Powered access equipment is the main method of reaching the high points, but bringing such machinery on site requires careful consideration. There are of course issues to do with staff and customer safety, as well as considerations relating to the equipment itself, such as its weight and size.

Panther Platform Rentals hires out its powered lifts to shopping centres the length and breadth of the country and has various types of equipment ideal for this environment.

Brian Fleckney, managing director at Panther Platforms, points to their tracked booms, which range in height from 14m to 30m, and are narrow enough to fit through a single door, as an ideal option for shopping centres.

"A tracked boom has a very low floor pressure so won't damage ceramic floors," explains Fleckney, who adds that the lifts are tri-powered by battery, diesel or mains.

"Some shopping centres have restricted access through their doors and low floor loadings. Most shopping centres have the car park or service roads under the malls so we can't put machines in there that are too heavy. Shopping centres such as Lakeside, Bluewater and Meadowhall more often than not have very high atriums that are glazed, so are looking for a machine that goes high but doesn't weigh a lot.

"Our 30-metre tracked booms weigh only 4 tonnes and because they are on rubber non-marked tracks the load is spread. When you're inside a mall it's a matter of balancing the floor loadings against how high you want to go."

Contractors working on the refurbishment of a Marks & Spencer store in Kent certainly had to think small when hiring powered access machines for working at height.

With space to manoeuvre inside the store being restricted, AFI-Uplift recommended that SIAS Building Services use compact Haulotte Star 6 and Star 10 platforms, together with 5.8m Skyjack scissor lifts, for the contract at the Hempstead Valley shopping centre in Gillingham.

SIAS site manager Rod Courts says: "The Star 6 was particularly important because it was small enough to go into the goods lift, enabling us to work on the first floor. The compact design of the Star 6 also meant that it could operate between the gondolas in the store, while the outreach on the Star 10 enabled us to work over the gondolas. We made extensive use of the scissor lifts in the food hall."

Using two crews, SIAS worked 24-hours a day, seven days a week on the refurbishment, fitting new lighting, air conditioning, door heaters and toilets during the 20-week project.

The Star 6 and Star 10 machines have 6m and 10m working heights respectively. Both models are compact, lightweight and versatile - for example the Star 6 weighs only 800kg and has an overall width of just 0.78m. This very tight turning radius offers high manoeuvrability in the most congested areas. The Star 6 has a stowed height of only 1.65m, allowing access through standard doors and lifts. The Star 10's horizontal outreach of 3.10m provides additional flexibility for working over and around obstacles.

Panther Platforms is also now introducing the Power Tower, a powered access tower that is light and small enough to fit inside goods lifts, which makes it ideal for accessing upper floors.

The platform has a working footprint of just 1.78m by 0.65m and provides access to 3.1m, replacing step ladders and so on. It is also ready for use in just a few seconds at the touch of the button.

Planet Platforms is the exclusive supplier of Power Tower to the retail market.

Safety is a hugely important issue to consider when bringing a powered platform into a centre, in terms of ensuring only trained staff operate the lifts and that the equipment itself is up to the high safety standards laid down by legislation. "We offer IPAF training, which is a big thing for us," says Panther's Fleckney, who points to the scheme they are a part of, called Rental Plus. "We are audited to a higher standard which gives the user the reassurance that we do everything properly. Our machines are inspected every six months."

At the Bentall Centre in Kingston, a team of 10 tradesmen from Hankinson, a painting and property services contractor, all of whom are Construction Skills Cerification Scheme (CSCS) registered, repainted the centre, working through the night using a quick-drying paint to ensure no disruption was caused.

A project-specific risk assessment and method statement was completed in strict accordance with Hankinson's Environmental Management System and the specialist equipment needed included six mobile elevated platforms, six scissor lifts and a team of abseilers to reach the highest points in the centre. All the mobile elevated work platforms from Facelift were operated by Hankinson's certified operatives.

The Teupen Leo15GT tracked access platform, from Ranger Rental, is ideal for carrying out work on delicate marble floors, which can often be found in shopping centres. The platform was recently used to solve a tricky high-level maintenance problem within Eurotunnel's passenger terminal at Folkestone.

Besides being narrow enough to easily enter the terminal via a standard doorway, the Leo15GT was able to quietly track into position under its own electric power while causing no damage to the expensive flooring, thanks to non-marking rubber tracks and an ultra-low ground-bearing pressure. The Leo15GT platform offers a maximum working height of 14.9m and up to 6.4m of outreach.

Kevin Rivers, one of Eurotunnel's senior engineers, says: "The Teupen platform proved to be the perfect solution for this difficult job and all members of the team were soon fully confident in its use and the safety it provided."

Planet Platforms' new mobile trailer scissor lift TP9000 is a safe, flexible and truly autonomous machine which allows shopping centre managers, facilities managers and contract cleaners to undertake shopping centre cleaning and maintenance duties.

