Thomas1987 Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 Hi Guys, Bit of a shot in the dark this. Basically we've been offered some money towards any project which will help the health and safety in our live music venue. A big one for me, is working at heights, particularly having to go up on a MEWP/Zarges and safety off a truss. And I've had a bit of a thought. What I'm looking for is something similar to a seatbelt... but rated to a ton! This would constantly stay attached to the truss and beam I.e, we can smoothly drop a truss in on motors and it will expand and descent with the truss, but if a motor failed, it would latch and stop the truss from falling. I've personally never seen anything like this in use on trusses, but a colleague is sure he's seen a similar system in use elsewhere but is unsure where. Does anyone have any thoughts? If its just something in a dream, then fair enough, but thought I would ask. Cheers Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJones Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 Load arrester?HTHAndy Jones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas1987 Posted December 6, 2009 Author Share Posted December 6, 2009 Of course! I've been trying to remember them all day! Sunday is obviously not a good day for thinking. And up to 1.5 ton. Fantastic! Cheers guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Slightly off topic, but perhaps relevant... A big one for me, is working at heights, particularly having to go up on a MEWP/Zarges and safety off a truss. And I've had a bit of a thought. Are you saying that whilst at the top of a Zarges ladder or a mechanised platform, you tie off to the (dead?) hung truss as your safety? Whilst not an expert as such in this type of working I would have to say that tieing off to a truss even with a pukka fall-arrest line is NOT a good idea in these circumstances...As has been discussed here before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Are you saying that whilst at the top of a Zarges ladder or a mechanised platform, you tie off to the (dead?) hung truss as your safety? No, the way I read the post is that he wants to be able to fly in the truss on its motors without having to take off the safety steels between truss and flying points each time. I have exactly the same sort of application - a truss on manual winches that's frequently flown in and out for teaching purposes, but where fitting and removing safety steels each time is not convenient. A pair of load arrestors solves the problem quite easily. Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Hmmm...I think I'd need some clarification from the OP then, because I read the bit having to go up on a MEWP/Zarges and safety off a truss as just the scenario I described.... I'll wait for the OP to comment further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas1987 Posted December 7, 2009 Author Share Posted December 7, 2009 Are you saying that whilst at the top of a Zarges ladder or a mechanised platform, you tie off to the (dead?) hung truss as your safety? No, the way I read the post is that he wants to be able to fly in the truss on its motors without having to take off the safety steels between truss and flying points each time. Simon This one. :) Essentially when a stage is full of gear, its not easy nor practical to get a MEWP on stage, so have to use Zarges, so this seems like a solution to cut down on WAH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Are you saying that whilst at the top of a Zarges ladder or a mechanised platform, you tie off to the (dead?) hung truss as your safety?No, the way I read the post is that he wants to be able to fly in the truss on its motors without having to take off the safety steels between truss and flying points each time.This one. :) Essentially when a stage is full of gear, its not easy nor practical to get a MEWP on stage, so have to use Zarges, so this seems like a solution to cut down on WAH.In which case I'll respectfully stand back on this one. :PHowever, do not most (all) modern motors have an auto-brake function anyway?ie motors fail in the 'safe' mode? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 However, do not most (all) modern motors have an auto-brake function anyway? ie motors fail in the 'safe' mode? Power does have to be applied to pull the brakes off. However, a safety between the flying point and the load helps protect against the unlikely event of the parts above and below the motor failing (as well as the motor itself). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRisdale Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 There are now some motors on the market that are designed to hold and move loads above people (BGV-C1 spec) - such as the EXE hoist - which theoretically do away with the need for for such safeties. Gareth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Darkside Rigging (now sadly ceased trading) used to offer the following advice on their website, in answer to the question "do double brakes on a chain motor give additional safety?": On its own, a double braked chain hoist offers absolutely no benefit whatsoever. There are however 2 standards you should be aware of. D8+: This is a chain hoist with a 10:1 safety factor and a double brake. This means the hoist meets standard to suspend above people.BGV-C1: This is a hoist with 10:1 safety factor, double brakes, overload monitoring and a whole host of additional safety equipment. Also you will need a BGV-C1 controller. In this configuration you are able to lift/lower above a live audience. DarkSide Rigging Specialists would always recommend secondary safeties in the form of load arrestors. But where this is not possible, BGV-C1 hoists can be used when combined with good risk assessment and method statement. In short, a double braked hoist is a waste of money. Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas1987 Posted December 7, 2009 Author Share Posted December 7, 2009 Well this is it - its all very well having a flawless breaking system, but its not only the lodestar thats got the feasibility to break... shackles, spansets, even chain. Yes they're all loler tested, but if it fails, theres no back up. When you have 2 ton sitting above someones head, I'd rather have the back up, even if its not officially necessary with class a lifting gear. Hope that makes sense. Thanks for your advice all, this is something that may well be going ahead now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrisbarris Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Wolves civic have been using load arresters for years instead of a steel safety. They are great for the PA points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutwo Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I wonder if an independant fall arrester could be built into a motor, with its own rigging point. The motor unit would then have an independant safety? Just a thought, probably easy to shoot down;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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