Features, Safety processes, Safety systems and solutions

Lifting maintenance safety

The LA40 uses a spring-assisted lifting mechanism for precise alignment of tools. Image: Nivek

Nivek Industries’ Lift Assist arms can take the weight of tooling and components.

Nivek Industries is no stranger to making maintenance safer and easier, and the latest tool in the company’s kit, the Lift Assist 80 (LA80), is already easing the burden for fitters all around Australia.

“The LA80 is designed to lift components like heavy tooling, truck brake callipers, wheel cleats, pumps, and more into place,” Nivek general manager Derrick Cant told Safe to Work.

“It’s made for those annoying 40 or 50kg components that workers often have to lift and hold in awkward positions with chains and slings while a co-worker bolts the part into place.

“Since the LA80 is powered by linear actuators, there’s no bounce in the arm, which allows for stable and precise alignment of components even in confined spaces.”

The LA80, a lift-assist arm with a carry capacity of up to 80kg, can lift and hold heavy components in place while it is being mounted or support the weight if being removed.

The LA40 helps keep hands and fingers out of crush zones. Image: Nivek

One of Nivek’s customers is currently using the system to install super-nuts on the underside of a crusher.

“That particular LA80 is mounted onto a fixed structure and is used to hold and manoeuvre 40kg super-nuts into position during install and removal,” Cant said.

“Ordinarily, a worker would have to lift and hold these 40kg nuts in place overhead while another person tightens them up. The LA80 makes this a one-man job, lifting and holding the nuts in place while the worker safely secures them.

“This not only makes the job easier and faster, but workers no longer have to risk an injury while lifting these heavy components.”

This example is just one possible application of many. Whether the workspace is open or confined, the LA80 can be used to lift and hold just about anything up to 80kg.

Linear actuation means the carried component won’t move around while being loaded or unloaded from the arm, an important safety feature when handling heavy items.

The LA80 can also be used to hold heavy tooling like rattle guns in place for safe and easy operation. Fitters would typically have to manually handle these tools over many hours, leading to fatigue and increasing the risk of injury, but those hazards can now be a thing of the past.

The LA80 is an invaluable tool to eliminate manual handling tasks and the many associated risks.

Scaling down

For lighter tooling, and where precision is critical, the Lift Assist 40 (LA40) is an ideal fit for the job.

The LA40 has a lifting capacity of up to 40kg and utilises a spring-assisted lifting mechanism, giving the operator manoeuvrability when it comes to lining up tools.

“The arm can take the weight of rattle guns, impact drivers and torque tooling, reducing the risk of fatigue and musculoskeletal injuries for anyone working with heavy tools,” Cant said. 

he LA40 and LA80 can be mounted to Big TED, Nivek’s large mobile work platform. Image: Nivek

“Using the spring-assisted arm mechanism, the LA40 holds the tools’ weight while the operator guides it into place.”

“Not only does this allow for precise work but it reduces vibrations and manual handling for workers.”

The LA40 mounting plate has been engineered to allow operators to easily design a fixed attachment point, or it can be mounted to Nivek’s Tracked Elevation Device (TED). When mounted to this mobile work platform, the LA40 and LA80 can be used almost anywhere thanks to the ability of TED and the larger-model Big TED to access confined and elevated spaces.

While the LA80 is new to market, the LA40 has been around for a number of years, during which time Nivek has furnished it with optional attachments, such as the hydraulic torque wrench tool,  to make the lives of fitters easier.

“The hydraulic torque wrench tool attachment allows operators to position the tool in place and stand back during operation, therefore eliminating the risk of finger crush or oil-injection injuries,” Cant said.

“It was created to stop people from holding these heavy hydraulic tools, particularly above their shoulders.”

And never one to settle for ‘good enough’, Nivek is currently developing a mobile stand for the LA40, which the company is hoping to have ready later in 2024.

Though technology in the mining industry evolves every day, Nivek Industries is keeping pace.

With a dynamic approach to safety technology and a suite of tightly engineered products under its belt, Nivek is helping to make maintenance work safer and more efficient.

This feature also appears in the July-August issue of Safe to Work.

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