INTERNATIONAL No 4 | 2018 SAFETY FIRST engcon tiltrotator an ideal solution for remote rail projects “We can’t afford Never drop Win a trip to any more a bucket Bauma 2019! accidents” again! – Page 2 – – Pages 3-5 – – Pages 6-7 – Zero tolerance for dropped buckets They say that politics is wanting to get zero achieved so far is a concrete result more importantly, safety efforts focused something done. I believe the same to from the discussions. Not much has hap- on the right things, namely the elimination be true of entrepreneurship. We create pened in our niche business – excavators of the human factor that is behind the companies because we want to get and quick hitches – either. This could be overwhelming majority of traffic accidents. something done. down to a number of issues - exhaust- We can also learn from this. The tiltrotator that was the start of engcon ing decision-making processes, inertia in In launching the “responsible quick back in 1990 came about because I the companies that are involved in them hitch”, engcon seeks to do everything it wanted to solve a technical problem. and diversity of opinions. But we cannot can to drive developments towards zero Looking back a few decades later I can allow the lack of consensus to create un- tolerance of workplace accidents involving see that a great deal has happened in the necessary deadlocks that constantly slow excavators. In the system engcon has development of the Group, its business development if we really want to make developed, the quick hitch does for the solutions and the product systems we progress. machine operator what adaptive cruise provide worldwide. But I also know that While we’ve been marking time here in control does for the car driver – it stops we’re far from finished. We Sweden, the Federation of Norwegian accidents before they happen. want to do more. Industries has taken an important The system takes over part of the While zero tolerance of step in the right direction by issuing operator’s responsibility and minimises workplace accidents has recommendations to apply safety the number of incidents. long been a central top- standards higher than those that apply If we put our minds to it, we can increase ic for debate, the only internationally. Also, where there’s a the safety of tool changes massively. And will there’s a way: examples from the we’re working on it. Don’t imagine that automotive industry show that major today’s long-established safety systems changes can be made rapidly. Today, are the last word. We are also driven, as adaptive cruise control through radar is we have always been, by the desire to be practically standard in every new car, large problem solvers and continue searching or small, even though as car buyers most for innovative ways ahead. of us had not heard of the technology a few years ago. Things moved quickly, but Stig Engström Owner and founder of engcon Here is your chance to win a trip to WIN A TRIP TO Bauma, the world’s largest machine fair, taking place in Munich in April 2019. BAUMA 2019! The prize includes a return airfare, two days’ entry to the show and overnight accommodation where you will be looked after by engcon staff along with winners from other countries. Enter at engcon.com/bauma2019 for a chance to take part in next spring’s hottest ticket. The competition is open and entries close on 31st January 2019. GOOD LUCK! P.S. It is not necessary for entry to the competition, but feel free to upload a picture of your digger with #engconbauma19 through Facebook or Instagram as well. 2 engcon news Tilt&Rotate A year ago, an employee lost four fingers when a bucket became “WE CAN’T AFFORD detached in mid-air. The company immediately purchased a locking ANY MORE ACCIDENTS” safety system from engcon. www.engcon.com 3 The excavator was in the process of being loaded onto a Up to now, it has been necessary to press a number of truck, when suddenly the bucket fell off. different buttons in order to disconnect the tool. Which “All the rules were followed, but it emerged that the bucket buttons you have to press can vary depending on which had not been properly locked in place. It fell off above the tool you want to disconnect or what type of machine you truck driver, who was standing directing the machine into are using. It can be a challenge to remember everything, position on the platform. Four fingers on one of his hands particularly if you are switching from one machine to were completely severed. But it could have been much another. worse,” says Bjørn Hetlevik, Plant and Project Manager at engcon has developed a brand new solution for this, Sartor Maskin AS. After the incident in autumn 2017, the known as Quick Hitch Standard Control (QSC). With QSC, company decided to purchase Q-Safe quick hitches and you have a simple and straightforward control panel inside QSC locking systems from engcon. the machine. The same panel can be used, regardless of which tools you are using. Work safety “Look, the panel is located to the right of the operator and “We can’t afford any more accidents. We want all our can be easily controlled with one hand. By pressing two employees to be safe at work,” says Hetlevik. Q-Safe buttons next to each other, you either unlock or lock the means that it is only possible to change tools when the hitch,” explains Hetlevik. bucket is resting on the ground. A sensor detects whether the tool is on the ground, and only then is it possible to “Safety first” unlock and change it. Until the tool has been locked in Veidekke Construction is one of Sartor Maskin’s clients: place, an alarm sounds and a strobe light flashes. It is also “It’s great that Sartor has now adopted a safety system not possible to operate the boom and slew functions. which ensures that the buckets cannot be dropped.” “I am sure that everyone who operates an excavator For us, it means that our subcontractors are thinking about has experienced a bucket or some other tool falling off. safety. The most important thing we do in our sector is I myself lost a bucket in mid-air when there was a man value creation, at the same time as ensuring that everyone standing only a metre or two away. It sent a chill down gets home from work safe and sound. As contractors, we my spine when that happened. We feel much safer now – employ procedures that are intended to intercept dangers, Q-safe guarantees that the tool is locked in place before yet we are completely dependent on those we collaborate we can lift it,” says Stein Fagerholt, plant operator at with focusing on safety and technical aspects within Sartor. their specific fields,” says Ørjan Hatlevik, Construction Manager at Veidekke. Working envelope Sartor has installed both QSC and Q-safe on the most He is working on a road widening scheme near the town recent excavators they have purchased. “Changing tools centre on the island of Sotra, near Bergen in Norway. A is one of the most dangerous activities you perform on an 900-metre stretch of road has to be widened and supplied excavator. For us, it is very important to adopt a safety-first with a new pedestrian and cycle path and a new bus stop. approach,” says Hetlevik. So far today, he has switched between two different buckets around 8 or 9 times. The buckets weigh some 500 kg. Schoolchildren, cyclists and motorists pass close by on the narrow, old road. 4 engcon news Tilt&Rotate QSC is a locking system for the excavator’s or tiltrotator’s quick hitch. This replaces the excavator’s integrated locking system. The buttons are always in the same place here, and it’s easy to get an overview. With the new safety systems, the bucket cannot become detached in mid-air. This makes things safer, both for passers-by and for the machine operators. www.engcon.com 5 Never drop a bucket again! Would you like the accelerator and brake pedals Nor is it possible to open the quick hitch lock with to be in different places depending on the make a bucket or tool raised off the ground. of car you’re driving? Of course you wouldn’t; it’s The tool must be on the ground before the unthinkable and your life would be at risk. hitch can be operated. Furthermore, it must This was behind our thinking when we developed be connected securely with both bucket axles the QSC – a standardised locking system for properly engaged and locked before the excavator hitches. Used with the Q-Safe quick excavator can be used. hitch, it creates the world’s safest quick hitch in a This means we have engineered out the risk of system that is not only standardised regardless of improper operation such as inadvertent activation excavator make and model, but also prevents the of the hitch lock resulting in a dropped bucket. operator from making mistakes. It’s simply not possible to make mistakes with the You always do the same thing to lock and open engcon Q-Safe and QSC lock system. the machine and tiltrotator quick hitches. What’s Welcome to a safer workplace! more, the system guides the operator to press the correct buttons and even if he makes a mistake, the QSC will not.