Our Thought Process
There have been too many accidents and near misses from the current methods for lifting bricks, blocks and other palletised goods across site. As a result, we decided to act on the unsafe nature of current methods for lifting pallets of bricks and blocks.
We were approached by Select Plant Hire, part of the Laing O'Rouke Group, who wanted to collaborate and come up with a solution. Working together presented us with the opportunity to get valuable feedback from the site teams and operatives that use Crane Forks.
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The Importance of Collaboration
For the construction industry to move ahead and innovate, collaboration and open communication is essential. When there is an issue surrounding safety, it is imperative that it is solved. It is about working with the people that have the experience and ideas, to come up with the most viable solution to the problem.
For the Crane Forks Cage, the meet-up at design stage was important as it helped us to further shape the brief for the product. After initial discussions it was apparent that we needed to create a product that is:
1. A fail-safe, fully enclosed way of lifting bricks, blocks or similar palletised materials.
2. A cost-effective solution, to ensure that contractors can quickly adopt to improve safety across the industry
Who Did We Collaborate With?
In London, UK, we performed several site trials on projects associated with Select Plant Hire and the Laing O’Rourke Group. The Northern Line Extension is the largest expansion project undertaken by London Underground Limited (LUL) since the 90’s and is on-track for completion in 2022.
The Northern Line Extension project, a joint venture for Ferrovial Agroman and Laing O’Rourke (FLO), was key to the product's development. Trialling it on this project was incredibly helpful as it demonstrated how the product would perform for an infrastructure application.
The Crane Forks Cage trials at the Northern Line Extension presented us with very useful feedback and helped us adjust the design, including the addition of an access ramp. This meant the cage could work for more applications, such as reduced ceiling height or in a loading bay situation.
Scroll down to view videos showing the feedback from some of the team.
Tom Barrow
Lifting Product Leader, Select Plant Hire
Liam Greaney
Project Engineer, Ferrrovial Agroman Lang O'Rourke Joint Venture (FLO)
Deividas Matulevicius
Appointed Person for Lifting Operations, Select Plant Hire
Steve O'Brien
Appointed Person for Lifting Operations, Ferrovial Agroman Laing O'Rouke Joint Venture (FLO)
Select Plant Hire and the Laing O’Rourke group share our ethos of safety and continuous improvement which has allowed us to hear the opinions of personnel in a variety of roles, from different projects.
We listened to the Health & Safety Coordinators, Lifting Managers, Project Managers, Lifting Specialists and Plant Managers. This has resulted in a safe and secure solution for lifting bricks, blocks and palletised material that will ensure the load is contained, even if the pallet or materials were to shift on the Crane Forks.
This solution has captured the interest of main contractors all around the globe, to facilitate safer lifting. Applications in New Zealand include anything from infrastructure and heavy civils through to high-rise construction. Look at the photos below to see it in use.
Get in Touch
If you are interested in using the Crane Forks Cage for your next project, why not give our friendly sales team a call to discuss your requirements?
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