Altrex 
Working Safely at height
Working safely at heights involves various risks. In many countries, strict rules apply to professional use. This makes sense, because the material is used intensively. The requirements which work equipment such as scaffolds, suspended platform systems, ladders and stepladders have to meet are recorded in a variety of standards and legislation. For further explanation see the extensive information on legislation and standards.
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Why so much attention for safe working at heights?
Every year, thousands of accidents happen when working at heights, usually with serious consequences. Many of these accidents at work are caused by a fall from a height, sometimes with deadly consequences. Important causes are the loss of balance, insufficient security or the lacking thereof and wrong use of work equipment such as a scaffold.
Safely working at heights requires completion of three criteria. How one works safely at heights is determined by the way the following three criteria are met:A. Purchase of safe access equipment which complies with the applicable legislation and standards.
Working safely starts with the correct purchase. Employers must have their employees work with material which is suitable for professional use. In practice, it has become clear that the correct material is not always purchased. This can be a conscious or unconscious choice. People only become aware of the consequences after an accident. The most important consequences relate to the health of the employee of course, but financial liability can also have serious consequences. In addition to the fact that the employer must take his responsibility to protect the employee, the employee also has an individual responsibility to alert the employer of any problems with the ladder or scaffold for instance.
B. Safeguarding quality in use through timely expert inspection/repairs
If the correct material is purchased, it is important to safeguard that the work equipment continues to meet the requirements set out by the applicable legislation in usage. Altrex recommends annual inspections of the material. Inspections are not only important because of the safety of the user. Regular inspections and maintenance also improve the lifespan of the materials. This is why the inspection must be carried out by an expert. Visual inspection prior to use continues to be of importance throughout the year, because an inspection is only a snapshot of the situation.
C. Safe and expert use
Many accidents with access equipment are caused by using malfunctioning material and/or inexpert use. Unfortunately, the safety measures are sometimes not observed in practice. This creates unnecessary risks, from a safety, as well as a financial point of view. It is important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions/manual. -
Why do we advise against the mixing of rolling towers
Altrex advises against the mixing of rolling tower elements of different brands. The most important arguments for this are the risk of mixing inferior products which do not meet the applicable product regulation and the fact that the end user cannot claim product liability if accidents or incidents occur as a consequence of the mixing of rolling tower elements. The current European standard for rolling towers is EN 1004, which requires strength and stability calculations.
In practice, specifications of different ‘mix-parts’ must be known to the mathematical engineer in order to make strength and stability calculations. The majority of manufacturers, including Altrex, do not supply these specifications to third parties, which will apply to other manufacturers as well. In addition to this, a one-off calculation does not offer any guarantee because the new specifications can be changed by the manufacturers, which necessitates new calculations. This means that a calculation would have to be made for every new mix, which is difficult to realise in practice. For these reasons, manufacturers (such as Altrex) shall not accept liability for damages which occur as a result of the mixing of (rolling) towers with other brands.
Altrex’ rolling towers meet the current European standard EN 1004. Because of its international activities, Altrex has a TUV-certificate to prove this. The EN 1004 is the successor to the HD 1004. This standard describes the various parts and their relation towards each other, amongst other things. The standards EN 1004 and expired HD 1004 vary significantly in relation to each other. The requirements for stability in particular, are considerably more stringent in the EN 1004.
