Anyone who has ever stood on a chair to replace a light bulb knows exactly how important a safe footing is.
The same applies for industrial work platforms. They should be easy to move, but they also have to stand firm whenever someone is working on them. This is exactly what our Alpha safety locking castors are made for. Our Belgian customer SNCB uses them for its work platforms, which is where they guarantee the highest level of safety at work.
The starting point
The Belgian railway company SNCB operates various maintenance hangars for vehicles. At the Arlon facility, some 125 railway employees are engaged in cleaning, servicing or repairing railway carriages. This involves the use of large, mobile, rail-guided work platforms, which are moved along the maintenance line. The work platforms allow optimum access to the individual vehicle areas and must guarantee absolute stability.
Physical strain, health and well-being
One of SNCB’s top priorities is to continuously improve safety in the maintenance hangar. Ergonomic optimisation and the improvement of working conditions for the employees are equally important. The company wants to prevent musculoskeletal disorders, which can be caused by stooping, for example. The maintenance platforms need to be integrated into this concept as precisely as possible. They should be easy to manoeuvre and provide employees with convenient and comfortable access to windows, exterior walls and all other vehicle surfaces. The platforms are not allowed to move at all as soon as anyone steps onto them – even if employees are handling high-pressure cleaners or other heavy objects. The Belgian railway company was therefore looking for a solution that would meet these exacting requirements in full. They found the right answer with Alpha safety locking swivel castors.
Our smart mobility solution
The Alpha safety locking castor has an integrated locking system that ensures maximum safety at work. As with luggage trolleys at the airport, the castors can only be moved when the user keeps the operating handle of the wheel-lock pressed. If the handle is released, the castors are automatically locked, and the platform immediately stands still – as steady as a rock. In this way, Alpha safety guarantees a secure footing. Thanks to the locking castor’s outstanding running properties, the large maintenance platform can also be pushed effortlessly in a straight line to the respective working areas.
As soon as the operator releases the handle and enters the maintenance platform, the castors are locked, and the platform does not move an inch. We also looked at the challenge from an ergonomic perspective: The handle for releasing the wheel lock is located at shoulder height, is easily accessible and therefore also comfortable to operate.
Our engineers also focused their attention on the immediate surroundings. They made sure that the swivel castors could not be released unintentionally – for example, if an employee with a heavy object should hit the work platform or accidentally come into contact with the operating handle. The operating element and the brake are connected via a Bowden cable, which is protected from damage by a steel tube. The force required to operate the handle has been set so precisely that it is not possible to release the lock accidentally.
Yves Hénoumont, Technical Service, SNCB
TENTE Alpha safety is a solution with built-in health and safety.
Yves Hénoumont, Technical Service, SNCB
Maximum work safety and ergonomics
Thanks to the Alpha safety, health and safety in SNCB’s maintenance hall has been noticeably improved. The large maintenance platforms can be moved easily, but are absolutely immobile as soon as employees release the locking handle and step onto the platform. Even if they are working with heavy equipment, the maintenance platform remains stable, stationary and safe.