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• A-Plant first with dual certification • New 6 tonne mobile yard ramp from Thorworld • New Volvo ABG pavers for Toppesfield •
10
Special
Reports
Plant & Equipment Professional
£2.50
June 2009
Expert opinion:
Application of occupational
standards
Mini-excavators –
small machines with
significant hazards
Spot-checks
highlight danger of
unrestrained vehicle loads
Smart Results for
Sullair PAC 80E
breaker system
Greased lightning is automatic with Groeneveld!

Special report
2
June 2009

Editorial
One of the great mistakes of any corporate
organisation is to remove the most educated
and knowledgeable people from the company
during times of recession. Whilst some culling
may be inevitable to ensure an organisation’s
longer term prosperity, this short term practice
seems to be used in abundance at present
with good, senior people either taking early
retirement or being made redundant. It seems
as though far too much attention is placed on
reducing the bottom line financial accounts
‘now’ to balance the books and less on the
management of ‘future’ longer term success.
For some company accountants and ‘wanna-be’
ambitious managers this is a dream come true
because in the short term they can demonstrate
that the books have been balanced, expenses
reduced, overheads slashed and efficiency
improved – or can they?
With any redundancy, an honest introspective
look at the organisation has to be taken because
such decisions can have major ramifications on
that organisation for many years to follow. The
balance has to be on making financial savings
but not at the risk of inadvertently damaging
business. There is clearly a shocking trend in
some quarters of industry to be over reliant on
younger (less experienced and lower paid(!)
staff) to see a company through these troubled
times. But such a strategy is myopic at best and
potentially catastrophic. Organisations are made
of people and a diverse range of individuals with
different skill sets must be preserved; reducing
staff now may be a sad prerequisite requirement
in a recession but an intelligent chief executive
officer will ensure that any trimming will allow for
future growth.
The recession is not permanent and optimism
is slowly creeping back throughout industry –
when situations improve, organisations will once
more need experienced professional people at
the helm - not the job centre!
Editorial Team
Philippa Spittle, Karen Jones
Published and Distributed by
On-track Multimedia
On Track Multimedia,
Tel/Fax: +44 (0)1384 356202
Email: enquiries@operc.com (general)
pep@operc.com (newsletter)
Copyright © 2009 On-track Multimedia
While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy
of information published in Plant and Equipment
Professional, the Editors cannot accept any responsibility
for inaccuracies or omissions. The views expressed in
articles are of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect
those of the Editors.
news
special reports
A Quick Switch back to semi-automatic hitches 11
Mini-excavators...small machines with significant
hazards
14
Spot-checks highlight danger of unrestrained
vehicle loads
16
There’s nothing fishy about COD! 17
A Man with All Round Vision: An interview with Vic
Spillard, Spillard Safety Systems
18
4fire enhance productivity and safety with Hilti
Firestop products
22
Master of the Art: An interview with Fraser Pratt,
International Sales and Marketing Expert
32
Operator training revisited 28
The OPERC/HSE Annual Update Meeting 2009 38
expert opinion
advertising features
events
contents
A-Plant wins prestigious contracts from
Environment Agency
4
Kubota tractors score above par 5
New 6 tonne mobile yard ramp from Thorworld 6
HSS crowned Hire Company of the Year 7
Lafarge Cement’s Barnstone plant achieves safety
milestone
7
Smart Results for Sullair PAC 80E breaker system 8
No waste for Franks with Doosan equipment 10
UCATT welcomes Government moves on Workers’
Memorial Day
20
European photo competition 29
First Avant 700 series loader in the UK 30
A-Plant first with dual certification 31
New Volvo ABG pavers for Toppesfield 34
JCB secures major deal for wheeled loading
shovels
35
Walkers have a blast at Lafarge quarry 36
Speedy helps reduce generator emissions and fuel
costs
36
Fatal injuries to workers in Britain at record low 43
Application of occupational standards 24
Greased lightning is automatic with Groeneveld! 32
SED 2009 42
Kubota Live! At Rockingham Castle 42
competition
Construct-A-Gram No 1 43
Classifieds 45
news megabytes
letters to the editor
46
47
June 2009
3

news
A-Plant wins
prestigious contracts
from Environment
Agency
The Environment Agency is an
Executive Non Departmental
Public Body responsible to the
Secretary of State for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs and an
Assembly Sponsored Public
Body responsible to the National
Assembly for Wales. Its principal
aims are to protect and improve
the environment, and to promote
sustainable development. The
Agency plays a central role in
delivering the environmental
priorities of Central Government
and the Welsh Assembly
Government through its functions
and roles.
A-Plant has been awarded
two prestigious four-year
framework agreements with
the Environment Agency,
covering both the hire of
tools and equipment and the
maintenance and servicing
of the Agency’s existing fleet
of equipment. A-Plant is one
of the three suppliers on the
hire framework and has been
awarded a single supplier
framework agreement for the
management, maintenance
and servicing of the entire
fleet of powered hand tools
and powered work equipment
at the Environment Agency.
Erik Broderstad, Key Accounts
Sales Director for A-Plant, said,
“The new contracts with the
Environment Agency are highstatus
appointments, which
will utilise our wide range of
expertise in the tool and plant
hire market in the UK. Under
the new maintenance and
servicing framework, we have
sole responsibility for assessing
and advising on the inventories
of equipment held at over 160
locations in the eight regions of the
Environment Agency around the
country.”
To establish the procedures to be
used in this important contract,
A-Plant is carrying out three pilot
projects in the Thames West, North
West North and Midlands East
areas, based in three of the eight
regions. A-Plant will examine every
piece of equipment and submit a
report to the Environment Agency
on the inventory held at each
location in these areas, the age
and condition of the equipment
and proposals on whether the
equipment should be repaired or
replaced. This process will then
be rolled out to all eight regions to
produce a national report for the
Environment Agency.
This is the latest in a raft of
key account wins by A-Plant
which recognise the company’s
commitment to enhancing
service and efficiencies, reducing
costs and administration and
eliminating wastage and non-value
added transaction processes
as measured against Key
Performance Indicators (KPIs)
4
June 2009

Kubota tractors
score above par
news
Elm Park Golf & Sports Club in Dublin
has expanded its Kubota equipment
fleet with the purchase of a second
STV36 compact tractor and an L5740
mid-range tractor.
The club, at Donnybrook, was founded
in 1924 and is one of the best known
in the capital. It provides a range of
facilities that include an 18-hole golf
course, seven grass tennis courts plus
seven all-weather floodlit courts, a
driving range and an 18-hole
putting green.
The new Kubota STV36 compact
tractor joins an identical machine
bought in 2006, both of which are
used to carry out a variety of tasks to
keep the club’s golf greens in tip top
condition. Jobs undertaken range from
aerating the greens and top dressing
to brushing and blowing them, using a
variety of attachments.
The hugely popular and proven
Kubota STV Series tractors are
renowned for their superb versatility.
The STV36 features an independent
PTO, cruise control, high capacity
transmission, power steering and
Kubota’s accelerator auto throttle
system. The cabin provides a wide
operator deck, a deluxe wide seat and
360 degree visibility, with well-placed
operating controls and low noise
and vibration levels to give complete
operator comfort.
Elm Park’s larger, cabbed GL5740
mid-size tractor is fitted with a front
loader and pallet forks. The 58hp
machine does complementary work to
the smaller tractors, both on the golf
course and around the 91 acre site.
This includes spraying the fairways,
rough mowing and pulling a rotary
mower. It’s also regularly called on
for general maintenance duties which
entail fetching and carrying tools,
equipment and materials.
It replaces a veteran 22-year-old
Kubota tractor that has given sterling
work over the years and has been
kept on to pull trailers during
busy periods.
The GL40 Series is a versatile range,
boasting high power-to-weight ratio
and a choice of several variants to suit
every application. Equipped with the
latest Kubota E-TVCS low emission
diesel engine, they are amongst the
cleanest on the market. Delivering
unrivalled power output and complying
with Stage IIIA European Emission
regulations, these state-of-the-art
engines are low on fuel consumption,
noise and vibration, enhancing
both operator comfort and overall
productivity.
“We have used several other makes
of tractors but the Kubota machines
are by far the most trouble free
machines we have had to date,” said
Mr Sheridan, the sports club’s course
superintendent. “They have given us
no problems at all despite working
like trojans.”
The club carries out all its own
equipment maintenance and it was the
strongly held view of its mechanic that
Kubota machines were the simplest
and easiest to service that clinched
management’s decision to move
towards an all-Kubota fleet.
“Both the compact and the midrange
Kubota tractors represent the
most cost-effective way for us to get
the power we need to carry out the
various groundcare tasks that need
tackling with the minimum of effort,”
said Mr Sheridan
For more information about
Kubota’s market leading tractors,
ride-on mowers, and the classleading
RTV900 all-terrain utility
vehicle, as well as details of local
dealers, contact:
Kubota Tractor &
Groundcare Division
Tel: 0800 023 1111
ROI: 1 800 848 000
Email: sales@kubota.co.uk
or visit www.kubota.co.uk
June 2009
5

News
New 6 tonne
mobile yard ramp
from Thorworld
A 6 tonne (6000kg) capacity mobile
yard ramp has been added to the
extensive range available from loading
and unloading equipment specialists,
Thorworld Industries Ltd. Measuring
10.9m long with a usable width of
2240mm, it has been introduced in
response to customer requests for a
more lightweight yard ramp available at
an economy price.
The new ramp becomes the smallest
model in Thorworld’s Standard Ramp
range, which now covers 6, 7 and 10
tonne capacity versions. All ramps
are CE marked and conform to all
European quality and safety standards
and legislation.
The three Standard Ramps are
intended for light duty applications
where they might perhaps only be used
for up to 3-4 times a day. They are
ideal for the fast and efficient loading
and unloading of vehicle trailers and
containers by fork truck, particularly
where there is no raised loading dock.
Ruggedly built of solid beam
construction, the ramps have a serrated
open grid deck for positive traction in all
weathers and, if required, they can be
quickly and easily moved to a different
location. A hand-operated hydraulic
pump quickly raises them to the
required height and they are equipped
as standard with 1.8m of safety chain
on each side for securing to the truck or
loading dock.
The new Standard light duty model now
joins others in Thorworld’s marketleading
line-up of steel mobile container
loading ramps of varying capacities.
The Super Deluxe/Recycling Ramp
is available in both 12 and 15 tonne
capacities, ideal for heavy duty
applications, typically on a consistent
three-shift operation, in the most
rigorous working environments such as
the recycling industry.
The Deluxe Ramp is available in a 10
tonne capacity and is ideally suited
for medium duty applications, such as
continual use on a single shift basis.
Bespoke models can be supplied
to meet individual requirements
and a comprehensive service and
maintenance back-up facility is
available to help ensure that the ramps
are always kept in top condition.
A ramp rental facility is also provided
through the company’s RentARamp
operation, with a sale or return option.
Thorworld is firmly established as
a leading, one-stop, single source
supplier to the loading bay and
materials handling sectors, and is
recognised as both a leader and
innovator in the provision of quality
engineered equipment.
BSI registered with ISO 9002
accreditation since 1992, as well as CE
mark certification, it was one of the first
companies in the industry to achieve
the ISO 9001:2000 international quality
management standard.
In addition to its mobile yard ramps,
Thorworld provides a wide range
of high quality loading & unloading
equipment and loading bay accessories
& safety aids, such as: dock shelters &
seals, dock levellers, modular loading
docks, dock plates & boards, dock &
vehicle bumpers and wheel chocks, as
well as the Truckloada mobile yardlift
and the Dockloada scissor lift platform.
For more information about
Thorworld mobile yard ramps or
loading bay equipment and to
obtain a copy of the latest Product
Range Catalogue, contact:
Thorworld Industries Ltd
Station Lane Industrial Estate,
Old Whittington, Chesterfield,
Derbyshire, S41 9QX
Tel: 01246 260981
Fax: 01246 260493
Email: info@thorworld.co.uk
Web: www.thorworld.co.uk
innovation in design
6
June 2009

