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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.