The TP9000 was successfully unveiled at the 2007 Executive Hire Show, and has a host of safety features, options and accessories, the most attractive being 'no need for a trailer for transport'. Suitable for a vertical work height of up to 9m, the unit has been engineered to the highest standards; it is fully CE marked and meets and exceeds the requirements of UK and European safety legislation.

Tim Mee, sales and marketing manager at Planet, explains: "The TP9000 can be set up by one user in a matter of minutes while offering the lift capacity for a two-man operation. Its intelligent in-cage or ground controls are simple to use and maintain, ensuring optimum use in fleet or end-user situations."

The Platform Company is actively backing the IPAF Clunk Click safety initiative, which recommends the use of a full body harness and lanyard for all operators using boom-type elevating work platforms. This was demonstrated recently when the company supplied a Genie Z45 boom to assist in the installation of The Urban Oasis, an eco-friendly sculpture, in the heart of Birmingham's city centre.

The machine features a built-in generator which provides power to the platform area, ridding the pedestrianised area of potentially hazardous trailing power leads. It also incorporates a security coded keypad that prevents unauthorised use, which is of obvious importance in a busy public place.

Lee Perry, sales and marketing director for The Platform Company, explains: "HSE [Health and Safety Executive] figures show that 46 people died from a fall from height at work in 2005/2006, along with 3,351 people suffering major injury. To achieve our ongoing positive impact on this figure, safety must always be paramount in all jobs involving powered access; and we make sure that everyone using our equipment uses a full body harness and adjustable lanyard."

But it is not only in relation to powered equipment that safety is an issue. Using faulty or unstable ladders is the cause of many accidents at work.

Speedy Hire is urging companies to help cut the number of deaths and injuries caused each year by falls from ladders.

Since 1 July, Speedy Hire has been offering to exchange old and faulty ladders for alternative, safer equipment. This exchange is being carried out in conjunction with the HSE which is conducting on-site inspections across the UK.

Alan Bultitude, managing director for Speedy Western, says: "People need to ensure their ladders are in proper working order. Statistics from the HSE demonstrate the need for more safety awareness when working at height.

"If customers bring in their old ladders to our depot we will conduct a full inspection to see if they meet HSE requirements. With our knowledge we can then advise customers on whether they are using the best products for the intended job. From past experience we know that most people should be using other forms of access equipment when working at height.

"All customers that bring in their old ladders will be given a 50 per cent discount on ladders and stepladders certified to BSEN131 or BS2037. We will be sending ladders that do not pass inspection for recycling."

Ian Greenwood, HSE head of falls from height, adds: "There is no excuse for anyone to compromise on safety. By using the right equipment and taking simple precautions, injuries can be avoided and lives saved.

"Ladders should only be used for low-risk, short duration work or where the only way to do a job is from a ladder. We want to encourage everyone involved in work at height to use the right access equipment."

The scheme has been running since June and the discount is valid at participating Speedy Hire depots until the end of December 2007.

Apply now to attend the Work at Height Forum

Planet Platforms is holding a Retail Work at Height Forum on October 4 at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

The first of its kind, the one-day event is for those people who are responsible for the health and safety of employees, and are aware of and well versed with the subject but who wish to remain one step ahead.

The event will feature prominent speakers from the retail, access and safety arena with the aim of bringing together a powerhouse of knowledge and information under one roof. As this is not a fee-based event, the guest list is exclusive and entry can be gained by invitation only.

To express an interest in the Work at Height Forum, please email retailwahforum@planetplatforms.co.uk or call 0800 0854 161.

Panthers at Golden Square

Panther Platforms supplied 35 machines for work on the final stage of construction of Warrington's Golden Square shopping centre.

The machines, a combination of both electric and diesel scissors and booms, were needed for the installation of ceilings within the huge extension to the existing centre.

Panther supplied machines ranging from a 5.8m electric scissor to a 15m diesel boom for the £120m project.

"This was a massive construction project which required a range of machines offering diverse abilities," says Adam Picken, sales executive for Panther Platforms' Haydock branch. "We were able to provide machines suitable for every application involved in the installation of the ceilings, whether the work required a narrow boom to manoeuvre easily in restricted spaces or a long boom to provide maximum outreach.

"The non-polluting electric machines were perfect for working inside the buildings, while the rugged diesel machines coped well with the demands of a huge and extremely busy building site."

Contacts

AFI Uplift: 01332 855350

Hankinson: 0870 789 2020

Panther Platform Rentals: 0845 0611999 http://www.platform-rentals.co.uk

Planet Platforms: 0800 0854161

Ranger Rentals: 0870 225 5554

Speedy Hire: 0845 601 5129 http://www.speedyhire.co.uk

The Platform Company: 0800 028 18 08 http://www.platformcompany.co.uk

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