Part of our weekly working safely during the coronavirus outbreak: Stay safe + protect each other = save lives
For a global provider of Facilities Management for multipurpose buildings across the UK, safety and compliance are of paramount importance when working at height. The introduction of new COVID-19 guidance for workplaces meant that everyday work activities needed to be reviewed to manage risks.
Selecting the right access equipment is crucial for ensuring safety and efficiency as well as compliance with Health and Safety Regulations. Pre-existing risks assessments were to be reviewed before any of the buildings could be reopened to employees and the general public.
After a detailed risk assessment of all work at height activities were carried out in light of the new safety measures required to minimise exposure to COVID-19, the use of ladders were identified as being ‘high risk’. Ladders were used frequently for routine cleaning tasks and maintenance, often in public areas and usually undertaken in pairs, with one worker footing the ladder, therefore maintaining social distancing (2-metres) as advised within Government guidance would be problematic.
A key control method was identified, which would be to find a solution where workers would be able to carry out two-person jobs single-handedly for frequent tasks, undertaken at low levels, indoors.
Hugo Lift was an ideal solution to enable safe social distancing as it requires one operator. It’s designed to meet the work at height regulations by providing a safe low-level access platform for indoor use, therefore replacing the need for ladders.
Hugo is a push-around vertical mast lift, often called a push around (PAV) or personnel lift. It’s compact and lightweight to allow easy manoeuvrability through narrow aisles easily fits through standard doorways or lifts. It can also be easily moved from location to location, including between floors in a multistory building.
Replaces the need for ladders and steps
Indoor use
Compact and lightweight
Easy manoeuvrability through doorways, passenger lifts and narrow aisles
Move quickly and easily between floors in multi-storey buildings
Compliance with COVID-19 social distancing requirements
Solution for tasks where the previous solution was not suitable
Compliance with HSE regulations and company safety requirement
A safer solution for working at height
Working at height risk-managed
Improved efficiency in carrying out working at height tasks
Increased productivity when working at height
Downtime and business interruptions reduced
Positive safety culture