IFC Inflow were invited to a composite and coating company in Mitcham to help improve the safety and efficiency of their loading operations. While the company were using a bottom loading system to load their tankers, avoiding any risk of fall from height related accidents, the heavy hoses were posing a risk to employee safety. Additionally, accessing the top of the tankers was still essential to everyday operations for carrying out routine cleaning and inspections. The only method for workers to access the top of tankers was using the inbuilt handrails on the vehicles, a method that provided them little to no security or protection while they worked.
Our solution to this was to design the company a bespoke gantry system with 2 folding stair points for easy and safe access to the tops of tankers and 2 top loading arms so that workers need not handle heavy hoses manually during loading operations. There were some complications with the project as space on the site was limited, so finding room to fit a gantry would be challenging. However, as IFC create gantries bespoke to the site and it’s individual requirements, this particular system was able to be designed in a way that was efficient and safe but also didn’t impact traffic on the site or impede space or operations in any way.
The project went smoothly and the proposed system was designed and installed on site for the client. As a result of our work, the company no longer has to rely on third party in-built tanker safety systems for keeping their employees safe. Any manual handling concerns resulting from workers handling heavy hoses was also removed as a result of the in-built loading arms provided by IFC. The end result is something that both the client and our own team are proud of and has been very effective at keeping employees safe while they are at work.
