My OperaGuide to Access Equipment
Monday, March 26, 2012 7:41:13 AM
Introduction
Access equipment is an invaluable tool for you and your business, it gives you the opportunity to access work areas speedily, precisely and most importantly more safely than using traditional podium steps, ladders or scaffolding. The use of access equipment is becoming more and more wide spread in a greater range of industries as the health & safety rules surrounding working at height become increasingly stringent. I have put this brief guide together to try and help guide you through the process of buying access equipment and to help ensure you get the best piece of access equipment for your unique situation.Read for more genie parts online.
Whatever use you have for your access equipment, within this guide I hope you will find the information you need to make an informed choice about the particular piece of access equipment you finally opt for.
Information covered by this guide includes:
• The types of access equipment available
• Their features
• Health & safety
• Average prices for new & used access equipment
In the first part of this guide we will look at 3 major elements that govern what access platform you will eventually buy
Where to Start with Access Equipment
3 Major Critera to Getting the Right Access Platform
Lifting Height
Your whole reason for buying an access platform to begin with is, I'm surmising, because you have a need to get a job done at height; so the first thing you need to consider is the maximum height you will need to work at.
I have found speaking with other customers that taking some time to consider the future uses you're likely to have for you access equipment can prove to be beneficial, so please take the time to define the height you wish to work at as this will be one major criteria of the buying process dealt with.
The heights access platforms can reach range from just 3m to well over 100m and some specialist pieces of access equipment can reach 200m.
***Warning*** There are 2 heights used when discussing access equipment, one is the platform height, this is the height from the floor to level with the floor of the platform. The second measurement you'll often hear talked about is working height; this is the platform height plus 2m/6ft.
You can get the working height mixed up with the platform height but please don't get that the other way around.
Lifting Capacity
Another major critera you want to make sure you have covered is the number of people you need your access platform to get to and also the maximum weight of the materiel you need to take up with you to get your job done.
Once you've got your answer to these 2 questions then you will know what lifting capacity you need from your access platform and this will have a major impact on the type of access equipment you'll ultimately end up buying.
Power Source
When you are looking at which type of access equipment best suits your needs another important criteria is where the access platform will be used. Inside, outside or maybe even in a sensitive environment such as a food factory, this becomes a deciding factor in what power source you choose.
The most frequent options available are diesel or electric; occasionally you will come across LPG models but this is quite rare. Which should you choose? Well if you will only ever use your access platform inside then you would be best to opt for a diesel engine model as charging an access platform in the field is often impractical. If you're going to be using your access platform inside then you would be best to go with the electric model, as these machines aren't going to be giving off dangerous fumes and if you, like a lot of people if you are going to be using your access platform inside and outside then you may wish to look at a bi-energy/dual fuel access platform as these then give you the ability to switch between diesel engine and battery power, giving you the versatility needed to get your job done
There we have it, the 3 major elements to choosing your access platform, in the next part of this guide I will talk you through the different types of access equipment available and some of the applications they are put to.
Access equipment is an invaluable tool for you and your business, it gives you the opportunity to access work areas speedily, precisely and most importantly more safely than using traditional podium steps, ladders or scaffolding. The use of access equipment is becoming more and more wide spread in a greater range of industries as the health & safety rules surrounding working at height become increasingly stringent. I have put this brief guide together to try and help guide you through the process of buying access equipment and to help ensure you get the best piece of access equipment for your unique situation.Read for more genie parts online.
Whatever use you have for your access equipment, within this guide I hope you will find the information you need to make an informed choice about the particular piece of access equipment you finally opt for.
Information covered by this guide includes:
• The types of access equipment available
• Their features
• Health & safety
• Average prices for new & used access equipment
In the first part of this guide we will look at 3 major elements that govern what access platform you will eventually buy
Where to Start with Access Equipment
3 Major Critera to Getting the Right Access Platform
Lifting Height
Your whole reason for buying an access platform to begin with is, I'm surmising, because you have a need to get a job done at height; so the first thing you need to consider is the maximum height you will need to work at.
I have found speaking with other customers that taking some time to consider the future uses you're likely to have for you access equipment can prove to be beneficial, so please take the time to define the height you wish to work at as this will be one major criteria of the buying process dealt with.
The heights access platforms can reach range from just 3m to well over 100m and some specialist pieces of access equipment can reach 200m.
***Warning*** There are 2 heights used when discussing access equipment, one is the platform height, this is the height from the floor to level with the floor of the platform. The second measurement you'll often hear talked about is working height; this is the platform height plus 2m/6ft.
You can get the working height mixed up with the platform height but please don't get that the other way around.
Lifting Capacity
Another major critera you want to make sure you have covered is the number of people you need your access platform to get to and also the maximum weight of the materiel you need to take up with you to get your job done.
Once you've got your answer to these 2 questions then you will know what lifting capacity you need from your access platform and this will have a major impact on the type of access equipment you'll ultimately end up buying.
Power Source
When you are looking at which type of access equipment best suits your needs another important criteria is where the access platform will be used. Inside, outside or maybe even in a sensitive environment such as a food factory, this becomes a deciding factor in what power source you choose.
The most frequent options available are diesel or electric; occasionally you will come across LPG models but this is quite rare. Which should you choose? Well if you will only ever use your access platform inside then you would be best to opt for a diesel engine model as charging an access platform in the field is often impractical. If you're going to be using your access platform inside then you would be best to go with the electric model, as these machines aren't going to be giving off dangerous fumes and if you, like a lot of people if you are going to be using your access platform inside and outside then you may wish to look at a bi-energy/dual fuel access platform as these then give you the ability to switch between diesel engine and battery power, giving you the versatility needed to get your job done
There we have it, the 3 major elements to choosing your access platform, in the next part of this guide I will talk you through the different types of access equipment available and some of the applications they are put to.