news
Lafarge Cement’s
Barnstone plant
achieves safety
milestone
HSS crowned
Hire Company
of the Year
HSS Hire, the national tool and equipment hire
company, has received glowing accolades from
the Hire Association Europe (HAE) with award
wins across multiple categories at the HAE
Awards of Excellence 2009.
Lafarge Cement’s Barnstone
Works team of around 45 people
(and 15 full time contractors)
is keeping its sights set firmly
on safety and has reached a
significant milestone to prove it.
The Works has achieved 1000
days without a Lost Time Injury
(LTI) - an injury that prevents an
employee or contractor returning
to work the next day.
The cement works at Barnstone
has operated since the 1880s. In
2005 Lafarge Cement UK phased
out cement clinker production
and focused on the growing
blending and packing operation
for Lafarge’s innovative, marketleading
ready-to-use packed
products. The Barnstone site
produces materials for customers
in more than 20 countries.
Barnstone Plant manager
Chris Stephens commented:
“The safety of all employees,
contractors and visitors is our
top priority. I am delighted we
have reached this milestone -
all credit to the great team
here. I encourage everyone
to continue with this focus
and ensure we all work safely
every day.
“In that 1000 days (or around
143 weeks) we have had a lot
of developments taking place
on site like the installation of a
new sand dryer and a second
packing machine to pack our
products into plastic bags.
So taking this into account
as well, it really is a fantastic
achievement.
“Using risk assessment and
safe working procedures to
challenge the way we do
things helps keep us all on the
ball and avoid unnecessary
risks. And of course we have
strict safety policies in place.
Now we must continue with
this resolute attention to safety
so we can look ahead to our
next target milestone - three
years without an LTI on this
site.”
HSS was crowned ‘Hire Company of the Year’
and also walked away with ‘Best Contribution
to Environmental Issues’ as well as – for the
second year running – Hire Industry Website
of the Year. Of the Hire Company of the Year
award, CEO Chris Davies said: “I’m thrilled and
delighted that the hard work and commitment of
all our colleagues has been recognised.”
And speaking about the other two awards,
HSS Marketing Director Fiona Perrin added:
“At HSS, we have a sincere commitment to
our environmental and CSR responsibilities.
We’ve proved that with our recent ISO14001
accreditation and to win the award for Best
Contribution to Environmental Issues confirms
it. And we are delighted to have again won the
award for Best Website - it reflects our ongoing
commitment to being customer focused, making
our services accessible and user friendly.”
innovation in design
innovation in design
June 2009
7

news
Smart results
for Sullair
PAC 80E
breaker
system
Sullair has launched its
new, revolutionary, highly
portable PAC 80 Evolution
breaker system in the UK,
Europe and America to
tremendous acclaim.
The Sullair PAC 80E is a compact,
lightweight air compressor,
revolutionary because its power output
is similar to a hydraulic power pack,
but with the same weight and size. It
is powered by a Honda GX200 engine
and can easily be lifted by two people
and transported in a small van.
Furthermore, the PAC80E comes with
a range of Smart Pressure tools which
currently features the MX22 concrete
breaker, the SX5 chipping hammer and
the SX10 pick. Sullair are developing
more tools for this range which will
further ensure its convenience and
popularity.
At the recent Executive Hire Show in
Coventry, the PAC80E range (through
distributor Oswald Record) was
nominated and accepted to enter the
most innovative new product award.
Sullair was pleased to announce that
it was placed 3rd out of the 10 new
products chosen, with its safety and low
vibration being highly commended.
The positive reception the PAC80E has
received is helped by the vibration and
productivity data being readily available
through the HAVTEC* register,
ensuring this information can be easily
confirmed by companies or operators.
A very successful launch of the new
PAC 80E and Smart Pressure tools was
held in Holland during February where,
again, the practical attributes of this
new range were welcomed, in particular
the low vibration and general safety of
the equipment. Sullair is determined
to continue with the original intentions
of this range, to produce the lowest
vibration and highest safety features but
still achieve equal productivity to similar
size and weight tools no matter how
they are powered.
During February and March, Sullair also
launched the range at both the World
of Concrete exhibition and at the ARA
show. Safety is high on the agenda
today in the construction industry in
America and the range received very
high interest. Although anti-vibration
is not as highly established in America
as in Europe, the fact that the MX22
Paving Breaker has a fixed handle,
but also produces very low vibration
figures, was a feature which interested
all the safety officers who attended.
Oswald Record, specialist supplier of
pneumatic tools and light construction
plant, is the sole UK importer of Sullair
equipment and offers the full range at
all of their five depots throughout the
UK.
* The Hand-arm Vibration Test Centre
(HAVTEC) register can be accessed via
the OPERC website at: www.operc.com
8
June 2009

June 2009
9

news
No waste for Franks
with Doosan
equipment
A Surrey based
dry waste recycling
company has
recently taken
delivery of a
Doosan DX160W
wheeled excavator
for use in a new
recycling and
materials recovery
unit, with the
machine’s compact
dimensions and
low noise levels
being essential
factors in its
choice.
J & J Franks, which has been
operating a sand quarry at its
Betchworth site since the 1950’s, has
since developed the business into a
fully integrated quarrying and waste
solutions business under the guidance
of Peter Crate who took over the
company from his father in 1998.
One of the first tasks undertaken
by Mr. Crate was to replace ageing
equipment with the best value and
quietest excavators and wheeled
loaders he could find at the time,
resulting in the purchase of a fleet of
Doosan machines.
Commenting on his choice of Doosan,
Mr. Crate said, “The first machines
not only fully met our expectations in
terms of performance, noise levels
and fuel efficiency but also their
residual values have proved to be
extremely strong. I have therefore
stuck to the brand ever since for
both our quarry and waste recycling
activities.”
The latest DX160W excavator,
supplied by local dealer Promac
Solutions of Aldermaston, is currently
the fifth Doosan on site and has been
equipped with an hydraulic high-rise
cab to provide up to 2m of extra height
for maximum operating visibility, a
rotating sorting grab and a height
limiter to enable it to work safely within
the new 8 m high recycling building -
a height dictated by local green belt
building restrictions.
The DX160W is powered by a Doosan
6-cylinder common-rail diesel engine
developing 99 kW (132 hp) @ 2000
rpm and weighs approximately 17
tonne in the configuration supplied to
J & J Franks.
For more information visit
www.doosanuk.com or contact:
Kevin Lynch
Doosan Infracore UK ltd
Tel: 01443 842273
innovation in design
10
June 2009

A Quick Switch
back to semi-automatic hitches
Special report
The voluntary ban on new semi-automatic hitches that came
into being last October seems to have created confusion and
uncertainty within the construction industry. In the drive to tackle
the problems with hitches the industry has been pushed towards
adoption of fully automatic or manual type hitches.
Many remain sceptical about claims
that the automatic systems offer
greater safety to the tried and tested
semi-automatics. Some have reported
problems with jamming when debris
gets into the locking mechanism. More
alarmingly, many have pointed out that
operators cannot have full confidence
that the hitch is safely engaged – the very
problem that the HSE-led ban sought to
resolve.
With a number of deaths in recent years
on sites, it may only be a matter of time
before a serious accident involving a
fully automatic system will show that the
cure has failed and the patient is still
sick. Then the whole issue of quick hitch
systems will need to be addressed once
again.
Now, though, one company appears
to have come up with a fool-proof
and inexpensive fix that won’t force
you to throw the baby out with the
bathwater – a welcome message for
hard-pressed company accountants and
plant managers and, crucially, for safety
professionals.
Hertfordshire-based Quick Switch UK
has patented a revolutionary system
using cutting-edge technology that should
make your existing semi-automatic 100
per cent safe. Semis are still wholly legal
innovation in design
innovation in design
to use as the ban only prevents the
manufacture and supply of new semis
in the UK market. Quick Switch focused
their product development on the fact
that in almost all instances of accidents
or fatalities the problem was not with
the semi-automatic quick hitch but
was instead down to operator misuse.
They decided that in addition to training
something more was needed to ensure
operators used the equipment correctly.
The main product, which has been
trialled on several sites (including
the Olympic site in East London),
is a warning system that will trigger
an alarm in the cab as soon as the
safety pin is removed. Simultaneously
a beacon on the cab roof will start
flashing, warning anyone working
nearby that the machine is not in
safe mode. Other configurations are
available as required by the customer.
Tony Bianchi, managing director of
Quick Switch, said: “It seems absurd to
change perfectly good semi-automatic
hitches that with our product are
as safe, if not safer, than the fully
automatic. There is no safer hitch than
a semi-automatic with the safety pin
in and our product ensures just that.
We like to think of it as the operator’s
conscience in the cab.”
The company is participating in a
BSI panel set up to contribute to the
development of standards on quick
couplers and Bianchi said, “I hope
that our contribution to this panel will
strengthen the case for the continuing
use of the semi-automatic system. It is
after all universally accepted that the
operator is the weak link rather than the
hitch itself. That is why we developed
our system to challenge bad working
practices and remind the operator of his
responsibilities.”
For further information contact:
Tony Bianchi, Quick Switch UK on
Tel: 01923 267 608 or 07813 069 375.
June 2009
11

special report
12
June 2009

OPERC
Summer
Conference
Thursday 16th July 2009 11am-5pm
Hatherton Hotel, Penkridge, Stafford.
Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
Presentations will include:
Visibility issues on forward tipping site dump trucks
Fall protection for tail lifts
Mini excavator stability issues
The safe use of cut off saws
Access step equipment for large earthmoving machinery
The OPERC health and safety test for process operations
(within Quarries)
Operator competence within the quarrying industry
The total cost of ownership
This event is hosted by
Spillard Safety Systems
This event is FREE to attend.
For further information and to
register on-line please visit
the News and Events pages
on the OPERC website
(www.operc.com) or email us
at: enquiries@operc.com.
Pictures taken at previous OPERC events

Special report
Notable hazards
The most general of excavator hazards
include those associated with all
mechanised mobile equipment, such as
being hit, struck or crushed, entrapment
by moving parts and exposure to
physical agents such as whole-body
vibration and noise.
Some hazards associated with
excavators will relate to the
environment in which they are operating
and, especially in the case of highway
works, these include the specific
dangers of collision with other vehicles
and the risk of contact with electrical
supply equipment, whether buried
or overhead.
Mini-excavators
…small machines with
significant hazards
The term ‘mini-excavator’ is
generally taken to represent all
forms of machine less than seven
tonnes in weight, that feature a
tracked undercarriage (usually
rubber), hydraulic boom and dipper
arm – and often – a front mounted
grading blade. Some manufacturers
may use slightly different
classifications or descriptions,
such as ‘micro’ or ‘midi’, to
represent these smaller cousins of
their much larger and hugely more
powerful 360° counterparts.
such as clearing site, excavating,
trenching, grading and breaking.
However, small physical size
should not mask the ability of miniexcavators
to present significant
health and safety hazards. Indeed,
fatality statistics for workplace
transport for the period 2001/02 to
2007/08 (the latter provisional at
time of writing this article), indicate
that all kinds of hazards, from
all categories of mobile plant or
equipment, should be viewed as
potentially life-threatening.
One particular hazard associated with
mini-excavators however, is that of
machine overturn. ‘Minis’ exhibit this
tendency mainly because of their small
undercarriage area and often very
narrow width. Overturn can be defined
as either
rollover – where a machine rolls onto
its side or end through 90° from its
‘normal’ vertical position; or
turnover – where a machine turns
through more than 90° and may in
extreme cases turn over several
times.
The risk of turnover is particularly
associated with working on or near a
gradient and the health risks to both the
operator and anyone else in the vicinity
of the machine are readily apparent.
The potential damage (and associated
cost) to both the machine and any
other nearby physical asset cannot be
overlooked either.
Mini-excavators have become extremely
popular over recent years, being equally
useful to a host of engineering industry
sectors including building, civil engineering,
highways and utility works. This popularity
may be illustrated by the approximate 20%
year-on-year growth in number of units
sold within the UK between 1992 and 2005,
although present economic conditions have
put a stop to this trend for the time being.
The popularity of mini-excavators can be
attributed to characteristics such as their
relatively low capital and running costs,
excellent versatility (especially for accessing
and working within constrained places such
as caissons or buildings), ease of operation
and applicability to a host of work activities,
Source: Abstracted from “Comprehensive Statistics in Support of the Revitalising Health and Safety
Programmes 2007/08. Workplace Transport”. The Health and Safety Commission (2008).
14
June 2009

