Browse by Category

News

Features

LPG Industry

Magazine

Investing in Safe Lpg Cylinder Handling

By Richard Short, sales director, Penny Hydraulics

Any responsible employer will recognise the need to provide employees with the right sort of equipment to do their jobs safely and comply with existing legislation.

Safety standards are getting better across industry even if there is still, and probably always will be, room for improvement. The other important consideration is efficiency, and this can often be easier to justify in hard commercial terms.

With simple handling equipment, lpg drivers will be able to work on their own without needing assistance from a colleague, and this offers direct benefits in productivity and labour costs. Of course, there are some health and safety considerations.

Current manual handling legislation recommends lifting no more than 25kg. One way around this is for two or more people to work together so that their ‘share’ is less than the recommended limit. But this is neither practical nor economical in most delivery and collection operations.

A better option is to avoid the need for manual handling altogether by providing employees with a simple and effective way to handle loads mechanically. For loading and unloading commercial vehicles, the choice often comes down to a crane or platform lift.

For most lp gas businesses, the cost of installing a crane or platform lift on a new vehicle, or retrofitting to existing vehicles, can easily be justified when compared to the additional costs of employing a driver’s mate. The basic cost, including installation, for the type of unit required to handle loads encountered by most lpg gas suppliers will probably be the same as a month’s salary for an employee. Spreading the cost over the likely lifetime of the vehicle makes the investment even easier to justify, and that is before any health and safety and duty of care considerations come into play.

Cranes and platform lifts can help lp gas companies meet manual handling legislation

Vehicle mounted Swing Lift cranes from Penny Hydraulics are suitable for loads weighing up to 2,000kg. Lightweight and compact models with maximum loads of 250, 500 or 1,000kg are most likely to be popular with lpg suppliers.

They can be fitted to almost any kind of commercial vehicle, including vans, pickups, 4x4s and even trailers to offer flexible and versatile load handling capabilities. A wide range of options, including electric winch, full hydraulic operation, remote controls and a selection of attachments, ensures users can specify a crane ideally suited to their requirements.

Vehicle mounted platform lifts from Penny Hydraulics include models that can be installed at the side or rear of the vehicle for loads up to 550kg. Platform lifts are ideal for delivery and collection applications when the load can be rolled on and off the platform using a trolley, sack barrow or pallet truck.

Options include a choice of platform size, aluminium, steel or mesh platforms and remote control. No manual lifting is required and a single person can complete the entire process quickly and easily.

One of the most important tasks for many lp gas suppliers is the safe and efficient retrieval of empty lpg bottles. On building sites, for example, empty lpg gas bottles are often left in locations not easily accessed by delivery vehicles. Many lp gas suppliers and local authorities face similar problems when collecting waste.

Ideal for this application is an Emergency Gas Trailer. This has a unique hydraulic crane and electric winch that simply powers off the vehicle’s tow bar electrics for the safe and efficient recovery of lp gas cylinders that have been discarded, for example, down a motorway embankment or railway siding.

Alternatively, one of the innovative mobile tracked cranes recently introduced by Penny Hydraulics could be used. Two different models are available, providing potential users with a choice, depending on their specific requirements.

Penny Hydraulics designs, manufactures and services lifting and load handling equipment for use in a wide range of applications. Products include the Swing Lift range of medium duty cranes for use on pickups, drop sides and flatbeds, and the Step Lift, Load Lift and Tail Lift lifting platform ranges for use on pickups, drop sides and vans.

Contact Penny Hydraulics on 01246 811475 www.pennyhydraulics.com

You must be logged in to post a comment.