The economic and human cost of the falls from vehicles that we know about was over £36m. Around 70% of those accidents happen to non-drivers*.
So what kinds of tasks are performed on or around vehicles that don’t include driving it from one place to the next.
Predominantly Planet Platforms are approached to help design solutions for vehicle repair and maintenance. Your standard car in the local garage can be quickly lifted on jacks to get underneath the vehicle.
However, where areas on a vehicle are not within safe reach an all-together different approach is required.
The types of vehicles we encounter varies considerably and has included refuse vehicles, fire engines, armoured personnel carriers, articulated trucks and even equipment for windscreen repair personnel.
Ongoing maintenance is the overriding theme when work at height and vehicles come together.
We take it for granted when stepping onto public transport that it will have been properly maintained. When you look behind the scenes however the lengths companies have to go to can be eye-opening.
When First Glasgow moved its operations from their old Larkfield Depot to a new purpose built depot on the site of the former Gushetfaulds railfreight terminal their main architect and primary contractor teamed up with Planet Platforms.
The vehicles required to service First Glasgow’s 118 routes have to be available 24/7 and the new Gushetfaulds Depot is designed to meet this requirement. Planet provided three specific double-level gantry platforms in key areas of the building.
The route through the maintenance depot ensured optimum use of the available space and the three platforms were sited with this in mind.
In zone 3 the Main Workshop and Maintenance Booth Platforms allowed for remedial work, such as spraying, to be carried out on the buses.
The two platform levels on each of the gantries gave access to the side and front and rear areas of each vehicle with the lower level capable of being folding down to allow access around the vehicle at ground level.
Each gantry was also designed to accommodate different vehicle models with adjustable profiling fingers and slide-out decks helping to contour each type.
In zone 2 where the Depot Workshop Platforms were sited, space was at a premium and by adjusting the configuration of the stairs it was possible to position the gantry to align/optimize with the workflow from zone 3.
*Source HSE
To see more details on the Planet Platforms vehicle access systems please click on this link.