Special report
Mechanical controls
For many items of driven plant, some
operator protection can be afforded
by the use of mechanical controls
such as turnover protection structures
(TOPS), rollover protection structures
(ROPS) and lap straps (or other forms
of seat restraint). In some instances
therefore, the integrity of an enclosed
machine cab on a mini-excavator might
offer better overturn protection to the
operator when compared to those
variants fitted with a canopy only.
Where ROPS are fitted, the use of
seat restraints can be instrumental in
helping mitigate operator injuries during
overturn (preventing the operator being
crushed between the machine and
the ground).
However, although mechanical
controls are an essential part of
safety considerations, their main
feature is that they serve to mitigate
risk after an event, for example
overturn, has happened; they do little
to help prevent such occurrence from
arising. The best protection against
these kind of hazards is to adopt an
holistic approach to health and safety,
embracing mechanical, procedural and
administrative risk controls, with the
intention of avoiding the overturn from
occurring in the first place.
Procedural and administrative
controls
Procedural and administrative controls
are varied. Firstly, a thorough and
complete risk assessment should be
carried out for all proposed excavation
work and in some circumstances the
outcome may indicate that a miniexcavator
is not the best machine for
the job. For example, if the work is
on a gradient, a small machine (given
its narrow width and small ‘footprint’)
may be too unstable, especially when
slewing, moving loads or with the
bucket fully charged. In such cases
a larger or alternative item of work
equipment should be used to eliminate
the hazard(s) at source.
Machine selection is by its nature a
function of company procurement
decisions and any plant item purchased
(or hired) must be appropriate and safe
for the expected nature of work to which
it will be exposed. When taking such
decisions, close communication with
machine manufacturers is essential, as
they are best placed to furnish technical
information about their products and
advise on which size or class of plant
item is most suited to a user’s need.
In the case of mini-excavator stability
for example, many manufacturers use
‘tilt-tables’ to identify at what angle
of inclination a machine will become
unstable in different configurations
(e.g. in relation to its given blade and
arm positions) and may make this data
available. However, some caution is
required when considering such data,
because the static nature of a tilt test
does not necessarily reflect the shifting
centre of gravity and dynamic forces
induced into a mini-excavator when it is
being operated.
Procedural controls must also embrace
company health and safety guidance
– it is after all a legal requirement that
employers furnish adequate information
to their employees, for example
through induction procedures and
ongoing training.
Operator training and
competence
All appropriate persons should have
adequate health and safety information
and guidance on an item of work
equipment - in this instance a miniexcavator
- if they are to operate it,
and where appropriate that information
should be in written form.
There have been instances where
overturn of a mini-excavator has
occurred simply because the operator
was using the machine in a way
that it was not intended to be used,
or because they were performing a
dangerous operation. Examples include
tracking across a gradient rather
than up or down it, travelling too fast,
working the machine while its tracks
are unevenly supported and driving up
steep trailer ramps while the trailer is
parked on an incline.
Where such actions are a result
of ignorance, a lack of operator
knowledge is suggested. Where these
kinds of action are demonstrated by
experienced or competent persons,
then this blatant disregard for health
and safety (worker apathy) certainly
highlights inadequate supervision at the
very least.
The issue of operator competence
must be at the root of safe miniexcavator
operation. The Approved
Code of Practice for the Provision and
Use of Work Equipment Regulations
(1998) makes clear that self-propelled
equipment should only be driven by
operators that are competent, in the
sense that they have undertaken
appropriate training in its safe
operation. There are a host of
approved training providers who can
deliver such training in relation to all
types of self-propelled equipment and
further guidance may be sought in
this respect on the Health and Safety
Executive website.
Conclusion
To conclude, while mini-excavators
might represent one of the smallest of
plant items, their size should not detract
from the magnitude of health and
safety hazards they can present. These
hazards should not be overlooked
and an adequate assessment of
risk must be undertaken before any
mini-excavator is put to work. Risk
control decisions should be holistic,
embracing mechanical, procedural and
administrative aspects – as appropriate
to the specific circumstances. Whilst
machine manufacturers should be
consulted if technical data is required, it
is equally, if not more, important to seek
professional health and safety guidance
where appropriate, before making
important health and safety decisions.
June 2009
15

special report
Spot-checks
highlight danger of
unrestrained vehicle loads
A series of safety checks
recently undertaken
in England and Wales
has revealed that more
than three quarters of
vehicles stopped were
not loaded safely –
putting motorists and
loading staff at risk.
Officials from the Health and Safety
Executive (HSE) and the Vehicle
Operator Services Agency (VOSA)
stopped 40 vehicles during three days
of checks in Wrexham, Birmingham
and Humberside.
Although the majority needed
remedial action to make the load
safe for onward travel and unloading,
in most cases drivers were able
to solve the problem safely within
minutes. Further checks are now
planned.
During the last three years, 14
people have been killed and more
than 2,000 people have been injured
by cargo falling from vehicles when
they are being loaded or unloaded.
Marcia Davies, Head of Injury
Reduction at HSE, said:
“Although this was a relatively small
number of checks the proportion
of vehicles with a problem is
alarming. The fatal and serious
injuries suffered during loading and
unloading are needless tragedies
and lives are often shattered as
a result. Taking simple safety
measures can avoid this misery.
“Vehicles which are loaded safely
for the road can usually be safely
unloaded at the workplace – and vice
versa. A significant number of manual
handling injuries, falls from heights
and accidents caused by falling
objects result from poorly restrained
loads shifting in transit. HSE will
be launching a campaign offering
guidance and advice on loading and
unloading later this year.”
John Fitch, VOSA’s Research and
Development Manager said:
“VOSA and HSE recognise that
insecure loads present a great
risk to road safety. We are keen to
participate in HSE’s new campaign to
highlight the issues of insecure loads,
provide education and information
for the haulage industry and reduce
congestion caused by load loss.”
innovation in design
16
April 2009

Special report
Badly secured loads pose a number of risks,
including:
Shedding loads in transit, endangering
other road users and causing traffic
disruption.
Vehicles overturning when they become
unstable following a load shifting in transit.
Loads moving inside the vehicle during
transit which then fall off at the point of
delivery, with potential to cause injury.
Workers climbing onto trailers to deal
with a load that has shifted in transit then
falling because they have a precarious
foot hold, or being struck by parts of the
load or suffering manual handling injuries
when they try to unload the vehicle.
Damage to goods being carried.
Kate Gibbs, from the Road Haulage
Association, said:
“A considerable amount of work has been
conducted on the important issue of load
restraint. Key stakeholders have been
involved in assessing where the main
problems are and looking at how we bring
about the necessary improvement required.
“Items such as vehicle design and
specification, including the correct restraints
for specific loads, loading dynamics, route
planning, loader and driver training are just
a few of the factors requiring consideration
prior to despatching loads.”
Jo Tanner, of the Freight Transport
Association (FTA), said:
“Overloaded or badly loaded lorries can
present a real health risk if they are not
managed properly, both during unloading
and while in transit. It is of major concern
that people are still being killed by something
that can be prevented so easily and we fully
support the work of HSE and VOSA to help
reduce future tragedies occurring.”
There’s nothing
fishy about COD!
For some time now industry seems
to have been preoccupied with
the notion that all employees must
secure evidence of Continual
Professional Development (CPD).
This has largely been achieved
with attendance at seminars,
workshops or training sessions,
but often there is little evidence
that individuals have actually
retained sufficient knowledge
from these activities. Frequently,
delegates attend only and are
rarely examined or assessed
thereafter. There is clearly value
in these activities but is the generic
content of such sessions suitable
to all occupations?
A growing body of professionals
believe that for employees at
the coalface of industry the
traditional CPD event should be
refocused and realigned more
towards Continual Occupational
Development (COD), by providing
practical sessions where
employees work together to
understand pertinent issues
facing them in the workplace,
such as why traffic control
measures are needed on site or
why health surveillance is required
when using vibrating work tools.
It is thought that too many training
sessions concentrate upon the
negative connotations of bad practice
in a somewhat dry classroom or
conference type event. Whilst this
mode may work well with professional
and middle to senior management
many question its validity for workers.
Far more practical and interactive
demonstration is required to enhance
the existing textural learning
resources; good examples are:
tool box talks;
manufacturer demonstrations;
interactive workshops; and.
on-site conversion training (when
using new features on a machine
such as attachments)
The messages within COD activities
(which include learning by doing as
well as observing) should reinforce
positive cultural attitudes within
the workplace, provide hands
on experience, add to existing
training skills sets and ultimately
improve the ability and knowledge
of the workforce. Occupational and
professional development need to
be clearly defined as two separate
activities aimed at very different
audiences.
innovation in design
innovation in design
June 2009
17

Special report
A Man of All
Round Vision
Interview with
Vic Spillard, Spillard
Safety Systems
Vic Spillard is director of Spillard Safety
Systems, a company he founded in the
early 90’s and which today provides
industry leading solution packages for
the safe operation of mobile plant, such
as All Round Vision convex mirrors,
Optronics mobile CCTV systems,
PreView object detection radar systems
and the award-winning VCAS vehicle
collision avoidance systems.
So how did Vic, who left school
at the age of 15 to work as a
butcher, come to be involved
with plant and equipment
and form a company whose
products make such a
tremendous contribution to
machine safety?
Peter Spillard with the SED 2007
Award of Excellence for VCAS
Vic first met his wife Jean when
they were just teenagers and it
was a friend of Jean’s parents who
first introduced Vic to the world of
plant by finding him a position at
RA Davies, the largest opencast
mining/quarrying company in
Europe. Vic was soon driving D8
and D9 bulldozers and rigid dump
trucks at a time when a 45 tonne
machine was a big truck!
Vic worked hard and for long hours,
with only a Saturday afternoon
free each week to meet Jean in
Wolverhampton, where she worked.
Shortly after they were married, Vic
met Jean as usual but had to tell
his newly-wed wife that his next job
would be working on a railway in
Germany for 6 months! Following
work around the globe was to be a
pattern for Vic as he has travelled
throughout his career, always
ensuring his employment.
In 1990, after a varied career
spanning 30 years with companies
such as RA Davies, Wilson Lovatt
(Modern Plant Sales) and Aveling
Barford, Vic decided it was time to
take his extensive plant knowledge
and branch out on his own. As a
result, and with support from his
wife Jean, he launched Spillard
Plant Consultations with his son
Craig, who later left the company
but rejoined his father in 2004.
For the first two years Vic focused
mainly on selling used construction
equipment together with operator
training and consultancy work in
the UAE.
Providing customer solutions has
been the ethos of the company
from its inception. An early
approach by Redlands (now
Lafarge) resulted in Spillards
developing a full harness rollover
restraint system for retro-fitting
Redland’s mobile plant. As a result,
Vic started to promote such wear
parts and it was at this time that
his other son Peter joined the
company.
From his practical experience and
the present day standards it was
obvious to Vic that safety for the
18
June 2009

special report
operator and site personnel must
be a priority. It was the search for a
number of customer solutions in 1993
that became the catalyst which helped
shape Spillards into the company that
it is today. One particular request from
customer Wimpey Homes plc to solve
their visibility problems on haul trucks
led to an agreement for Spillards to
become the UK distributors for Orlaco
and Sony camera systems, providing
what was cutting edge camera
technology at that time. The first
camera Vic purchased cost £1,700 yet
today an equivalent could cost £750
and economy products are on the
market for as little as £150!
Interest in reversing aids grew, as
convex mirrors began being fitted to
wheeled loaders and then excavators
and 1994 Spillards introduced the
All Round Vision brand, which was
officially launched at the Hillhead
exhibition in 1995. To support the
ever expanding service demand, Mr
Andrew Bristow, now Senior Engineer
and Mobile Plant Assessor, joined
Peter in field sales and marketing.
However, Vic was still keen to keep on
improving the convex mirror product.
Whilst out in the USA in 1998, son
Peter spotted some convex mirrors
on a New York yellow school bus
which he thought warranted further
investigation and asked Vic and Jean
to join him to see the mirrors and
meet the supplier. Having decided that
the mirrors provided better vision Vic
made an agreement with the company
Mirror Lite for Spillards to become the
exclusive European distributor. The
first 50 units were bought and demand
was soon outstripping supply.
The All Round Vision convex mirrors
were soon seen to be the solution
in most cases to complete an all
round visibility package supplied
by Spillards. Supported by Rob
Pearce, HSE Inspector, Quarries
and Mr Barry Robinson, MBE, who
at the time worked for Finning UK
Ltd, the use of convex mirrors was
set to gain widespread industry
support. Finning awarded a contract
to Spillards to provide visibility
improvement packages for their
wheeled loaders and dumptrucks and
the improvement programme gained
HSE acknowledgement and a QNJAC
Safety award.
Vic and his wife Jean
With other products, such as the
Optronics colour rear view system,
now also in production, the direction
of the company was firmly established
and the name was changed to Spillard
Safety Systems to better reflect this.
Vic and his sons have continued to
build upon the products and services
they offer and clearly share a passion
to keep improving the safety of the
operators and other site personnel
that work with mobile plant. Today,
Spillard Safety Systems supplies a
wide range of products and services
for a variety of operational problems
such as visibility, detection, comfort,
restraint, warning and control. As
well as the convex mirrors and
rear view cameras, there are radar
Vic with his two sons, Craig and Peter
systems, safety lighting systems,
roll over restraint systems, seat
belts and seating systems and the
VCAS vehicle collision avoidance
system. Today, they are still looking
for new innovation, and have
recently purchased a new engine
management system called Flight
Systems from a company in South
Africa.
Vic told us that his aim has always
been to provide solutions rather
than just selling boxes of safety
equipment, so Spillards will still offer
free site and safety surveys to all
customers and installation services
are carried out by their own team
of in-house engineers. This is the
key difference with Vic and the
June 2009
19

