Where’s The Line – Does This Really Work?

We’ve been HUGE advocates of line safety, we are a dealer for the SigAlarm High Voltage proximity alert systems not simply because we wanted a product line, but simply because more people need to stay away from over head power lines.  I know that is the obvious statement, however it’s not that obvious. We see the messages, the advertisements of “where’s the line”, the meaning is good, the delivery…not so much so it seems. One recent training we did, one of the students brought up a very valid point, “we are bombarded with safety stuff all day, we become desensitised to the posters”  even tho they have a very strong safety culture. Far too many people’s lives are forever altered

HIAB Crane Training & Certification in Alberta

We understand and recognize that HIAB cranes are one of the more popular brand of ‘pickers’ in the market for good reason.  Our training does not recognize one brand over another, it recognizes that ALL brands of knuckle boom cranes are good, it becomes the operator who starts to take chances running the crane improperly, whether it’s in the Alberta Oil patch, Saskatchewan’s Potash Mines or any other area where knuckle pickers have proven themselves to be the right product for the application. In the past, companies relied on the crane dealer to do a ‘hand-over’ to the end user, showing them the basics on the knuckle boom crane.  It was mainly by sheer luck on the part of the

Is It That Important to Know How Much You Are Lifting?

Does it really matter how much weight you are picking with your crane, so long as the safety systems are working and with knuckle pickers, they will stop when the crane becomes ‘overloaded’ anyway right? Well, usually they do, it’s built into the mechanics of the crane on HIAB, Palfinger, Fassi, etc, they all have a form of ‘overload’ protection built into them for your safety. In spite of how protected you feel you may be, independent testing has found out that many small picker units will exceed the stability of the truck before you reach maximum reach/capacity. Meaning simply that your operator really doesn’t get full use of the crane or capacity before it begins to tip over, and

Power Line Strikes ~ Is it possible to avoid on the job site?

As much as this seems fairly straight forward, it’s not always possible.  On many lease, construction and commercial sites involving large equipment, many times we see the identifying line to show “danger, overhead power lines” marked well in advance (usually when equipment crosses underneath it’s at a minimum of 3m away), for clearance purposes. When I train with companies, I always ask, what is the travel height of the vehicle you are driving (doesn’t have to be the crane truck), and most drivers have no idea.  Why not take the time to put it on the dash? Sadly, in this photo to the left, the operator did not survive, and yes I get that people say “He/She should have never

Picker Truck Operator Training

There comes a time when handing the keys of a $150,000 and up oilfield service truck has to send shivers down the spine of owner who had to hire based on availability. We don’t just ask you to bring a 4′ level to the training, what for?  There is NO way you can level any picker truck unless the ground is flat.  How many times I hear this makes it even more clear, there are those teaching this program who have no idea what they are doing.  When you have one set of outriggers, how do you expect to have a level vehicle?  it’s much like letting most of the air out of the driver side tires and expecting the

SigAlarm High Voltage Proximity Warning Systems

Since becoming a dealer for the SigAlarm product we have literally sent out 100’s of introduction letters and brochures and by and large, many companies are receptive to learning more about high voltage warning systems in Canada.           It doesn’t matter whether you are in Fort McMurray, Fox Creek, Estevan or Williston, ND equipment and powerlines are a dangerous combination.  We have the ability to get you within 3m of any overhead power line (we choose 3, for a specific reason), and we can also help your equipment stop at a pre-determined area as well. What industry is confused about is as “safety conscious”, there are mandates by many different industries on safety such as H2s,