[ NEWS ]
HOISTS GAIN
traction for vertical movement on sites
The use of hoists for vertical transportation of personnel and materials is gaining traction
across a wide range of industries, including the construction and mining sectors.
Q
uentin van Breda,
managing director of SA
French, says the increased
popularity is because one
of the primary challenges
on any site is the need to move both
people and materials to levels where
critical activities need to be performed,
and this has to be done safely while
maximising productivity.
Many sites make use of tower cranes
to handle heavy loads, and move these
across a wide area on the site. This mode
of materials handling, however, cannot
be justified for smaller components such
as scaffolding material and other
equipment. Also, tower cranes cannot
move personnel to various levels.
“The traditional method of moving
such equipment manually is not
productive at all, and often results in
SA French hoists are available to move both
people and materials
16 | HIRE SA | MAY 2017
excessive standing time with the
associated loss of productivity, and even
worse can increase unsafe work practice
on a site,” van Breda explains.
The contractor’s challenge is to find a
piece of lifting equipment that will
transport both men and materials to
various levels on multi-storey
constructions, and one that will reduce
the manual handling as well as a
consequential risk of injury. Hoists not
only fit the profile for this type of lifting
activity, but can also travel at a speed
that is effective and safe.
“Often the vertical lifting of men and
materials is not appreciated in terms of
the complexity it adds to logistics on a
construction or mining site,” van Breda
says. The challenge is to provide safe,
efficient vertical travel on a project while
it is being constructed.
A recent example where
a hoist supplied by SA
French provided a best fit
logistical vertical lifting
solution is at Kusile Power
Station. The company
supplied man/materials
hoists to Mitsubishi Hitachi
Power Systems Africa
(MHPS) and this purpose
engineered single mast
hoist is equipped with two
separate cages. One has a
2t capacity to carry
personnel, while the other
is capable of carrying 3,2t
of material. Significantly,
both cages operate
simultaneously increasing
productivity; while the
configuration of the hoist
also allows for materials to
be loaded by forklift,
further speeding up
the operation.
SA French hoists comply with all safety
regulations
An example within the mining sector
is the recent supply of two 0.5t
passenger hoists to a copper mine in
Zambia. These two hoists will be
responsible for moving personnel,
together with light tools and equipment,
up the shaft headgear framework.
Vertical transport solutions need to
comply with the most stringent safety
parameters, and the hoists supplied
by SA French incorporate advanced
security safety including speed
regulators and an overspeed emergency
braking system.