01.03.2019

Access equipment - what’s that?

Spotted in East London, UK earlier this week, a group of men determined to remove a roller door without any form of access equipment.
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Three men East London and no clue how to work safely and efficiently

We have one man stood on a pallet on the forks of a small forklift, parked on the ramp into the building – one man on the roof of a van which he has reversed up to the door, The also appear to be using a ladder between the van and the forklift as a platform to reach the centre of the door. And then if all that is not bad enough, a third man leans a ladder against the forklift in order to climb up and take parts down!
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Forklift, Pallet, van roof and ladder

All this on the same street as an access rental company that offers everything from towers to boom lifts.

In the words of our correspondent:
“I am literally looking out of my window right now at work, watching three operatives removing the five metre wide roller shutter off the industrial unit directly opposite us. About 30 metres away. Two were standing on the van roof, and one is on the usual unsecured pallet on a fork lift. Hang on, it’s just got better – whilst I’m typing, they’ve put a ladder up against the pallet, and matey on the pallet is handing down parts of the shutter to him.

I’m tempted to call them cowboys, but this is East London so other words sprint to mind.”
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This is one of the worst cases we have seen in a long time and total disgrace. The owner of the building might have obtained a cheap quote, but what he might now realise is that if one of those men had fallen – he would have been up in court with the contractor! Definitely one for our Death Wish series.

Hopefully our man went over and explained the error of the way, although past experience of our readers is that you will not be received kindly and it can even turn very nasty. It might pay someone to visit this company and show how they can work more safely and a good deal more efficiently.