Special report
Interview
with
Vic Spillard
continued...
UCATT welcomes
Government
moves on Workers’
Memorial Day
Spillards company - they have never
lost that personal touch or indeed
their enthusiasm.
Vic is also passionate about
encouraging young people into the
industry. He said:
“We need more young people in
engineering and the plant and
equipment sector. It always puzzles
me why schools push children
down the pure sciences route when
there is a clear need to develop
young people in the biblical trades.
Schools should be encouraged
more to visit coal sites, construction
projects and manufacturing plants.
When I employ someone, I look
for life skills and personal traits not
just academic ability – it seems as
though everyone has a degree these
days. I do practice what I preach and
the company has taken on 3 young
apprentices who go to college each
week. It’s important that we support
youth development as they are the
future that we all rely upon.”
Without a doubt, Vic Spillard
is one of the industry’s true
entrepreneurs. He shows us all that
a vision combined with hard work,
perseverance, a supportive family
and a practical ‘open’ mind can
lead to success and respect, and
deservedly so.
Construction union UCATT has
welcomed initial moves by the
Government to properly recognise
International Workers’ Memorial Day.
On 28th April 2009 the Department
for Work and Pensions launched
a consultation to examine how to
officially recognise the day.
International Worker’s Memorial
Day has become increasingly well
supported in recent years. It is always
held on the 28th April and it is the
day when workers come together to
remember former colleagues who
have been killed or injured at work. A
growing number of organisations hold
services and events on the day.
Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of
UCATT, said: “Workers’ Memorial Day
is becoming an increasingly important
date in the calendar of workers. It is
the day when workers come together
to remember the dead and fight
for the living. I am pleased that the
Government now recognise just how
important this date is.”
UCATT’s policy is that an
additional bank holiday should be
created in order to properly mark
International Workers’ Memorial
Day. A number of countries
already celebrate the date in this
way.
Mr Ritchie, added; “Ideally the
Government will decide to mark
the day with a bank holiday.
However the organisation of a
minute’s silence and greater
encouragement for services and
events to mark the day within
workplaces would also be an
important step forward.”
Workers’ Memorial Day is a
particularly poignant day for
UCATT as construction is the
most dangerous industry in Britain
with 72 construction workers
being killed in 2007/08.
For further information contact
Barckley Sumner on 0780 2329235
For more information on Spillard
Safety Systems, PEP readers should
visit the Spillard website at
www.spillard.com or contact:
Spillard Safety Systems
Solutions House
Deepmore Close
Four Ashes
Wolverhampton
WV10 7DB
Tel: 01902 79 79 30
innovation in design
20
June 2009

Don’t be a monkey!
For more details please contact:
Mr Chris Miller
National Registrar
Contractors Mechanical Plant Engineers,
Woodside House, Pedmore Road,
Dudley, West Midlands, DY2 ORL
Tel: 01384 352403
Fax: 01384 350269
Email: millplant@aol.com
www.cmpe.co.uk
Get trained!
Get competent!
Get the CMPE
Certificate of
Competence.
innovation in design
innovation in design
June 2009
21

special report
Hilti CP 638 load bearing firestop mortar - the
correct way to firestop a service penetration
4fire
enhance productivity
and safety with Hilti
Firestop products
Hilti is working
with fire
protection
specialists 4fire
to establish a
winning formula
for Firestop
installations.
Quality safe installations
4fire are based in Mansfield,
Nottingham and specialise in
fire protection, with a turnover of
£1million and 14 employees within
the workforce. The company provides
quality safe installations as a cost
effective solution to passive fire
protection for building requirements.
As a member of FIRAS it is a third
party approved company ensuring the
highest quality, passive fire protection
installations. This enables 4fire’s
clients to have security in knowing that
the systems they install will not fail in
a fire.
The company has been dealing
with Hilti for 3 years and continue
to purchase Hilti products due to
the quality, technical support and
advanced testing on firestop products.
Sound safety meets
Standards
4fire embarked upon a strategy to
bring forward the importance of using
third party accredited products and
installers to main contractors. The
company began this process by trying
at tender stage to influence product
specifications for products tested to
BS476 part 20/22. Hilti products all
meet the requirements of this British
Standard. However they also have a
number of other tests and approvals
relevant to the particular application in
which they are used, such as mould
resistance and movement capability.
Furthermore, all HIlti products are
tested by a relevant accredited third
party, such as the Loss Prevention
Certification Board, giving reassurance
that the quality and performance has
been checked.
Critical smoke seal
The sound safety of Hilti products is
important as many specifications at
tender stage do not take into account
other relevant factors, i.e. suitable
elastomeric properties of products or
the ability to stop smoke. Many ‘head
of wall’ and curtain wall to slab edge
protection specifications request the
use of a dry fit mineral fibre system,
which does not allow for thermal
movement and in most cases does
not provide a smoke seal. As smoke
is the biggest killer in the event of a
fire, this should be a deciding factor
in specification and not just integrity
against the fire itself.
Justin Scottmurphy from 4fire
commented, “Additionally, method
statements are still being produced
recommending the use of sand/
cement mortar to make good builders’
work after installation of services.
Document B is very clear that this
is not a suitable solution as regular
mortar reduces in size after curing
and provides no smoke seal. Also,
due to the nature of the product, it
does not allow thermal movement,
22
June 2009

special report
so with expansion and contraction
rates of buildings and services being
different, this type of detail becomes
very ineffective and does not provide
the protection required in order to
preserve life and property.”
Crucial engineering
judgements
Another major reason that Hilti
appealed to 4fire is the facility to
produce engineering judgements for
the full range of firestop products.
Standard details can be drawn up for
any application recommending the
correct products to give the required
fire rating. This service is invaluable
to 4fire and their clients, many of
whom do not have large technical
departments with the capability to
produce technical drawing.
Quicker installation,
enhancing productivity
Hilti’s solutions have been benefiting
and adding value to 4fire through
the excellent design solutions, which
enable the firestop product range to
be compatible for all types of details,
providing effective firestop solutions.
Justin Scottmurphy added, “As Hilti
firestop systems are easy to use and
quick to install, productivity is higher
than using other manufacturer’s
products.”
Additionally, because of the way that
Hilti products are developed and
designed, a lot of on-site health and
safety risks are removed for 4fire,
particularly in relation to CoSHH and
work activity. This means that a safer
installation can be achieved.
Reduced Liability
The combination of high quality, third
party approved products installed
by a third party approved contractor
not only ensures the best possible
fire protection for the customers but
it also means that the liability for the
customer is reduced greatly. 4fire can
offer peace of mind to their customers
that they are acting responsibly and
ensuring the best possible protection
in the event of a fire.
Bright future for 4fire and
Hilti partnership
This solution has become the basis for
all firestop installations at 4fire. Justin
Scottmurphy commented, “I have
worked with Hilti for ten years, with
regards to firestop, tools and fixings.
Upon formation of 4fire, it was natural
to proceed with Hilti as our sole
supplier, as from experience these
products are the market leaders. Hilti
products do out-perform and out-last
any competitor’s products.”
4fire
4Fire Limited is an approved
third party accredited passive fire
protection contractor, with the
quality, expertise and technical
knowledge required to complete
installations conforming to current
legislative standards.
Services offered include:
firestopping, fire protection/
cavity barriers, structural
protection, compartmentation,
maintenance contracts and
consultancy services.
For further information contact:
4 Fire Limited
Unit 8-9 Highfield Way,
Mansfield, Nottingham,
NG18 5DF
Email: info@4fire.org.uk
Tel: 0870 401 9990
Fax: 0870 401 9991
The Hilti Firestop range includes
everything needed to produce
secure, age-tested seal against
fire. They are the only firestop
products of their kind to be
approved by the Loss Prevention
Certification Board.
Hilti trains professional
contractors in the correct
installation procedures to meet all
prevailling standards and codes,
thus reducing your liability.
To find out more contact:
Hilti (Gt. Britain) Limited
1 Trafford Wharf Road, Trafford
Park, Manchester, M17 1BY
Freephone: 0800 083 0858
Justin Scottmurphy from 4fire (centre) pictured with Alex Maw,
Hilti Account Manager (left) and Dayle Credland, Hilti Firestop Specialist (right)
Freefax: 0800 886 200
June 2009
23

expert opinion
Expert opinion:
Application of occupational standards
Why is there so much conflict in
the world today? A few may argue
that the Bible, Quran and other
great books of faith are at fault and
that religion is divisive but most
would agree that the problems are
not with the truth in the words of
great scholars and prophets but
rather the interpretation (or rather
mis-interpretation) of individuals
thereafter.
What has this got to do with the
plant and equipment community?
Well, we have our own ‘good books’,
such as the National Occupational
Standard (NOS) for Plant Operations
which will, when followed, lead to an
operator gaining a Scottish/National
Vocational Qualification (S/NVQ) - a
government recognised measure of
competency.
Although most practitioners would
agree that a generic minimum national
standard of conformance (e.g. the
NOS) is necessary to ensure best
practice, there are some who insist
that for certain topics much greater
definition is required. But is this not
misinterpreting the intention of the
standards? Is not their purpose, in line
with the whole premise of risk based
safety, to provide a general framework
that is not overly prescriptive in terms
of infinitum detail?
Let us take, for example, one much
debated topic of the moment – quick
hitch couplers. In a recent discussion,
an audience of industrialists was
asked where in the occupational
standards competency in the use of
quick-hitches is covered - no-one
passed comment. If this was due to
ignorance rather than reticence then
this is clearly worrying, as a brief look
at the standards will show that they
quite plainly encompass quick-hitches
(and other safety devices that may be
fitted to a machine).
Leading bodies within industry have
produced consulting documentation
which can be reviewed. In July
2005 the former EPIC Training and
Consulting Services Limited (now
MPQC) published the definitive
guidance for the extractive and
mineral processing industries – the
Plant Operations (Extractives)
National Occupational
Standards. Taking one section
of this, the unit of assessment
‘Prepare Machinery for Plant
and Operational Performance’,
we can see that under the
Performance Criteria (point 7)
“You must be able to: Comply
with the given contract
information to carry out the
work efficiently to the required
specification.”
innovation in design
24
June 2009

expert Opinion
This article was outlined by Mr Barry Robinson, MBE,
Specialist Trainer in Quarrying and Construction Plant and Equipment.
Barry was awarded the MBE for his services to health and safety in the quarrying industry.
The Scope of Performance for
this Performance Criteria, gives the
work-based evidence as:
“Work skills to: fit, attach, set up,
adjust, secure, check, confirm
and remove.
Use and maintain: hand tools,
ancillary equipment and/or
accessories.
Prepare plant or machinery for
operational performance to given
working instructions relating
to: set up, functional checks,
operational performance, safety
and security.”
Further, within the Scope of
Knowledge and Understanding
for Methods of Work, we find:
“Application of knowledge for
safe work practices, procedures,
skills and transference of
competence, relating to the area
of work and materials used, to:
identify the characteristics
of the plant or machinery
appropriate to the plant
operation
complete pre-use checks
select ancillary equipment and/
or accessories
prepare, set up and adjust
for operational requirements,
safety and security
complete functional checks
operate and move plant or
machinery
move and remove ancillary
equipment and/or accessories
can use hand tools, ancillary
equipment and accessories.”
So quick hitches, and importantly
other safety devices, are covered and
there are good quality resources that
can be used to signpost industry to
best practice, such as the OPERC
publication ‘Guidance on the Safe Use
of Excavator Quick-hitch Devices’*. It
is quite true that the exact word ‘quickhitch’
is not specifically mentioned
in the text within the standards, but
then again neither are many of the
other types of safety device / feature
available for a wide range of plant and
machinery. What about:
quick couplers fitted to wheel
loaders;
reversing systems (radar and sonar
systems);
articulation frame locking link
systems; and
pencil beam mirrors or convex
mirrors – the list could go on.
There are two routes that can be
followed in this situation. Either
you interpret the standards as a
generic framework that provides a
minimum level of conformance when
assessing an operator (taking into
account the machine, configuration
and all attachments) or the bodies
setting the NOS must attempt to add
in every conceivable safety device
that could be fitted to a machine. It
is far better to convey the general
principles of assessment and
activities/knowledge that should be
covered than to develop alternatives
that are ephemeral, unworkable and
unsustainable - hence, the move to
risk assessment in the first place!
Referring back to quick hitch devices
once more, industrial practitioners
would consider that there are 3 types
of hitch available – manual, semiautomatic
and fully-automatic . For
the latter two types, there can be
numerous variations of each type, for
example, some fully-automatic hitches
can be single pin or dual pin locking.
Even hitches of the same specific type
could vary in terms or safe operation
and maintenance. It would be absurd
to think that the NOS should address
each of these - instructors should use
information supplied by the original
equipment or hitch manufacturer to
ensure that the operator can safely
operate the machine and hitch in
question. When utilising a new
hitch type familiarisation training
should be administered once again,
either in-house, externally or by the
manufacturer.
S/NVQs are not training, rather
they ensure that the candidate can
demonstrate competence following an
assessment. The assessment itself
is there to offer positive contributions
and feedback to the operator about
their ability in order for them to
improve upon that ability if needed
during the assessment process. The
integrity of the assessor, internal
and external verifiers and centre
management are the key to quality.
If professionals have either misread,
mis-interpreted or even failed to spot
that quick hitches are covered as part
of a thorough S/NVQ process, then
they have not understood the NOS.
Remember, S/NVQs are the only
government recognised qualification
of competence at this juncture
and although not mandatory in
all industries, those who choose
not to follow this minimum level
of qualification must ensure that
they meet the minimum level of
conformance.
*available to purchase from the OPERC
bookshop (www.operc.com) or free to
download from the Hewden website at:
www.hewden.co.uk/eh_and_s/health_and_
safety.asp.
innovation in design
innovation in design
June 2009
25

