Paul Moss, Hoist Manager for Rapid Platforms, explains why it’s important to get expert advice.
A refurbishment building project on a construction site will often have several different trades working at every level of a building, relying on hoists, which can be installed onto a scaffolding or directly to the building, to take people and materials up to each level.
Roofing contractors, need a piece of equipment that is reliable, well maintained, compliant and safe, because if the hoist breaks down, the site grinds to a halt, materials are left on the floor, and expensive tradespeople are unable to work. The right hoist is intrinsic to the site’s productivity.
Selecting the right hoist for your construction refurbishment project is therefore critical, and so too is choosing the right supplier, with qualified and experienced operatives and the technical know-how to advise on the right hoist for each specific job.
Ask an expert
Every hoist hire is different. Rapid Platforms, for example, has 35 years’ experience in providing hoists from 150 kg up to 850 kg to heights of 100 m meters that can be used depending on the variables on each specific site. Contractors will often know what they want, but they might not know what model they need. An expert will be able to explain the mechanics of the fixing needed; about the wall ties, tying into scaffolding or tying into the wall directly with the appropriate system. That’s why an expert should ask lots of questions from the start. Among other things, they need to know how high the lift needs to be, what type of lift is needed, what weight it needs to carry.
Site survey
This should be key for any successful for hire. At Rapid Platforms a Hoist Manager will go to site before installation to undertake a free detailed site survey, working with the customer, the scaffolding company and structural engineers to ensure the project is a success. Once we’ve attended site and given them all the information, drawings, weight loadings for scaffolding etc, we will design and build the hoist for them.
Erecting and striking the hoist
It should go without saying that this should only ever be done by the hire company. Rapid Platforms offer a full erect and strike service by its NVQ-qualified erectors who all carry CSCS cards. All hoisting operations are completed in accordance with current regulations, with a risk assessment undertaken prior to installation. Prior to handover, a Rapid Platforms supervisor will undertake a final check and complete the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER).
