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In the construction world, you depend on diverse specialised machinery and equipment to build safe and sturdy constructions that will stand the test of time. If you haven’t already, one particular piece of equipment you may want to consider investing in is the vacuum lifter.
Vacuum lifters can bring a number of significant benefits to your construction business – provided, of course, that they are used correctly.
Read on to find out all about these advantages, how vacuum lifters work, and how to use them safely in order to reduce the impact of workplace injuries or mishaps.
What Is A Vacuum Lifter?
First, if your business doesn’t currently own an item of vacuum lifting equipment, you may be unfamiliar with its specially designed technology.
Essentially, a vacuum lifter works by using the power of suction created using a vacuum pump, which is linked by an air hose to the lifting tube. The lifting tube has a suction head and foot at the end, which will grip onto the load that needs lifting, creating an air-tight seal that will allow it to firmly but safely hold that load.
The person in charge of operating the vacuum lifter can then lift and transfer the weighty load using the equipment’s control handle without risking physical strain and injury.
What Can You Move Using A Vacuum Lifter?
Because vacuum lifters can be fitted with a range of different suction feet or cups, they can be altered to adapt to different types of loads and materials, making them versatile pieces of construction equipment.
For instance, if you need to transfer some porous loads from one place to another, you can simply swap the current suction foot for a larger one fitted with a specialised rubber ‘skirt’ that will help ensure the air-tight seal is created. The vacuum pump will also create a stronger flow to compensate for the porous nature of the load, minimising the risk of air leakage and strengthening the suction grip on the load.
On the other hand, an entirely solid load, such as a heavy box, can be lifted using a smaller cup – or perhaps even more than one – and these will often be sealed with the aid of a rubber gasket.
Other more fragile objects can also be moved around and fitted in place with the help of a vacuum lifter.
For example, fragile sheets of glass that need to be fitted into a new building’s window frames can be positioned with the aid of a glass vacuum lifter such as the 4 Cladding Services Glass Boy. These multiple-circuit lifters can be operated using the wireless remote control and provide a combination of reliability, strength, and delicacy, ensuring that fragile glass loads will not be dropped or damaged. At the same time, they are moved into the right place.
The Advantages Of Investing In Vacuum Lifting Apparatus
There are several significant benefits to purchasing vacuum lifters for your construction business.
Safe And Easy Lifting
Arguably the biggest advantage of all is how vacuum lifters allow employees to safely and comfortably move substantial weights without any physical risk to themselves.
Why is this so important? Well, in the manufacturing and construction industries, accidents caused by mishaps during manual handling are responsible for a large number of workplace aches, pains, and injuries, many of which may result in sick leave and possibly even long-term injury.
As a result, both companies and their employees will benefit from a piece of equipment that helps to reduce the potential for physical harm.
In addition, because the vacuum lifter does all of the hard work, this kind of technology makes it easier for anyone to take on the role of the operator – no matter their physical size or strength. This opens up a whole new wealth of job opportunities, which also helps improve workplace diversity.
Boosting Your Productivity
Another obvious benefit of using vacuum lifting equipment in your construction business is the increase in productivity and efficiency you will experience as a result.
Because the lifter does all of the heavy lifting for your workforce, they can carry out their tasks more quickly and effectively while still staying safe – and they won’t need to take frequent rests in between lifting to ease their aching backs and sore muscles!
Versatility
Because there is more than one type of vacuum lifter, construction companies have plenty of options when it comes to what they can lift, when, and how often.
For example, whereas vacuum lifters once used to be fixed in place as part of a crane system, these days, you have mobile lifters that can be attached to a forklift, providing plenty of manoeuvrability.
Health and Safety When Using Vacuum Lifters
As with any heavy machinery or technical piece of equipment, there will still be risks involved in using it, no matter how carefully it has been designed.
The most significant danger is the risk of falling objects. With particularly heavy loads, there is always a risk that the vacuum pump will fail to keep it aloft, which could result in the load being dropped. As a result, anyone in close proximity could be at risk of being struck by the falling load, which could cause serious injuries or perhaps even a fatality, depending on the weight of the dropped item.
To help off-set these risks, it’s vital that anyone in charge of operating vacuum lifting equipment has the proper training, as detailed in the HSE safety guidance.
It’s also crucial – not to mention a legal requirement! – that the vacuum lifters you use are frequently inspected for any signs of wear and tear. Even the most robust and reliable piece of equipment or machinery can become faulty if it’s subject to damage caused by ageing and heavy usage. Hence, inspections are important to keeping your workers safe from harm.
Overview
With the convenience, strength and reliability that vacuum lifters of various kinds can bring to the construction industry, it’s no surprise that they are widely used. Suppose you decide to invest in this equipment. In that case, you will benefit from safer and more effective lifting, with a lower risk of workplace accidents – as long as you take pains to make sure that the vacuum lifter is always used safely and correctly, of course!
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