Are diverse controls a problem? “To a regular operator who has their own machine or always hires the same make or model of platform then it is not an issue,” says Wraith. “However, to someone who uses multiple platforms from different manufacturers or for the occasional user hiring a platform, it could range from being an annoyance right through to life-threatening.”
Since its introduction more than 60 years ago, the powered access industry has grown consistently to the point where there are more than 1.5 million platforms available for rent with hundreds, if not thousands, of different models in use every day worldwide. Most manufacturers have designed controls in isolation, based on risk assessment and their views of what is intuitive, safe and user friendly. But with many different layouts in circulation, it is easy to see how an operator might become confused when switching between different platforms. The fact that most platforms are rented means an operator can receive a completely different platform every time they rent one, even if they always use the same type of lift.
In the majority of incidents, where an operator unintentionally moves the controller in the wrong direction, or selects the wrong function, it comes to nothing more than going up for an instant, rather than down, left instead of right or forward rather than back etc… but there have been cases which have resulted in significant damage to platforms, the work area, or more critically serious injury and fatalities.
When did standardisation become an issue?
This story is from the April/May 2020 edition of Cranes & Access.
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This story is from the April/May 2020 edition of Cranes & Access.
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