Special report
Master of
the Art:
An interview with
Fraser Pratt,
International Sales and
Marketing Expert
In this issue of PEP we conduct a short
biographical interview with arguably one of the
most foremost international salesmen in the UK,
Mr Fraser Pratt. Young salesman will find his
advice and guidance invaluable and other readers
will enjoy an interesting ‘roller coaster’ account of
life in the fast lane. Today Fraser is married with
two grown up daughters and one two year old
granddaughter. He says being surrounded
by women for the last 30 years has “softened”
him considerably!
Born in 1952 in Castle Combe
Wiltshire, Fraser Pratt was one of
eight children so perhaps he learned
how to hold his own early on. He
Joined the Royal Navy at the age of
15 and having been round the world
twice he left in 1979 to become a
salesman.
Fraser sold fire extinguishers and
engineering tools for two years before
joining Norton Clipper as their Sales
Representative for the South West
and Wales. He couldn’t have joined
at a better time as Norton were on
the fringe of developing the world’s
first laser welded dry cutting diamond
blade, the ZDH 500. This was
introduced in September 1982 and
Fraser claims to have sold the very
first blades on the 6th September to
Constable Hart in Exeter; they were
installing the new sewage system in
Pinhole at the time.
By November that year Fraser
had sold his 1,000th diamond
blade, outstripping his fellow sales
colleagues at Norton Clipper. The rest
is history, Norton Clipper went on to
become the name in diamond blades
and even though there is a huge
amount of choice in today’s market,
Fraser contends that the Clipper
brand still remains excellent value for
money if not the first choice for many.
In 1988 Fraser was promoted to
the company’s Training Officer and
was able to call upon his instructor
skills learned in the Royal Navy.
He took over all the customer and
sales force training for a number of
years, passing on his skills to others
to form one of the best product
training teams in the diamond blade
business. He claims that many of the
well known names from many plant
hire companies have attended one
of his training courses at some time
during their careers.
Fraser was promoted to Southern
Regional Sales Manager in 1991
and he built one of the most effective
sales teams in the company’s
history doubling the sales in two
years. It was Fraser who devised
the new Norton Clipper strategy to
go “distribution” which proved so
successful in the South of the UK that
it was adopted in the Northern region
and then for the whole of Europe,
helping the Norton Construction
Division grow to over 40% in two
years. As a result of Fraser’s
insightful knowledge of the market and
product, the Norton Clipper brand was
propelled to number one in Europe
during this period.
In 1998, Fraser was appointed UK
Field Sales Manager, responsible for
all the sales operation in the UK and
Ireland, and in 2000 to General Sales
Manager for Norton Clipper, with the
responsibility of running the whole
Norton Clipper operation from their
warehouse in Leicester.
Fraser and his team expanded the
business yet again reaching heights
that were only dreamed of in the
‘90’s. It was during this period that the
national deals were signed up with
the likes of Hewden Tool Hire and
Brandon Tools. His team achieved
huge success between 2000 and
2007 with massive sales promotions
of diamond blades, targeting the
European and World Football cups in
particular.
In 2004, Fraser was asked to join the
Management Team of Saint-Gobain
Abrasives, which was based in
Stafford, England. His first task was
to take over the brand rationalisation
program, reducing the 15 brands
26
June 2009

special report
acquired by Saint-Gobain Abrasives
during the acquisitions of the 1990’s
to three within two years. Fraser
also joined the European CPD
management team, giving him even
more experience to work with an
even greater selection of European
managers and introducing him to their
styles of management.
Fraser was appointed Sales Director
Distribution in 2006 and he was
tasked with completely re-organising
the Industrial Sales division and to
make the Flexovit brand the number
one choice in the UK for this business
sector. The business grew by 23%
in its first year and a further 20% in
subsequent years – it is still growing
today, despite the servere economic
conditions that have depleted sales of
abrasives products world-wide.
In June 2008, due to the economic
situation, Fraser was made redundant
as the Sales Director Distribution
along with many others at Saint-
Gobain Abrasives. However, not
wishing to lose his skills completely,
Fraser was asked to accept an
assignment with Saint-Gobain
Abrasives, South Africa.
Fraser said: “Sounds great, but do
you know that it’s an eleven hour
flight to Johannesburg! Did you know
that Johannesburg is one of the most
dangerous cities in the world to live
in and visitors aren’t allowed to carry
guns! To survive I relied on luck, a
fast car and using all the things I had
learnt in the Royal Navy 30 odd years
ago - if it looks dodgy – retreat fast!
Seriously though, South Africa is a
great country – it should not be judged
by the actions of a few hundred
mindless people in Johannesburg.
Cape Town is a great city and
everyone should visit the Kruger
National Park before they die; a place
where it is possible to get within feet
of a wild animal in its natural habitat
– where humans are actually in the
“cage” – get out of that cage and the
visitors get eaten!!”
He continued: “South Africa was a
great experience and I was able to
pass on many things to the abrasives
team down there which will help them
in the future.”
Fraser returned to the United Kingdom
at the end of March but unfortunately
for him the economic situation had
worsened considerably so with no
position available Fraser now has the
unenviable task of finding another.
Or is it? Fraser says that he has been
training people all of his working life –
so why not continue with that? He is
now looking at this break in his career
as an opportunity to pass on his talent
and skills or join another company
and put his expert knowledge to good
use. He believes that many young
salesmen within companies will
not have encountered a recession
let alone a depression and that his
knowledge and experience of having
lived through many a tough time in his
30 years selling to the construction
industry will prove invaluable.
Taking advantage of the opportunity
we posed a few poignant questions
to Fraser; we hope that young
sales people out there will find his
comments both insightful and useful.
Why did you become a salesman?
“I love meeting new people, taking on
challenges and having new innovative
products to sell”.
What makes a successful sales
person?
“Passion and enthusiasm for what
you do - if you wake up in the morning
and can’t stand the thought of doing
your job that day, you should seek a
new career. The first person to detect
your mood will be your customer and
no one likes to buy from a depressing
sales person!”
What advice would you give to
sales people in this recession?
“You must find new customers,
so start with all those potential
customers you should have called
on when things were good, the
ones you drove past for month after
month - you may surprise yourself -
and don’t forget your competitors’
customers! Many companies will not
survive this recession especially in
the construction industry sector –
act now before its too late!”
What advice do you have for
youngsters?
“Find out as much about the product
as possible and learn that product
so you are an expert. You must also
get on with people at all walks of
life and talk to people at all levels –
people who talk at others never get
anywhere. Finally, don’t accept no
as an answer – always make the
assumption that no today may mean
yes tomorrow. If a person allows you
to do the presentation then they must
be interested otherwise they would
not allow you to waste their time on
what you have to say or sell.”
If you think that Fraser could do
something for your company then
give him a call on:
Mob: 07788 480 220
Email: fraser.pratt1@btinternet.com
June 2009
27

Special report
special report
An expert
case study
Operator
training
revisited
There is still evidence within industry
of the misconception that plant and
machinery operators simply need to
complete and pass a health and safety
test in order for them to be competent
– or at best, complete and pass the
test and then simply be observed
operating the machine for one day!
How can this premise still remain? Is
it a side-effect of turning over money
with the minimum input, ignorance
on behalf of the training provider/
assessor or perhaps something else?
Some argue that the impact of this
woefully inadequate strategy is evident
in the largely static trend in accidents
involving plant and machinery; a trend
that has remained unchanged for over
twenty years. Others suggest that the
statistics merely reveal a culture of
change within industry where better
reporting of incidents now occurs.
Perhaps one solution to these
unresolved issues is to return to
basics. In January 2002, OPERC
released the Voluntary Code of
Practice for Operator Training - a
landmark document in mobile plant
operator safety which sought to
provide a clear simple framework for
training and competence that any
training provider or employer could
follow. The VCOP clearly defines
the fundamental difference between
training and competence.
Training is defined as:
“The act or process by which an
operator learns, acquires and is
tested upon operational ability, skill
and experience, relevant industry
health and safety knowledge and
hazard awareness to standards set by
industry”.
Competence is defined as:
“A standard at which an operator is
certified [i.e. trained] to operate plant
and/or equipment and has acquired
sufficient job specific knowledge
and experience of that specific item
[including the use of safety features,
attachments, machine controls and
any other electrical or mechanical
features], operating in that specific
environment in order for the machine
to be operated safely and efficiently”.
Clearly, passing a test does not mean
that the operator is competent!
Mr Richard Billing is one of
the most competent Trainer/
Assessors within the quarrying
industry and at the tender
age of 36 has already built
an impressive CV having
worked for Foster Yeoman
and Aggregate Industries. He
currently works for Tarmac
and recently witnessed an
operator successfully pass
the OPERC-Safetynet health
and safety test with a 100%
score but subsequently fail
to demonstrate competence
whilst operating a rough terrain
telescopic handler.
Richard said: “Clearly the
operator was academically
qualified but academic
qualification and knowledge
alone does not provide
evidence of competence. At
Tarmac we insist that operators
are trained, tested and
assessed (as part of an
S/NVQ qualification stream).
In this instance, the operator
had been trained and tested but
the assessment itself revealed
a weakness, the discovery of
which will now improve longer
term safety and operator
efficiency.
“The OPERC-Safetynet test is
a brilliant test system; not only
is it professional but it saves
time. It also tests the operators’
knowledge and makes them
think about their job. Importantly
though, the test must be
accompanied and supported
by a clear route to competence
and thorough system of
assessment.”
innovation in design
28
June 2009

