Invention leads to call for review of MEWP Safety
Following the invention of a new Anti-Entrapment System for Mobile Elevating Work Platforms, (MEWPs), a patent application has been filed and the inventors are calling for an industry wide review of current safety devices meant to avoid entrapment.
The A-R-C-Angel (Anti-Rear-Crush-Angel), invented by Weston Handling Consultancy (WHC), is designed to prevent entrapment. MEWPs are commonly driven in reverse, putting operators at significant risk of entrapment between the surrounding infrastructure and the operator cage. This has resulted in many severe injuries and deaths since the Millennium. The base truck the operator is driving often has a large counterweight and truck weights of 6- 10 tonnes are common. Thus even a slow speed strike on the operator’s spine, neck or head, can be very serious.
As a result, many manufacturers and rental companies have developed and fitted secondary guarding systems. Most are based on an active anti-crush device, IE: A rail or a chord is pushed to activate a safety system. However, most of these systems rely on the operator being crushed onto them in an entrapment occurrence, before they are activated.
WHC says: “We believe the approach taken by manufacturers is flawed, as serious injury could still occur. Therefore, WHC transferred the technology of its ACKBelt, Anti-Crush Kick-Belt, a device for fitting around the base of powered pedestrian trucks to eliminate foot crush injuries, and developed the A-R-C-Angel Anti-Entrapment System.
“The A-R-C-Angel consists of an ACKBelt assembly, mounted on the top guardrail of a MEWP cage, facing outwards. When moving the MEWP, Pop- up pivoting ‘Angel Wings’ can be lifted up to be positioned above & behind the operator, so that if an obstruction is encountered, the ‘Wings’ are pushed forward onto the ACKBelt triggering the programmed emergency protocol, before the operator is struck.”
