| By :
Nadine Davis
Copyright (c) 2010 Nadine Davis Progressive companies recognise that money spent on occupational health and safety initiatives is not a cost, but an investment in the long term viability and reputation of the business. There are still too many work related injuries and unfortunately, even deaths at a time in industrial history where the knowledge exists to rectify the situation, but sometimes not the will. One of the easiest places to start positive change is in the area of manual handling. This is also an area that can show almost immediate improvement and financial returns, and often all that is required is an initial outlay on lifting equipment to prevent injuries to employees. Employees need not be exposed to this type of scenario when there is so much lifting equipment available, ranging from huge cranes to small, hand held trolleys. In the cable laying industry, drum handling equipment has taken much of the risk away from the multiple handling tasks involved in transporting, receiving, storing and using cable. Depending on the range of uses, there are a number of benefits and options to review when considering the purchase of drum handling equipment: => Size and type of drum: steel drums are standard and usually pose no problem to common drum handling equipment. Plastic or fibre drums may need the handling equipment to be modified to suit. => Lifting height: If the drums remain on ground level there should be no difficulty sourcing an "off-the-shelf" product. If the drums are stored at height, a special order may need to be manufactured to suit the situation. => Available work area: this is often not thought about until the new drum lifting equipment arrives, only to find it doesn't fit into the space available. Take measurements and look for a model with narrow leg spacing or other attributes that will allow it to be easily accommodated into a small space. => Power options: some drum handling equipment is powered, and the temptation here is to purchase something at the top end in the belief that more power for lifting is better. However, if the drums being lifted do not warrant heavy equipment, going for more power will not save money, as the equipment will be under-utilised. => Storage: the right handling equipment will improve storage capacity by placing drums into locations that may not have been accessible when being lifted by hand. Cabling product companies will usually have a range of drum handling equipment in stock for immediate delivery, but some companies can also provide special orders for non-standard equipment. The investment in the correct equipment will be repaid multiple times over through reduced lost time injuries, reduced work cover premiums and reduced damage to stock and equipment.
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