Tinsley is now developing a version for conventional 13.6m platform semis, although Morley admits it is a new challenge having to work within the tighter dimensions of a 2.5m wide trailer. "The beauty of special types is that it allows you to work outside the normal structural dimensions where 50mm can make a lot of difference."
The next step is to build a mock-up version on a regular flatbed trailer. In addition to existing Safety Gard customers such as Ainscough (TSP will be supplying a large number of units to the crane hire giant), Morley sees a market for "basically anyone who for any reason may have to get up on the back of a truck, whether it's in construction or shifting steer • • For further information on the linsley Special Products Safety Gard system, contact 01642 784279.