Health and safety in focus

Dangerous climbing and unclean ambient air pose challenges for the everyday working environment on construction sites. We paid attention to these challenges and harnessed the latest technology to reduce occupational accidents and safety risks. Tools for safer lifting and cutting have received an enthusiastic welcome in the field.

No climbing to heights

The brand-new Elematic E9-16-5a lifting beam promotes safety.

Demand for improved safety increased when the Finnish Regional State Administrative Agencies carried out inspections on several constructions sites in 2013, discovering risks related to lifting operations. Therefore Elematic began regenerating new technology to improve safety when lifting precast products. The new lifting beam was then developed together with Finnish precast companies in order to find the best solution.

No dangerous climbing is needed when lifting precast wall panels with the new remote-controlled beam that is moved by the crane. When the hooks are fastened to the lifting loops, the indicator light in the beam will turn on, showing that the beam is ready to lift.

“If someone has to climb on top of a precast wall panel in order to fasten the lifting hooks, there is always a risk of falling,” explains Ismo Kallio, Product Manager, Walls at Elematic.

“Chain-free lifting with remote-controlled hooks thus improves on-site safety considerably,” Kallio says, referring to customer feedback.

Safe lifting with lifting loops

The recently launched Looper E9 substantially improves the safety of precast hollow-core-slab lifting. The Looper, which is one of a kind on the market, has been designed to make a hole in the unhardened hollow-core slab, install a lifting loop in the hole, and compact the concrete around the loop.

Operations are controlled from the control platform by the operator, who also feeds the lifting loops into the machine. The loops are installed automatically.

“The installed loops are making our work easier, faster, and, most importantly, safer on-site,” says precast mechanic Terho Jäntti from KVK-Tek Oy.

Jäntti has 40 years of experience working in the field. He is hoping to see more lifting loops on construction sites, replacing lifting clambs that required manual work in double-checking the fastenings and security strings. Moreover, the Nordic climate can be challenging during the wintertime.

“It is safer to mount the lifting device in strong loops than to use lifting clambs, especially in the winter months when icy, slippery slabs are challenging to handle,” Jäntti says.

Cleaner cutting with a blade cover

An automatically adjusting blade cover and powerful dust removal makes the Elematic Saw E9-500 safe and clean to use. The blade cover decreases the amount of respirable silica dust and thus hazardous silica exposure. The blade covers have been in use since 2012.

“Users can be exposed to silica in several work phases, sawing being the biggest source of dust,” explains Jani Eilola, Product Manager, Floors at Elematic.

“According to measurements in one Swedish factory, the blade cover has cut silica dust levels to one-tenth of the previous level.”

This has remarkable value, keeping in mind that silica exposure carries serious health risks. Breathing silica dust causes the formation of scar tissue, thus reducing the lungs’ ability to take in oxygen.

In addition to reducing dust, the Saw E9-500 reduces noise. Remote control enables the operator to run the loud cutting unit from a distance, lowering the worker’s noise load significantly.