News & Events
Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP) Blog
Commonly referred to as a scissor lift, tracked boom or cherry picker, the Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP) is a mechanical device used to provide temporary access for people required to work at height. The aerial work platform provide reach out as well as up and down and are used in numerous environments.
The MEWP is a technical name which covers a range of different aerial platforms, all of which are best suited for certain purposes and have their own limitations. Choosing the right MEWP for your intended use is essential for the safety of those both working on the platform and those working around the platform.
Understanding the different types of MEWPs (Scissor Lifts / Magic Carpets, Boom Lift / Cherry Pickers or Stick Booms) and their functions will enable you to make the best choice which will then allow you to complete your task more effectively and safely.
Stay up to date with all of the latest industry and legislative news relating to the safety and maintenance of workplace equipment.
We will post blogs relating to HSE prosecutions and HSE accident statistics, safety initiatives and topical events relating
to equipment safety and the consequences of failing to maintain equipment at work across a wide range of industries – from farming
to construction, warehousing to transport and logistics. In addition we will highlight how our Good to Go Safety inspection systems
could help to improve workplace safety and help your company to reduce maintenance costs while complying with key statutory legislations such as PUWER, LOLER and WAHR.
Workplace Equipment Inspections - Construction - Farming - Warehousing
Numerous health and safety accidents or incidents occur every day due to equipment being used in the workplace that is improperly managed, maintained or is not made for the intended purpose. Industries such as farming and agriculture, factories, warehouses and construction are all high risk due to numerous equipment types being used daily.
Employers are required to ensure that all the workplace equipment provided to employees is regularly inspected and maintained in safe working order. Th...
Worker crushed at London Heathrow Airport
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) conducted an investigation after an employee of Dnata Ltd was crushed to death at London Heathrow Airport on the 23rd February 2022.
The incident occurred during the unloading of baggage containers from an Emirates Airbus which had arrived from Dubai. The employee walked underneath a high loader (a raised platform similar to a scissor lift) in order to access the other side of a trailer. At the same time the high-loader operator lowered one of its tw...
Banksman loses leg in MEWP accident
A food manufacturing company has been fined following a serious incident at its premises in Wirral.
Sharon Bramhall had been supervising four members of staff as they completed high-level cleaning tasks during a night shift on the 22nd April 2022. She had been acting as a "banksman" as the MEWP turned at a right angle into the warehouse and struck Sharon, crushing her left leg.
The 58-year-old had to have her left leg amputated below the knee following a incident at Baker & Baker Products ...
Sub-contractor loses life in hospital
An investigation was conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following the death of a sub-contractor hired by NG Bailey Limited.
Alistair Hutton, lost his life whilst working on a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) along an unfinished corridor of the Baird Family Hospital in Aberdeen on 18 January 2023.
The 51-year-old immediately lost consciousness, when his head struck a metal lintel. Mr Hutton, who lived in Forfar, was pronounced dead less than an hour after the i...
Joiner falls from unsafe Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP)
A 35-year-old man from Caernarfon fell approximately 2.44 metres from a Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP) whilst he was working for Aspire Park and Leisure Homes Ltd (a manufacturer of leisure lodges and park homes) on the 6th January 2022.
The end gate of the Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP) was taped open whilst two employees were raised into the air to spray insulating foam into a lodge wall.
The injured worker broke nine ribs, forearm and suffered a kidney laceration...
Farming company fined £320,000 after fatality
A company involved in fruit and vegetable production has been fined £320,000 after a man “who always put family first” was killed at a site in Burscough.
Francis Schlachter, known as Frank, suffered severe head injuries when he fell from a skip at a farm operated by M.A.Forshaw Limited on 3 January 2020. The 64-year-old from Southport was described as ‘a rock’ by his wife of 35 years Linda, who said how much he would be missed by his friends and family.
Frank had been working at th...
How to save time and money with effective equipment maintenance
On average, predictive maintenance increases productivity by 25%, reduces breakdowns by 70% and lowers maintenance costs by 25%. Depending on the type of assets, costs and technical sophistication, a broad spectrum of maintenance strategies should be applied. One failing machine may halt the whole production process. Poor maintenance strategies can reduce the overall productive capacity of a plant by 5 to 20 percent.
“Predictive maintenance increases equipment uptime by 10 to 20% while re...
The importance of workplace site assessments
A farm has been fined £60,000 following the death of a 43-year-old father-of-three who was electrocuted on the 13th May 2021 by a power line.
Patrick Rice was unloading stone when the hydraulic arm of the dumper truck came into contact with 11kV overhead power lines at VB Farms LLP's in Devon.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the incident found VB Farms LLP failed to carry out an assessment of how the work could be completed safely and did not consider the dangers in...
A Safer and Healthier Farm Life Environment
A three-year-old child was among 27 people killed in agriculture-related activities in the last 12 months.
Britain's workplace regulator has called for a cultural shift away from poor behaviours due to the rate of fatalities, which has remained high with little change.
The worker fatal injury rate is 21-times higher than the average five-year annual rate across all other industries.
Sue Thompson, the Head of Agriculture, at the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) has said:
“The n...
What can you inspect with TakeAIM?
TakeAIM is supplied with a number of pre-installed checklists for the most popular equipment types used for work. If TakeAIMs range of pre-loaded inspections don't have the equipment type you require, you can create your own equipment type on the TakeAIM dashboard. This enables you to create inspections, and ask the detailed question required for even the most unique piece of workplace equipment.
If you'd like to see the equipment types available, plus what is included on each checklist you c...
Father of two left in coma following fall at work
The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) carried out an investigation following an incident at British Airways Maintenance Cardiff Ltd on 10th November 2019.
The findings showed that the company had failed to adequately analyse the risks of working at height due to the removal of guard rails on the docking platform.
Iain Mawson, a British Airways Maintenance Cardiff Ltd employee, was placed into an induced coma for three weeks as a result of the fall. He suffered multiple skull fractures and ...
Even Santa uses TakeAIM
When it comes to checklists, there's no one more proficient than Santa. He has a checklist for good, a checklist for bad and since he found TakeAIM, he's managing them all digitally.
Here's what Santa said about TakeAIM:
As the Holiday season approaches, billions of people World-wide begin counting down the days until they can enjoy family get-togethers, gift giving and / or time off work, ho ho ho. As Christmas approaches some businesses begin to wind down as others see an influx of ...
Factory and Warehousing Safety Tips
Factories and warehouses have numerous health and safety risks. If you fail to manage them, your business may face a number of different issues such as lost working days, injuries and in the worst case scenario, fatalities.
As an employer, you are legally required to implement and maintain procedures that minimise these risks. Safety measures must protect workers from factory and warehousing hazards and enable workers to carry out their jobs safely.
Maintaining good safety will not...
Improve your inspection and maintenance process
Inspections and maintenance of workplace equipment such as forklifts, ladders, pallet trucks, racking etc is a vitally important process to ensure equipment remains in a safe condition. Now we've made keeping track of maintenance and inspection schedules even easier with our range of inspection and maintenance stations. You can ensure your employees have access to their pre-use equipment checklists at all times by providing them with a central location to store their checklists.
When employee...
4 Million Inspection Checklists Sold
To date, Good to Go Safety have supplied over 4 million checklists to companies around the UK.
If you don’t currently know about our multi-award winning inspection systems, you may be wondering why so many people insist on utilising Good to Go Safety rather than simply printing their own checklists in-house? The answers are numerous ….
1. Safety First
From a safety perspective, there is a requirement under PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations), LOLER (Lifting Operation...
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