European
Photo Competition
News
A new photography competition focusing on safety and health at work was
recently announced by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). The
competition - entitled ‘What’s your image of safety and health at work?’ - is open to all EU citizens
and forms part of EU-OSHA’s Healthy Workplaces campaign.
The competition invites
photographers, whether professional
or amateur, to capture their own
images of safety and health at
work and submit them for entry by
15 August 2009. Participants can
interpret safety and health at work
in any way they choose and are not
restricted to particular subject matters
or themes.
An international jury of professional
photographers will select the three
best photographs based on creativity
and originality, as well as universal
European appeal, and the public will
also be able to vote for their favourite
through an online voting system.
Prizes totalling € 7,000 await the
winners.
Jukka Takala, Director at EU-OSHA,
commented on the launch of the
competition: “Europe’s workplaces
have changed a lot over the past
few years. But even if we have
experienced increasing awareness
of occupational safety and health in
the EU, along with greater efforts
in making working conditions more
fulfilling, we still have a lot to do. With
this photo initiative, we want to see
what safety and health at work means
to Europeans today and how they
perceive it in their lives and we want to
spread our message in an innovative
and interactive way to more people.”
For more information visit the
competition website at:
www.osha-photocompetition.eu
innovation in design
innovation in design
June 2009
29

news
First
Avant
700
series
loader
in the
UK
The first Avant Tecno 700
Series compact articulated
loader to be sold in the
UK has been delivered to
Ayrefield Plant of Chorley in
Lancashire and was chosen
principally because it can be
easily transported by a 3.5
tonne truck.
For more information contact:
Ed Howlett
Avant Tecno (UK) Ltd., Manor Farm,
The Street, Bridgham, Norfolk NR16 2RX.
Tel: 01953 714896
Email: ed@avanttecno.co.uk
Web: www.avanttecno.co.uk
Ayrefield Plant, which specialises
in working on behalf of blue chip
contractors, had originally intended to
purchase a forklift but is now delighted
with its choice of an Avant 750 model
which is currently earning its keep on a
busy city centre site in Bury.
Commenting on the machine, Ayrefield
Plant’s director Peter Messham said,
“We’ve had the 750 for a couple of
months now and it’s proving to be a
highly effective piece of kit, capable of
working safely even on very confined
sites such as the one in Bury.”
The Avant is working almost
continuously on this site, mainly loading
dumpers with sand and handling a
variety of products such as pallets
of flagstones and kerbs. In fact, Mr.
Messham is so pleased with the little
green machine’s performance that
he is now considering the purchase
of additional attachments to further
enhance its outstanding versatility to
make full use of the 750’s auxiliary
hydraulic system which offers an oil
flow of up to 70 litre/min.
Avant’s flagship model, which weighs
in at 1720 kg, is powered by 4-cylinder
Kubota diesel engine developing 36
kW (49 hp) and can handle loads
of up to 1.4 tonne. With its 2-speed
hydrostatic transmission providing a
top speed of 25 kph, the 750 is perfect
for jobs where longer travel distances
are involved.
The operator is accommodated in an
easy to access cab positioned on the
front portion of the articulated chassis
and, because of the machine’s off-set
boom, the driver has an unrestricted
view of the front end equipment to
ensure confidence-building, accurate
and safe operation at all times.
As standard, the 750 features a
comprehensive specification including
a telescopic self-levelling lift arm with
boom float system, heated suspension
seat with arm rests and seat belt,
ROPS safety frame with plexiglass
canopy, a choice of grass or tractor
profile tyres, multifunction joystick and
a standard bucket.
30
June 2009

A-Plant first with
dual certification
A-Plant, one of the largest nonoperated
plant and tool hire
companies in the UK, is the first
national rental company in Europe to
be recommended for dual certification
to both the ISO 14001:2004 standard
and OHSAS 18001:2007 specification.
A-Plant is also the first major player in
the European hire industry to achieve
certification that covers the entire
scope of the company’s operations
encompassing more than 150 A-Plant
depots and all of the company’s
administration centres.
The importance of this unique
achievement has been reflected in the
substantial investment in personnel
and resources that A-Plant has
committed to the project in the current
economic climate, a focus that has
been rewarded by being approved by
the British Standards Institute (BSI)
to meet these standards six months
ahead of schedule.
A-Plant’s Director for Environment,
Health and Safety and Performance
Standards, Douglas McLuckie,
said: “Our approval for certification
to ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001
covers both our health and safety
and environmental procedures, a
unique situation in the international
hire industry. This provides us
with a significant advantage in the
marketplace as well as providing
us with a certified platform to
further enhance our current risk
management processes. These
standards have their roots in the
manufacturing industry, but they
are becoming a feature of prequalification
procedures for tendering
and I am confident they will form
the basis for future environmental,
health and safety practices in the
construction industry and the many
other industries we serve.”
A-Plant has an ongoing commitment
to improving health and safety and
is also committed to minimising any
risk or negative impact the company
may have on the environment. The
company’s EHS management system
is based on the following principles:
Prevention of pollution, including
waste, fuel emissions and noise
Prevention of accidents and
occupational ill health
Minimisation of energy, material
usage and the production of waste
Effective and responsible waste
management and disposal
ISO 14001 is often seen as the
keystone standard of the ISO 14000
series and was first published as
news
Mr Douglas McLuckie, A-Plant Director for Environment,
Health and Safety and Performance Standards
a standard in 1996. It specifies
a framework of control for an
organisation’s Environmental
Management System and is the only
ISO 14000 standard against which
it is currently possible to be certified
by an external certification body.
The Occupational Health and Safety
Assessment Series (OHSAS) was
developed by BSI in response to
customer demand for a recognisable
Health and Safety management
system specification against which
customer systems can be assessed
and certified. OHSAS 18001 was
developed to be compatible with
ISO 14001 in order to facilitate an
integrated system - the standards
complement each seamlessly
and both share many common
principles.
June 2009
31

advertising feature
Groeneveld’s Twin automatic greasing system
Greased lightning
is automatic with
Groeneveld!
Groeneveld Transport Efficiency, headquartered in Gorinchem, Holland, was
established in 1971 and its UK subsidiary Groeneveld UK Ltd (based in Shepshed,
Leicestershire) was set up in 1980 providing strong sales and service representation
throughout the UK
Groeneveld is active world-wide in the transport, off-road and industrial sectors,
supplying innovative products for automatic greasing, engine oil control, speed limiting
and rear obstacle detection systems for on and off-highway vehicles
The company’s main product group, Automatic Maintenance, includes both the leading
automatic greasing products and Oilmaster, a cost-effective system for modern
combustion engine management.
innovation in design
32
June 2009

advertising feature
Automatic
greasing systems
The market leading TWIN heavy
duty EP2 automatic greasing system
is the preferred or exclusive factory
fitted option for many manufacturers
including Volvo, Caterpillar, Liebherr,
Moxy, Bell and JCB.
The dual line TWIN system is ideal
for vehicles operating under severe
conditions for continuous periods
of time. It automatically delivers the
correct amount and type of grease to
every lubrication point on the machine,
thereby prolonging component life,
reducing down time and reducing the
risk to field operatives.
The system monitors the whole
lubrication process and alerts the
operator, in the event of a fault, via a
control lamp in the cab. The greasing
cycle (light, medium or heavy duty)
mode selector switch is also cab
mounted for convenience.
Precise metering is guaranteed
irrespective of temperature and grease
viscosity, ensuring the correct delivery
of grease in summer or winter and
the system can be easily expanded
to include additional points such as
grabs, high dumper scoops etc.
The OnePlus automatic greasing
system has been especially developed
to meet a growing demand for a
compact 2-grease system for the
thicker NLGI 2 grease that is required
by particular brands of mini and midsize
off-road and industrial machines.
All the main components of OnePlus,
including its electric pump, electronics
and grease reservoir are contained
in one compact housing making
installation very simple. Distribution
blocks, lines and grease nipples
are also included and with only two
switches, one for the cycle time and
one for the grease output, OnePlus
is easy to set. Like the larger TWIN
system OnePlus delivers the correct
quantity of the correct grease at the
correct time minimising component
wear and maximising machine life.
The Compalube is an automatic
greasing system that was specifically
designed for low maintenance vehicles
with a limited number of greasing
points and it relied upon a commercial
vehicle’s pressurised air system to
operate. A new electric version now
makes it available for other applications
used in the mining and quarrying
industry.
Automatic
engine oil top up
Another ‘automatic’ product is
Oilmaster, the automatic engine oil
top up system, which ensures that the
correct level and type of oil is always
present reducing the risk of expensive
damage. Oilmaster monitors the oil
level when the ignition is switched on,
using a highly accurate level sensor,
and automatically adds oil when
necessary, pumping a small quantity of
oil from the integrated reservoir to the
engine sump. Smart electronics prevent
overfilling and Oilmaster’s electronic
memory enables quick diagnosis in
case of excess oil consumption.
Groeneveld’s Oilmaster
automatic engine oil top
up system
For further information visit the
Groeneveld website at:
www.groeneveld.nl
or contact:
Groeneveld UK Ltd
The Greentec Centre
Gelders Hall Road
Shepshed
Loughborough
Leicestershire
LE12 9NH
Tel: + 44 1509 600033
Fax: + 44 1509 602000
innovation in design
innovation in design
June 2009
33

news
New Volvo ABG pavers
for Toppesfield
The road surfacing
business requires
a high level of
machine availability
and total
back-up from the
manufacturer.
For surfacing
contractor
Toppesfield, that
means buying the
best equipment,
with the highest
levels of customer
support.
Toppesfield started out in business
five years ago. Directors Matthew
Pryor, Gale Pryor and David Last
brought together experience and
expertise from a number of industries
to create a company that has proven
popular with an increasing number
of main contractors. The company
now has a turnover of more than £15
million and is growing rapidly.
Mr Last said: “After a few months
as we grew, we decided that we
wanted to have gangs of our own. We
started to purchase our own plant,
but it was almost a year before we
bought our first paver.” That paver,
an Ingersoll-Rand ABG machine,
was only purchased after a thorough
examination at the market and
consultation with the firm’s rapidly
growing experienced workforce.
Additional machines joined the fleet
and the company now has six gangs
working with paving equipment.
When Volvo Construction Equipment
expanded its portfolio to include road
machinery products two years ago
there was little doubt that the company
could provide the necessary support
to existing ABG customers in the eyes
of Toppesfield’s management. Those
first two pavers at Toppesfield have
recently been replaced, after three
years of almost constant service, with
the latest Volvo ABG 6870 models.
But Toppesfield didn’t just opt to stay
with the same make straight away,
the machines’ performance and the
back-up that has come from Volvo
sealed the deal. “We expect the
same levels of service that we offer
our customers,” says Mr Last. “We
wouldn’t be back buying Volvo if we
weren’t happy with any aspect of the
product or the service.”
The ABG 6870 is the largest of a
three-model range of Volvo wheeled
pavers, offering a paving output of up
to 700 tonnes/hour, with a maximum
mat thickness of 300mm. The three
axle machine offers a high degree of
flexibility, with paving widths of 2.5-9m
available from a single screed. Volvo’s
Smart Drive technology means that
all six wheels are driven, providing
traction for the most difficult
ground conditions.
Powered by a Tier III liquid-cooled
Deutz engine, providing 166hp
(122kW), the machine uses a Smart
Drive system of anti-slip control with
load dependent torque control for
the front wheels and an electronic
differential system on the rear axle.
The front wheels are automatically
hydraulically levelled, to ensure a
smooth ride and optimum laying
conditions. The front wheels are
independently suspended, resulting
in a screed that remains level for the
best paving results.
There are three drive modes; paving,
shunting and travel, offering travel
speeds up to 40km/h. In paving
mode, which has a 20km/h maximum
speed, the Smart Power system
lowers the engine speed, reducing
noise and emissions, and cutting
fuel consumption for the customer.
Switching to the shunting mode
automatically deactivates the paving
systems, which restart as soon as
paving mode is re-engaged. Two Vario
Screeds are available, the VB78 and
VB88, both offering varying paving
widths for maximum flexibility. The
screeds can be extended hydraulically
to twice the basic paving width.
Operators benefit from a large graphic
monitor, with push-button controls for
Volvo’s Electronic Paver Management
(EPM) system. The operator can
adjust almost every system on the
machine from the screen, tailoring the
paver to the dimensions of the job.
The EPM monitor provides a
comprehensive range of information
on machine systems and operating
status. This control unit can easily
be repositioned on either side of the
platform, allowing the operator to sit
on the left or right and maintain a
direct view of curbs and guides. The
operator can also slide the seat out
beyond the cab floor, with the roof
extending out to protect from rain
and sun.
For further information,
please contact:
Mark Gunns, Marketing Services
Direct Line: 01223 251720
Fax: 01223 832799
Mobile: 07974 973408
E-mail: mark.gunns@volvo.com
34
June 2009

news
JCB secures major deal for
wheeled loading shovels
JCB has won a multi-million pound
deal to supply one of the UK’s leading
vehicle remarketing companies with a
fleet of 42 wheeled loading shovels.
The first of the JCB 416HT shovels
have now rolled off the production
line at JCB Earthmovers in Cheadle,
Staffordshire and been delivered to
customer Copart UK. They have gone
into service unloading and handling
vehicles brought in for storage prior to
sale via an online auction process.
The order – supplied through
Leicestershire-based JCB dealer
Watling JCB – was secured in the
face of fierce competition and was
placed after operators involved in the
product evaluation process voiced a
preference for the JCB machines.
JCB Sales MD David Bell said: “We
are delighted to have won such a
sizeable and prestigious order from
Copart UK. It speaks volumes for the
quality of JCB’s wheeled loaders that
the operators preferred our machines.
They were also impressed with the
machines’ fuel efficiency, which in the
current climate plays an increasingly
important role for businesses needing
to keep costs under control.
“Copart UK’s operators also liked the
superior hydraulic controllability and
lifting capability, coupled with their
preference for powershift rather than
hydrostatic drive.”
Copart UK Managing Director Nigel
Paget said: “JCB won this business
against stiff competition because of
the functionality and suitability of the
chosen loaders, their build quality and
prompt lead in time and the after sales
service. The deal is a great example
of two businesses with major US and
UK operations working to support
British industry.”
Copart UK is deploying the 42
wheeled loading shovels at its 12
facilities across the UK. The company
was founded in 1982 and went public
on the NASDAQ in 1994, establishing
a European presence in 2007 with
four acquisitions totalling £80 million.
In the UK, Copart employs almost 500
people.
Copart manages vehicle remarketing
for 171 businesses in the automotive
and insurance sectors, handling
everything from motorbikes and
cars to tractors and coaches. Once
a vehicle has been deemed a total
loss, Copart collects it, transfers it to
one of their facilities and takes digital
images in readiness for participation in
an on-line auction. Each week Copart
runs daily online auctions with up
to 1000 vehicles per sale and more
than 150,000 registered buyers from
all over the world have access to the
auction website.
June 2009
35

