Head for Heights: Can operators deal with taller developments?
Published: 20 July, 2009
Shopping centre design in recent years has tended to focus on building upwards as a way of maximising site density and provide the dramatic spaces retailers require to present their wares. So two-level malls with double-height shop units are not uncommon.
The advantages in retailing and investment terms can’t be denied. But such lofty spaces present new problems in operational terms. Routine cleaning and maintenance suddenly becomes nothing of the kind and every operation requires meticulous planning, risk assessment and often the use of specialist plant & machinery to gain access.
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has been running a major campaign on trips and falls, and the reason is simple – over 3m people in the UK work at height as part of their job and every year around 50 will die and as many as 4,000 face serious injury because of falls. Falling from height is the main cause of workplace fatalities.
The HSE has identified a number of key steps necessary to reduce the risks associated with working at height: First is to plan properly and don’t underestimate the risks. “Simply taking care is not enough,” warns the HSE. And whenever possible avoid working at height by using different equipment or work methods.
If high level access cannot be avoided, then select the most appropriate equipment for the task. “Making do to save money can result in injury and possibly prosecution,” the HSE warns.
Once the equipment is specified, those who are going to use it need to be appropriately trained; all the equipment needs to be regularly inspected and maintained and finally, the work must be effectively supervised.
ESSENTIAL MAINTENANCE
But difficult though it is, occasionally high-level access is essential. For example, cleaning at height cannot be ignored if a centre owner is to avoid potential health hazards, and a newly-formed company has set out to deal with exactly this issue.
Immaculate Perception recognises that compliance with environmental standards and health and safety regulations are now high priority issues in the shopping centre industry. But while many are succeeding at ground level it finds others failing at high level because traditional cleaning and maintenance regimes are often rooted to the floor.
Immaculate Perception’s technical director, Adam Preston, says: “Twenty years spent working at height in shopping centres has convinced us that there is a major safety and environmental issue lurking above our heads that has been consistently overlooked – dust is a serious fire hazard and adversely affects air quality”.
The company operates throughout the UK and around the clock meaning that trading hours are not affected by its activity. Shopping centre staff and tenants will see an improvement in their work environment occur literally overnight without ever being inconvenienced by the specialised activities undertaken to achieve it.
Because many high level areas of shopping centres are very difficult to access, even with standard mobile access platforms, Immaculate Perception specialises in the use of the most technically advanced machines available driven by highly experienced
operators. Once in position, they can carry out a range of high
level activities which includes vacuuming and washing of steel or timber roof structures, removal of dust and debris from high level surfaces, window cleaning, painting and other surface refurbishments, replacement of lamps and installation of promotional signs and banners.
TOUGH TIMES
In addition, Immaculate Perception has also taken account of the prevailing economic climate and has geared itself up to offer solutions, even where budgets are tight. Finance director, Steve Harland, says: “We recognise how difficult conditions currently are financially, so in response we’ve structured our business to minimise overheads – the resulting savings are passed straight to our customers in return for their business”.
If they choose not to use specialist contractors, mall managers still have to decide whether to buy or hire access equipment. Lucy Bebington, marketing manager at Independent Parts & Service, has studied shopping centre managers’ attitudes. “According to our shopping centre customer database, about half of them own their own equipment – the other half rent/hire it in.” she says.“There is lots of advice and help available from rental companies who are renting the equipment to the shopping centres which is fantastic – these people know what they are talking about and tend to know the right equipment for the application,” she says.
But Independent Parts & Service is targeting the malls that prefer to buy their own equipment, and who may not be aware that ownership brings certain legal obligations. “The owners that need to realise the importance in correctly maintaining and up keeping their equipment,” Bebington says, “not just for safety but for protecting and prolonging the lift of the equipment, ensuring optimum performance and confidence in their working at height.” One subject that tends to get overlooked is the correct maintenance and inspection of access equipment. Every Mobile Elevated Work Platform or MEWP (the industry term for cherry pickers, boom lifts, scissor lifts, hoist lifts, personnel lifts, trailer mounts and so on) has to have a six monthly mandatory LOLER inspection – the equivalent to an MOT only twice a year.
Bebington warns: “It is important that the regular LOLER inspections are done, but just as important is the day to day
checks that have to be performed by the operators – things like checking batteries and topping them up, checking engine oils and hydraulic levels, looking for any leaks, ensuring safety decals are intact, tyres are corrected inflated and generally being aware of
any warning lights.”
Nine years after it was launched, IPS has become the largest independent service provider in the UK access industry. As well as advising owners, it works with all the major rental companies like Nationwide Platforms, Panther, AFI and Kimberley Access selling replacement parts and subcontracting its labour to perform mandatory LOLER inspections, servicing, breakdowns and repairs on the rental fleets.
Among the rental companies Urban Access has been
making inroads into the shopping centre sector by specialising in narrow width spider-type access platforms and track mounted access platforms, which are especially suitable for malls and atriums.
The company has just formed a new partnership with the Danish company World Lift Industries, which manufactures Denka narrow lifts and Falck Schmidt spider lifts.
Both Denka Lift and Falck Schmidt are well known throughout the world for their range of high quality telescopic boom type trailer mounted and narrow spider lift access platforms and for their unique double articulating Fly-Jib
design. Their range also includes truck mounts and ultra lightweight, narrow chassis type telescopic booms, widely
used for atrium work.
Urban Access managing director Neil Wilkinson, says: “Our appointment comes at a time when facilities management companies and shopping centre maintenance managers alike may be looking to add extra value to their businesses and operations by considering the various options in owning a specialist access platform system rather than paying ongoing hire charges. If required on a frequent basis, these can prove to be an expensive exercise especially for the narrow width and lightweight spider type products.”
