When it comes to picker training in Northern Alberta, right in the middle of one of the worst polar vortex’s on record…well you say yes and dress for the situation.  

When the call for knuckle picker training comes in January, you don’t say “it’s too cold outside”, you ask if there is a large shop available and trust in the process.

The old song sung at Christmas, “Oh the weather outside is frightful…”, does NOT come anywhere close to how bone chilling and equipment damaging these climates are.  But they don’t need to be and we show the folks just how to deal with the equipment side at least.

Luckily for me and the 12 operators who participated in our light duty knuckle picker training in Fort McMurray Alberta area. 

Thankfully we scored big time on having one of their contractors graciously allow us to use their shop (unheated but out of the bone chilling wind), for the 3 days we were up there daily temps did go up to -32 Celsius but the 35km/hr. winds made it much more…interesting.

TO that end part of our picker training is to advise the operators on what needs to happen to their lifts during these cold temps (derating) and how to properly cycle the crane after extended warm up periods if there is no tank heater installed on the crane (about 95% of these pickers do not have tank heaters), and of course safe operating procedures.

If you are in Northern Alberta or Southern Saskatchewan it matters not, we bring our program to you no matter the temps outside.  This is the reality and we take it as you do, life in the prairies.  We do it safely, we show the safety side in detail and leave your company with some solid SOP’s if there are none in place for the picker.

Send us an email HERE, we respond immediately (unless we are in the middle of a class theory or practical), and ensure you get the right information the first time.

Factory trained instructor, make no mistake this is invaluable for your operators.