Better ways to recovery
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• New standards for vehicle recovery equipment will be unveiled by the Recovery Equipment Manufacturers and Suppliers Association (REMSA) which is being launched formally at next month's International Vehicle Recovery Exhibition (IVREX) show in Chorley.
The standards, which were first mooted at the IVREX show last year (CM 18-24 May), cover "the lift and tow of casualty vehicles", "passenger cabs", and "uniform specification and ratings of winchgear".
The standards have been introduced to establish an agreed level of quality and safety to which all systems should conform. REMSA claims: "Up to now users of recovery vehicles have had no guarantee that their equipment has been manufactured to any standard or indeed is suitable for its intended purpose. Inevitably this has led to some welldocumented and potentially very serious equipment failures".
The lift and tow standard covers the integrity of the vehicle structure, its stability under load, safety and security, safe loading capacities, certification and records. Each vehicle conforming to this standard will be tested by REMSA members and issued with a REMSA capacity plate confirming the maximum load.
CI The passenger cab standard concerns the safety and comfort of occupants with regard to access, emergency exists and passenger security.
E The standard for winches and winch ropes covers safety aspects such as the rope to drum ratio, maximum length of rope to drum size, and the breaking strain of the wire rope.
Further standards covering lighting equipment and load restraints are being prepared.
There are currently 25 REMSA members manufacturing recovery equipment, and chairman Ron Grice of Wreckers International says, "Recovery operators. . . must be confident that the equipment they buy is safe to use and will perform satisfactorily".