Mammoet Australia has introduced Hands-Free Lifting across its operations to ramp up workplace safety. This new practice minimizes the risk of hand and finger injuries when handling suspended loads and tensioned equipment, prioritizing safety and efficiency.
Traditionally, maneuvering suspended loads involved significant manual effort, posing hazards to workers and the potential for errors. Hands-Free Lifting, employing taglines and push-pull sticks, tackles these challenges head-on. It eliminates direct contact with suspended loads while connected to lifting devices.
Push/pull sticks adjust load position without hands-on manipulation, keeping workers at a safe distance. They also allow for remote tagline retrieval, reducing the need to enter the drop zone. This versatile approach ensures safety across various industries and lifting scenarios.
Implemented in early 2023 in Mammoet’s Pilbara region sites, Hands-Free Lifting is now standard across all Mammoet Australia operations. This underscores the company’s dedication to safety, allowing employees to focus on tasks without compromising safety, reducing accidents, injuries, downtime, and boosting productivity.
Ryan Binedell, SHEQ Manager at Mammoet Australia, commented: “It is our priority to advance the industry’s safe practices. While the use of hands-free lifting tools isn’t new to the industry, it’s often been seen as optional and utilized when convenient. Elimination and substitution are the most accessible and effective control measures in hazard management. So we aim to integrate hands-free lifting from the outset of any task where the use of hands can be avoided. By challenging the use of hands, we enhance planning and highlight SIMOPS risks, which we then mitigate through a planned approach to a lift and installation.”
