Saudi demand creates glut of new safety products

A view of the Saudi PMV Show 2009. (Greg Whitaker)

A glut of new safety products are on show at this year's Saudi PMV Show as the Kingdom races to modernise.

Among them is a device which warns of power cables when working in a telehandler. The device, called Sigalarm, can detect the electrostatic field of any AC line, thereby reducing the risk of electric shock.

“Most fatalities, when working at height on this type of equipment, are from electrocution," said Brian Considine, Sigalarm president. "This simple device can prevent that risk, by simply warning the operator with a display or an alarm.” The product is popular with fleet managers, who had suffered an accident and were looking at ways of preventing reoccurrence, he added.

Currently the system is being trialled by Saudi Aramco through dealers Al Shuwayer. If successful, the system could be fitted across the oil company’s fleet of access platforms and telescopic boom cranes.

Elsewhere at the show, Modulift are demonstrating their range of spreader beams used for safely distributing weight on extremely heavy lifts.

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Recently, the firm supplied beams to regional heavy-lift specialists Al Jaber for a unique job shifting pressure vessels for a client in the oil and gas industry.  The beams were rated at 1250 tonnes, which is exceptionally heavy even in this sector.

“Whilst this spreader beam was made for a bespoke lift, it certainly won’t sit in the corner of a yard never to be seen again," said Company chairman Nick Latham. "The design of the modulift spreader is such that it can now go on to undertake many more lifts up to the same weight and by buying a full set of beams comprising of different lengths, Al Jaber have also got the flexibility for a range of spans within this.”

More safety innovations are on display in the show, like JCB’s ‘Robot’ skid-steer range. Faisal Mehtab, a sales manager explained: “The single arm means that the operator can access the cab through a door, rather than clambering over the bucket. It is a much better way of doing it, and the arm comes with a lifetime guarantee.

Earlier in the show, Steven W. Irwin, a crane safety expert at Aramco, told delegates in a workshop: “We need to emphasise that safe practice is not simply a priority – rather, it should be something that comes naturally to all employees, regardless of whether their boss is watching them or not."

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