news
Walkers
have a blast at
Lafarge quarry
A group of 20 keen walkers got more than they
bargained for when they signed up for Lafarge
Cement’s Limestone Quarries walk as part of the Peak
District Walking Festival.
The walkers had a nine-kilometre hike and a
fascinating introduction into the world of quarrying. But
as a bonus, they were also able to witness a 25,000
tonne ‘blast’ at the rockface and experience what it’s
like to sit in the giant machines which extract the raw
materials Lafarge uses to manufacture cement for
customers across the country.
Lafarge Cement Hope Works quarries manager, John
McGough, who organised the walk, commented:
“We were very lucky with this event. As well as
hosting the walk and having five of our senior
managers accompany the group, the schedule of our
operation allowed us to throw in a few extras. The blast
and access to a 65-tonne dumper truck and 20-tonne
scoop vehicle really brought the educational aspect of
the walking event to life.
On top of this operational insight, the group was also
able to witness a palmate newt on route, thanks to
Julia Gow from Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, with whom
we work very closely.
Speedy helps
reduce generator
emissions and
fuel costs
Speedy, the UK’s largest
equipment and support
services provider, has
launched an exclusive new
product to help cut generator
carbon emissions and fuel
costs. Designed in-house
at Speedy, the ‘Emission
Buster’ reduces emissions by
automatically switching to its
in-built battery power when
a low load is recognised.
The product also limits other
problems associated with
prolonged periods of low load
running generators, including
high fuel costs, noise pollution
and the number of annual
services required.
Anna Currie, commercial
director, at Speedy said:
“Carbon reduction remains
top of the agenda for
UK industry and with
the construction sector
accounting for 15-20 percent
of the UK’s total carbon
footprint, it’s vital we all play
our part.
Daily Fuel Usage
Not using
Emissions
Buster
Using
Emissions
Buster
Cost
Saving of
Fuel
@ £0.75ppl
per day
Reduction
in Carbon
Footprint
Description
Daily 43.2 33.6 £9.60 22%
Weekly
(5 day)
Yearly
(52 weeks)
“Customers are increasingly
looking to their supply
chain to help reduce their
environmental impact.
This innovative product
will allow our customers
to significantly lessen
carbon emissions while
also minimising costs. The
bigger the unit size, the
greater the benefits - but on
average, our research has
found a 22 percent* carbon
footprint reduction.”
The Emissions Buster is
a stand-alone unit ideal
for use on any size diesel
generator with a low load
profile during a typical 24
hour period.
For more information,
call Speedy on
0845 601 5129 or go to
www.speedyhire.com
*based on the Emission Buster
supplying the load continually for 12
hours at night.
216 168 £48.00 22%
11,232 8,736 £2496.00 22%
Everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy the day and
we very much hope to be able to support the Walking
Festival again in future years.”
Lafarge’s Hope Works supports a range of initiatives
to promote and support the Peak District - the Walking
Festival is just one. This year the company is also
giving its backing as a corporate sponsor to the Visit
Peak District organisation, which aims to ‘foster
the economic success of the tourism industry while
enhancing the quality of life for local people’.
innovation in design
36
June 2009

June 2009
37

special report
The OPERC/HSE
Annual Update Meeting 2009
On the 28th April 2009, the OPERC/HSE Annual Update was held at the HSE
offices at Rosecourt, London and a packed audience of professionals, who
represented the breadth and depth of industry, were there to learn more about the
very latest health and safety, legal and technological developments and initiatives.
Chaired by Mr Mick Norton
(OPERC Chairman), Mr
Adam Scorcese (OPERC
President) and Mr Barry
Robinson, MBE (OPERC
Chief Examiner), the event
started with a warm welcome
to all in attendance and a
thank you to the HSE for
providing this opportunity
to update members of the
UK’s largest professional
body within the plant and
equipment community.
From left to right: Mr Barry Robinson, MBE, OPERC Chief Examiner, Mr Mick Norton, OPERC Chairman and
Mr Adam Scorcese, OPERC President
38
June 2009

special report
Noise and vibration update, Colin Chatten and
Peter Lennon, HSE Noise and Vibration Team
The first presentation was an insightful
update on noise and vibration delivered
by Mr Pete Lennon and Mr Colin
Chatten, Noise and Vibration Team,
HSE. They first reviewed the Team’s
aims and objectives for the period up
until March 2009, as part of the FIT3
programme, and then discussed what
had been achieved over that period.
This included raised awareness of new
Regulations, improved partnership
working and raised industry awareness
of specific areas such as health
surveillance, worker involvement,
control measures (to ensure good
practice) and supply (‘safe by design’).
They then went on to discuss the
Team’s plans for 2009/10 and beyond
and how these would be implemented.
The aim is to progress the good work
already begun in embedding good
practice and knowledge, for example
there will be focus on enforcement
and raising awareness through
seminars, the relaunch of the worker
involvement scheme and improving
communications.
For more information readers should go to:
www.hse.gov.uk/noise, www.hse.gov.uk/vibration
or email: peter.lennon@hse.gsi.gov.uk, colin.chatten@hse.gsi.gov.uk
Parts and service, Jo Gallagher,
Leach Lewis Plant Ltd
Safety aspects of
abrasive wheels,
Chris Adams,
TASC Solutions
An international expert on abrasive
wheels, Mr Chris Adams, TASC
Solutions gave a presentation on
abrasive wheel safety. He started
with general background information
on the types of abrasive wheels on
offer and what such products should
be used for before moving onto the
standards of manufacture and the
specific hazards associated with
abrasive wheel use (e.g. noise,
dust and vibration).
However, a key point of the
presentation was not to talk about
hazards alone but rather to highlight
the root causes of accidents such
as over speeding, overheating or
selecting the wrong specification
of disk. It was a truly fascinating
presentation, especially when
Chris explained the meaning of
the various annotations listed onto
a disk and how this information
should be correctly interpreted -
understanding the product is vital
for safe use. Chris concluded with
some examples of incidents that
had occurred and a summary of
best practice.
In contrast, the next presenter, Mrs
Jo Gallagher gave a very informative
and passionate presentation about her
employer Leach Lewis Plant Limited;
a company that has been around for
over 125 years and whose name is
synonymous with quality, value and
integrity. Jo started with a historical
snapshot of the company to illustrate
how the company had developed
and expanded over a relatively short
period. This context was then used as a
springboard for a discussion of what the
company offers UK industry today and
more importantly, how it differs from
its competitors in terms of high quality,
added value and first class service
support. Services offered are new
plant, spare parts, small plant, service,
finance, rubber tracks and used plant.
An excellent presentation from a highly
professional member of the plant and
equipment community.
For more information, visit:
www.leachlewis.com or alternatively,
Email: enquiries@leachlewis.co.uk
Tel: 01992 704204; Fax: 01992 704270
For more information contact:
TASC Solutions
Tel: 01795 436435
Mob: 07515 994986
Email: info@adamsconsultancy.org.uk
June 2009
39

Special report
Quick-hitch warning
systems, Tony Bianchi,
Quickswitch (UK) Ltd
Keeping alive the debate on quick
hitch safety, Mr Tony Bianchi
from Quickswitch announced the
development and now sale of a
revolutionary new audio safety system
that alerts an operator if the pin has
not been inserted correctly into a semi
automatic hitch. A series of film footage
was played to demonstrate the system
and show how it performs under a
number of scenarios.
Some equipment operators present
were concerned about the recent
attempt to ban semi automatic hitches
but it was explained that the ban was
only voluntary at this juncture and
supported by some manufacturers, not
all. There was also some debate about
what to do with existing machines and
the general concensus was to ensure
that the operator is trained and that
any safety device is operated correctly.
Semi automatic hitches will be used
within industry for some time to come,
so this device could make a contribution
to workplace safety.
For more information, visit:
www.quickswitch.org.uk
Tel: 01923 267 608
Mob:07813 069 375
The ‘Shattered Lives’ campaign 2009,
Carol Grainger, HSE
After a brief refreshment break, the
event continued with a first class
presentation on the HSE Shattered
Lives campaign by one of the country’s
leading and most respected workplace
transport experts, Ms. Carol Grainger,
HSE (on behalf of the Slips and Trips
Team, HSE).
Carol very clearly stated the issues
involving slips and trips that prompted
the Shattered Lives campaign, before
providing a review of the campaign’s
progress including what has been
achieved so far, who is being targeted
and what is planned for 2009 and
beyond. Two new exciting resources
outlined are:
STEP - an e-learning Package
developed by the HSE, providing slips
and trips guidance through interactive
learning. It is an easy way to learn
about slips and trips, how they are
caused, why preventing them is
important and how to tackle them.
STEP includes quizzes, videos,
animations, case studies and
interactive sequences to enhance
the learning experience.
WAIT – the Work at height, Access
equipment, Information Tool is aimed at
the occasional user of access equipment
and promises to help in choosing the
safest type of access equipment, if work
at height is necessary. It is especially
For more information, visit:
www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives
useful for the self employed or manager
and supervisors of small to medium
sized enterprises.
Miller offer on-site inspections,
training on safe coupler use,
advice and information.
For more information, go to:
www.millergroundbreaking.com
Quick-hitch safety,
Gary Miller, Miller
UK Ltd
Next to present was Mr Gary Miller,
Miller Engineering who returned to
the topic of excavator quick hitches; a
topic that has been the subject of much
debate within the industry over the past
four years following five deaths on site
involving quick hitches.
Gary’s message was simple - a good
coupler is a safe one! He explained
some of the main dangers on site such
as operator complacency, common bad
practice (e.g. ‘pick and place’), changing
attachments too close to co-workers
and missing the rear bucket pin when
attaching (resulting in the attachment
slipping off the coupler).
Gary then gave some practical
recommendations to ensure the safe
use of quick-hitch devices, such
as bringing standards into line with
what actually happens on site as a
mandatory design guide to coupler
manufacturers, safety testing couplers
in service and replacing if dangerous,
ensuring correct use of couplers
and ensuring operators are trained
sufficiently (passing a test in the safe
operation of the couplers they operate).
It was an excellent and informative
presentation from one of the country’s
leading manufacturers of quick hitch
systems and as a highlight, Gary
provided information on Miller’s
new dual pin locking system; highly
innovative technology that will gain
interest from industry.
innovation in design
40
June 2009

special report
Load security in
road transport,
Nina Day, HSE
Workplace
Transport Team
The final scheduled presentation
for the day was given by Ms. Nina
Day, Health and Safety Laboratory
on load security in road transport.
As well as highlighting the issues
at hand via the use of case
study presentations, Nina also
importantly went on to explain
what positive actions could be
taken to ensure security of a load,
including correctly restraining
loads to the vehicle, loading
to the headboard if possible,
packing gaps in the load, ensuring
loads are stable and considering
containment in addition to restraint
if the load poses a particular risk.
She also stressed that load
restraint equipment should be
clearly labelled to indicate what
load it is rated for, and inspected
regularly for damage or wear.
It was a first-rate presentation
that captivated the audience and
raised a whole series of questions
following the presentation.
For more informatio,
readers should go to:
http://www.hsl.gov.uk/.
NPORS overview, Paul
Nolan, NPORS
OPERC prize presentation
The day closed with a prize
presentation. Each year OPERC
members are invited to vote for a
prestigious award of an ‘Outstanding
Contribution to Workplace Health and
Safety’. This year’s OPERC prize was
awarded to the HSE Slips and Trips
Team for their thought provoking and
visually striking safety poster campaign.
Mr Barry Robinson, MBE and OPERC
Chief Examiner said: “The poster
campaign developed and launched by
the HSE, is one of the finest ever run
by any public or private organisation.
Used throughout industry, these posters
As a final bonus to the day, Paul
Nolan from NPORS gave an update
on the scheme and its many benefits.
NPORS has been an Accredited Body
recognised by HSE since 1999 for
Rider-operated Lift Trucks: Operator
Training – Approved Code of Practice
(L117) and NPORS sit on the HSE
Accrediting Bodies Forum along
with the other accrediting bodies,
RTITB, AITT, ITSSAR, Lantra and
Construction Skills (CITB).
He explained that the main objective
of NPORS is to allow NPORS
Accredited Training Providers a
flexible approach in meeting the needs
of the employer, to assist in providing
an adequately trained workforce within
the UK.
For more information, readers should
go to: http://www.npors.com/.
have made a significant contribution
to raising awareness of the impact of
slips, trips and falls in the workplace.
We are indebted to the team behind this
campaign and thank them for sharing
their talent and knowledge with others.”
The OPERC/HSE Annual Update was
an excellent event; it was organised for
the benefit of the plant and equipment
community and was free to attend. For
more details about forthcoming OPERC
events, visit the News and Events
pages on the OPERC website - www.
operc.com. OPERC is a trade body
owned and managed by her members.
innovation in design
June 2009
41

