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Did you know that dumpers are deemed to be the most dangerous piece of equipment on a construction site? Recently, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that 60% of fatal injuries involving dumpers are the result of the machine overturning and crushing the operator.
The risk involved in operating an open cabbed dumper is considerably high as they are typically used to mount soil heaps, making it possible for the machine to overturn.
Alarming statistics from the Construction Index reveal that between June 2016 and July 2017 there was a total of eight fatalities on UK construction sites caused by dumpers. Now the industry is changing its attitude on Protection Systems for Dumpers.
Following the death of an employee as the result of an overturning dumper, Tony Iles, Managing Director of Tonic Construction, recognised that he must act in order to prevent the recurrence of such tragedy. Another key player with the same mission as Tony Iles is Steve Jarvis, Plant Director of BAM Nuttall, who also experienced the tragedy of losing an employee to an awful accident caused by a site dumper.
Tony, the primary actor, openly admitted: “If I hadn’t had the fatality last year, I wouldn’t have set out to change the industry.”
Wacker Neuson recognised the risk of operating opened cabbed machines relatively early and have been producing Cabbed Dumpers for almost 10 years.
In 2007, Wacker Neuson invited Tonic Construction to trial a cabbed dumper, but much to their regret, Tonic Construction turned it away because they didn’t like it, describing it as a ‘sweatbox’ as there was no air conditioning. Since, Wacker Neuson have improved their design to include air conditioning options.
On the 14th December 2016, full Impact tests were carried out on the Wacker Neuson Primary Protection System at CNG Engineering Ltd. The System passed all impact tests and was believed to give a satisfactory amount of protection to the person within the Protection Systems.
The industry leading Wacker Neuson range of Cabbed Dumpers has been carefully honed over a decade to offer the maximum in operator comfort and security. The current range includes the 6,000kg DW60, 9,000 kg DW90 and 10,000kg DW.
In addition to being hailed as market leaders in cabbed dumper safety, the Wacker Neuson range also boasts fantastic cab visibility, maintenance free hydrostatic-all wheel drive with ECO mode, off-road capability, extreme gradeability, a wear-free spring-loaded parking brake, swivel tip options and much more.
At Hamilton Brothers and Ross of Lanark we stock the full Wacker Neuson range and can also provide additional safety measures in collaboration with Guard Engineering.
Guard Engineering Ltd specialise in fitting Protection Systems. With safety at the forefront of the business, Guard Engineering specifically designs their OPSGuard (Operator Protection System) for the range of Wacker Neuson Cabbed Dumpers to offer the operator the highest level of protection in the event of an accident.
The highly experienced team operate a variety of materials and processes to ensure your job is carried out to the highest standards.
The system not only helps protect the operator in the event of an overturn but also from airborne debris that could otherwise penetrate the cab and injure the operator.
Don’t wait until it’s too late… follow in the footsteps of those changing the industry and invest in Cabbed Dumpers. It is a small price to pay for your life.
As well as being vocal about changing the industry, Tony of Tonic Construction has been changing the way in which his business operates, revealing that none of his employees will ever drive open dumpers again. Tony also disclosed that he intends on having zero open cabs by the end of this year.
Keen to find out more? Contact our Tarbolton Construction Division today!
