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News 13 September 2017

‘Safety at work begins with knowledge and with the right access equipment’

Paul Maenen, trainer at Boels Training, about actively working on safety

Working safely means knowing what you’re doing. If you also use reliable equipment, you’ll be fine. Boels Rental understands this like no other; that’s why they have been using and renting out Altrex equipment for many years. Paul Maenen is a trainer at Boels and marks safety at work as his mission.

Boels Rental and Altrex understand each other. We have a shared vision on safety for more than 15 years. We work together on providing tailor-made solutions, innovative access equipment and safety on every jobsite. And certainly where the latter is concerned, Paul Maenen knows what he’s talking about. As a trainer, he emphasises the importance of proper training and safe access material.

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Safety first with the Safe-Quick 2

With safety particularly in mind, Maenen considers good instructions and reliable equipment to be indispensable for everyone who works in construction and at height. He feels that following a training course goes hand-in-hand with taking responsibility, both for yourself and your colleagues. For example, if you know how to correctly assemble scaffolding, you are putting your safety and that of your colleagues first.

‘Safety is a key issue in our training courses and at our company. This is how it should be everywhere where people work at height. We are therefore always looking for new products and smarter ways to work. It’s also why we are introducing the new Altrex Safe-Quick 2 to our assortment and in our training programme. Both we and our course members are highly enthusiastic about this innovation. It is so different to the previous assembly method using rolling towers.’

“I see the Safe-Quick as a real revolution. You simply cannot afford to make mistakes or skimp on safety.”
Paul Maenen
Trainer at Boels Training
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A simple assembly method: the right one

Maenen sees many advantages in using the Safe-Quick 2: ‘The updated rolling tower is exceptionally light and easy to use. It is easier to stack and transport the sections, for example. The biggest change is in the assembly method. This is so different to the previous assembly method with separate braces. I see the Safe-Quick as a real revolution when it comes to assembling rolling towers safely. You simply can’t afford to make mistakes or skimp on safety.’

The latter is something he sees during the training courses. The course members build the Safe-Quick correctly, right from the first time they use it. ‘We often divide the group into two, with one half using the previous method and the other group using the Safe-Quick. You always see that the second group finishes quicker, but more important these people immediately place trust in both the product and in themselves. That says a lot about the training course and certainly about the Safe-Quick!’

“Safety at work goes hand-in-hand with taking responsibility, both for yourself and your colleagues.”
Paul Maenen
Trainer at Boels Training
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Know what you’re doing

Over the years, Maenen has seen many changes take place in the field of safety and working at height. He has also seen where it can go wrong and what can be improved. As such, the usefulness of training is unquestionable in his point of view. ‘We provide training courses for our own staff, because we feel we should be able to answer any question that is asked about our products. Particular about safety at work. After all, safety at work starts with knowledge, knowing what you’re doing.’

Next to internal training courses, Boels has a particular focus on providing courses externally. There are training courses for groups and for independent entrepreneurs. ‘If you use access equipment or machines, you are obliged by law to follow a training course or session’, says Maenen. ‘Obviously, you want to meet this requirement as it means you are also complying with the safety regulations. Moreover, training is very useful. During the assembly of a rolling tower like the Safe-Quick, it’s useful when someone explains to you exactly how it works. When you have seen it once in practice then you’ll always know how to do it yourself. That is the great thing about Safe-Quick!’