With a recent increase in the use of mobile elevated work platforms, the mining industry is placing more focus on pre-emptive inspection and maintenance. This lowers the risk of system failures in a climate where downtime and unplanned maintenance cause costly production delays to an already stressed industry.
Mobile elevated work platforms [MEWPs] allow operators to perform key functions, such as steel erection, preventative or regular maintenance, and inspections on rigging and mining plants more safely and much quicker than scaffolding, rope access and ladders. This generates savings in labour and hidden costs associated with fatalities and injuries.
Larry Smith, Managing Director at Eazi Sales & Service, South Africa’s sole distributor of JLG access platforms, commonly referred to as cherry pickers or skyjacks, explains: “Well-lit facilities are of the essence to safe working conditions, but 15 to 30m high lights are difficult to reach. MEWPs make this on-going task easy,” says Smith.
MEWPs can even reach into structures with its up-and-over functionality, making it easy to get inside steel structures where ladders, scaffolding and rope access are complicated to use efficiently and economically.
MEWPs are great for executing maintenance on large mining excavators down in the pits, repair of large mobile mining equipment in workshops, and for conveyor belt maintenance and inspections.
“The speeds at which contractors are able to operate culminate in massive overall savings that are not attainable with traditional access methods. Our machines also provide easy compliance with mining industry regulations associated with working at height, much unlike scaffold rigs, which require certification inspections and,many cases, weeks of planning and preparation,” says Smith.
Eazi Sales & Service also distributes telescopic material handlers servicing Southern Africa and various countries within Africa, offering maintenance, repairs, JLG-parts and technical advice. The various industry sectors that Eazi serves include construction, industrial, transport, maritime, aviation, mining, warehousing, and petrochemical, among others. The company provides a complete turnkey solution to its customers through its national footprint and southern African support structure.