events
SED 2009
Those visiting SED this year
may have been curious to see
how the current climate would
impact upon the event and
whether there would be signs
that the perma-recession is
finally beginning to thaw.
As ever this UK premier exhibition
was well organised with suitable car
parking provisions and amenities, but
inevitably visitor numbers were down
and there was a notable absence of
some exhibitors at the event. Despite
this, those visitors we spoke to had
enjoyed the event and the mood was
encouragingly fairly upbeat. Exhibitors
were generally pleased with the
interest from visitors with some, such
as Doosan and New Holland, reporting
higher sales than previous years.
Mr Chris Miller, CoC Chairman and
National registrar for the Contractors
Mechanical Plant Engineers (CMPE)
said: “CMPE had a good event with lots
of visitors on each of the days and we
had a lot of interest in the publications
that we distributed to visitors. A great
day out for the plant industry and we
look forward to attending next year’s
event.”
Kubota Live! At Rockingham Castle
Following the success of this inaugural ‘hands
on’ event in 2008, Kubota reported that they had
no hesitation in repeating it this year despite the
economic downturn. The no ticket event, located
within two miles of SED and with free parking and
refreshments, was once again staged over the
same period, encouraging visitors to drop in on
their way to or from SED – although there was
actually plenty to occupy visitors for a whole day.
As well as the Kubota equipment demonstrations
and the opportunity to test-drive models from the
whole range, there was the chance to visit some
major plant and equipment distributors who were
in attendance, such as Leach Lewis, Ben Elliott
and Shell Plant who between them exhibited
machines available from Terex, Dynapac,
Bomag, Manitou, Clipper and Honda.
One attendee commented; “It was a great
event, with a huge range of machines and
equipment from Kubota being exhibited,
including construction, trenching, ground care
and agriculture - plus a very large demonstration
area. One of the highlights was that operators
could actually get onto a machine and operate it
provided they could prove competence. It was
a good day out for plant people especially
being able to test a machine’s capabilities
before purchasing.”
42
June 2009

Competition
Fatal
injuries to
workers in
Britain at
record low
Prize Competition
No 1
Construct-A-Gram
The number of people killed at work
in Britain has fallen to a record low,
new figures from the Health and Safety
Executive (HSE) reveal.
Provisional data shows that 180
workers were killed between 1 April
2008 and 31 March 2009 – a rate of 0.6
per 100,000 employees – down from
233 in 2007/08 and 17 per cent lower
than the previous lowest total of 217,
recorded in 2005/6.
Judith Hackitt, the HSE Chair, said:
“We very much welcome any reduction
in the number of workers being fatally
injured and the fact that the number
for 2008/09 is a record low. “There is
inevitably variation in the figures year
on year, but we can take heart from the
fact that Great Britain consistently has
fewer fatal injuries than comparable
industrialised nations in the rest of
Europe.
“This statistical snapshot needs careful
analysis to help us to understand
underlying factors, including the impact
of the recession. The number and
proportion of workers being killed in
the workplace is likely to reduce in an
economic downturn. But we also know
from the past that the number and the
rate of fatal injuries increase when
trading conditions pick up.
“These statistics are encouraging
but there is no magic wand in health
and safety. When those running
organisations show personal
leadership, and when workers are
involved in tackling the risks that they
face, safety can be improved and lives
saved – that is how we can turn this
encouraging sign into real sustained
improvement.”
E
D
N RG RI
LA
E
G R
_____ _______
Clue: Hand-held Equipment
G
N
Can you solve this anagram?
Then email your answer to
pep@operc.com, quoting
“Construct-A-Gram No 1”, and
you could win a copy of Dr Plant’s
Construct-A-Grams (RRP £5.99).
The book contains another 50 of
these brain-teasing anagrams, each
with a humorous illustration by
Geoff Tristram.
Closing date for entries is July 31st
2009 and four winners will be
drawn at random from correct
entries received.
June 2009
43

special report
Are you and your
workforce trained?
Do your site workforce understand the hazards and risks associated
with using diamond and abrasive cutting equipment?
TASC Solutions was created to meet a huge demand for educational resources and
consultancy on specialist plant and equipment, and provides services on:
Diamond Cutting
Floor Saws
Abrasive Wheels
Diamond Drilling Rigs
Masonry Saw Benches
For competitive in house training and advice, contact:
TASC Solutions
5 Tavistock Close, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 1JY
Tel: 01795 436435 Mob: 07515 994986 Email: info@adamsconsultancy.org.uk
44
TASC have the training solutions...
June 2009

CLASSIFIEDS
Training and Testing
Specialist in construction plant and
equipment operative training and
assessment.
Courses tailored to suit client’s
specific site requirements. Anywhere
in the UK.
Contact:
Mr Mick Norton BEM,
10 Pinders Grove, Wakefield, West
Yorkshire, WF1 4AH
Mob: 07880 743288
Tel: 01924 210817
Email: micknorton@spindoctor.co.uk
www.cpcs-plant-training.co.uk
Barry Robinson Consulting
Specialist Trainer in Quarrying and Construction Plant and Equipment.
Contact: Mr Barry Robinson, MBE. Mob: 07815 736 924
Apple Industrial Safety
Plant & safety training;
OPERC Safetynet testing, NPORS, RTITB, CPCS,
IPAF, CCNSG, SPA, VCA and PASMA, UK & Europe.
Mill 1,
The Business Park
Mansfield, NG19 8RL
Tel: 0845 505 2020 Fax: 0845 505 2021
Contact: Kay Knowles - kay@applesafety.co.uk
Sharp Practice
www.applesafety.co.uk
Management Consultancy with a deep understanding of the Capital
Equipment Industries and Markets. Specialists in Private Client research
and analysis of the Capital Equipment Markets on a Global Basis.
3 Hartwell Grove, Creswell Manor,
Stafford, England, ST16 1RW
Mob: 07932 693 184 Tel: 01785 606 677
Email: info@sharppractice.eu
www.sharppractice.eu
Ritchies Training Centre
Construction plant training courses, LGV/PCV training, crane training, forklift
training. NPORS, CPCS, LANTRA, OCR, FTA, RHA and
Department for Transport.
Contact: Hobden Street, Glasgow, G21 4AQ
Tel: 0141 557 2212 Fax: 0141 558 8252
Email: sales@ritchiestraining.co.uk www.ritchiestraining.co.uk
Miller
plant
Specialists in the supply of new and
quality used construction equipment
for the UK and abroad; full service
backup and training provided.
Miller Plant, Woodside House,
Pedmore Road, Dudley,
West Midlands, DY2 0RL
Tel: 01384 262400
Fax: 01384 350269
Email: millplant@aol.com
Carl Palmer
Master engraver and craftsman.
Hand engraving for trophy prizes
and crystal wear.
Contact: 07751 978731
Geoff Tristram Ltd
Artist, cartoonist and
comedy novelist.
Fine art and
illustration, cartoons
and caricatures.
‘Live’ caricatures at
corporate events.
Humorous talks - ‘Confessions of an
Artist’ - amusing anecdotes from 30
plus years as a professional artist.
Tel: 01384 442881
Email: gt@geofftristram.co.uk
www.geofftristram.co.uk
E&P Construction
Skills Limited
Professional trainers offering a wide
range of courses to the construction
industry. NPORS Accredited
Training Provider.
Contact: 55 Oldfield Drive, Vicars
Cross, Chester, CH3 5LT
Tel: 0845 619 0910
Steve: 07531 725 598
Bobby: 07531 725 650.
typing matters
your virtual office assistant
Providing a 24/7 confidential,
reliable and cost-effective on-line
transcription service for
all your typing requirements.
Tel: 01785 606677
Email: typingmatters@ntlworld.com
innovation in design
June 2009
45

Megabytes news
MB
News Megabytes
Always clear up
spillages immediately
Chocks Away!
Tarmac National Contracting has successfully
completed the £4.3 million resurfacing of the runway
and taxiways at Newcastle International Airport two
weeks ahead of schedule. The maintenance works
took place overnight during a six hour window and
around 16,500 tonnes of Marshal asphalt was used
to resurface the entire 2,329 metre runway.
HSE guidance to be
free online
Around 250 health and safety publications are soon
to be free to access and print on the HSE’s website.
The publications cover the full range of HSE’s
guidance as well as approved codes of practice
(ACOPs) and guidance on regulations. HSE said
it was making the information available to help
employers better understand their legal duties and
what health and safety precautions they need to take,
and to help safety representatives in maintaining and
improving health and safety in the workplace.
New ‘100 Club’ Initiative
Morgan Est has launched a new pilot initiative
called the 100 Club, which aims to address the skills
shortage in civil engineering by encouraging more
young people to take up a career in the industry.
Each year Morgan Est will partner 100 young people
aged 14 -15 years from 10 selected schools with a
dedicated engineering department. Participation will
include mini engineering projects, site visits to large
and complex projects, work experience and a twoday
residential engineering course.
Costain’s Silver Hallmark!
The Costain Group PLC was given a Silver ranking in
the Business in the Community CR Index, published
recently in the Financial Times newspaper, making it
one of the UK’s top companies in terms of Corporate
Responsibility (CR). The index, used by over 140
of the country’s premier companies (BAA, Tesco,
Unilever, Rolls-Royce etc), provides a systematic
approach to managing, measuring and reporting on
business impacts on society and the environment.
“Hard work spotlights
the character of people:
some turn up their
sleeves, some turn up
their noses, and some
don’t turn up at all.”
Sam Ewing
Have you thought about
advertising in Plant and
Equipment Professional?
Email us at pep@operc.com
for more details.
46
June 2009

letters
Letters to
the Editor
Do you have any views or
opinions you would like to
share with other readers?
Send your letters to the Editor to:
On-track Multimedia,
PO Box 5412, Dudley,
West Midlands DY1 9HJ
or email us quoting ‘Letters to the
Editor’ to pep@operc.com
A clear view?
Could anybody please advise me on the regulations applicable to visibility on a
forward tipping dumper? I’ve spoken to manufacturers and they have referred me
to the international standard ISO5006 and the blind spot that measures 1 x 1.5m
around the machine. Is this 1.5 out and 1m high or the other way around? Is the
rule applicable to 8, 10 and 12 tonne machines and will the HSE enforce it? I ask,
because on these machines, with a full load, heaped up, my experience has shown
that the operator’s height will restrict visibility. Could manufacturers not fit
visibility aids as standard? I’m becoming concerned about this because the more I
read, the more I get confused. Any help would be much appreciated.
Name: Withheld. Email your reply to the Editor on pep@operc.com
Eenie, meenie, miny ……
I am looking to buy a machine and want to choose the best machine that I can, but
who do I believe when figures are put in front of me. One manufacturer states that
theirs is the very best, highest performing machine but so it seems do all of the
other manufacturers. I’ve seen so many charts and tables showing one machine
compared to another, all based on different things like purchase cost, the total cost
of ownership, consumable costs, the value of after sales support and so on. I have
been told that the cost of a machine depends upon me, the user, and that I should
know my application but when you’re new to the industry where do you start? I’m
confused and cannot get to a situation where I can simply compare one machine
against another and where I can, it is using one manufacturer’s figures.
Is there any organisation out there who can provide an independent comparison of
machines and how they perform?
Name: Withheld. Email your reply to the Editor on pep@operc.com
We reserve the right to edit letters. Letters printed represent the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Editors.
June 2009
47

48
June 2009