Briggs Equipment and Abbey Attachments help deliver safety gains and award for Howdens
Following the successful implementation of their ‘Safe to Trade’ campaign, Howdens have won the 2020 Technology Risk Management Initiative award from the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM).
At the centre of the campaign was the creation and roll-out of the bespoke Bruss Overload Alarm system, which alerts forklift operators from lifting loads above the recommended capacity of the truck. Over the course of 12 months, Abbey Attachments and Briggs Equipment worked in partnership with Howdens to retro-fit all 700 of their forklift fleet with this new warning system.
The alarm is fitted externally to the forklift and alerts all within the operating area, including the operator to any overload event. Since its introduction, there have been zero recorded overload incidents and the feedback from Howdens’ 3,800 forklift operators has been extremely positive.
The ‘Safe to Trade’ campaign also includes several additional improvements, such as a 4×4 segregation rule to improve safety during LGV trailer deliveries.
Kevin Gillespie, Briggs Equipment’s National Account Manager, commented: “This project is a fantastic example of how partnership working and collaboration can deliver great results for a customer.
“At Briggs, we make sure that our customer support doesn’t end as soon as the equipment is delivered. Given our own engrained safety first culture at Briggs, we were well placed to provide our expertise and support to Howdens for this project.
“There are many logistical challenges when retro-fitting 700 forklifts with a bespoke alarm system, but alongside our partners we were able to go above and beyond Howdens requirements. The award win is well deserved and highlights their ongoing commitment to safety innovation and improvements.
“This is just one example of our pro-active account management approach, and we’re looking forward to continuing our work with Howdens.”
Paul Saunders, Managing Director, Abbey Attachments, commented:
“We were thrilled to have the opportunity to work alongside Howdens and Briggs on this project. Initially we trialed an off the shelf product but needed a system that was custom-made for Howdens and their Hyster trucks. With the help of RAVAS, our mobile weighing systems provider, the newly developed solution was successfully trialed and approved by Howdens, resulting in the rollout of over 700 systems, installed across their UK network of 680+ depots within an 11 month period.
“As a result of the development work for this project RAVAS launched their SafeCheck and SafeLoad products which are being used around the world to help prevent overloading on materials handling equipment, expanding our range of safety solutions for the workplace.”