A Swedish equipment rental company was involved in a tragic accident last week in Ursvik, north of Stockholm, where a hoist fell 20 meters. This has led to an immediate tightening of safety procedures at Platform.as.
Last week, a hoist fell 20 meters in the Swedish city of Ursvik, north of Stockholm. A tragic incident that resulted in the death of five people. The incident in Ursvik occurred because the Swedish equipment rental company mistakenly failed to bolt two mast pieces together. Despite Platform.as not being involved in the accident in any way, the incident still leads the company to further tighten its own control in connection with the installation of construction hoists.
“We are deeply affected by the tragic incident in Sweden. At Platform.as, we have always strived to be the industry leader in safety, and we are therefore continuously improving our quality and safety procedures to avoid accidents,” says Casper Gorm Knudsen, CEO of Platform.as.
Seven years ago, Platform.as developed a control process for setting up work platforms that can be implemented immediately. The safety procedure involves applying a red cap to all bolts when they are tightened with a torque wrench. This makes it more visible that all bolts are mounted and tightened in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. At the same time, it is an extra check of all bolts. The red caps make it very clear to everyone whether the bolts are mounted or not, which can also be seen from the ground.
“We have not previously used this extra control function for hoist installations, as these types of assembly tasks are always solved by two certified fitters, who usually assemble the entire solution directly on the construction site. During the entire assembly process, the fitters perform mutual control of each other’s work, and when the assembly is completed, an installation check is carried out by an accredited third-party company,” says Casper Gorm Knudsen and continues:
“But because of the tragic accident in Ursvik, we have once again evaluated all our safety procedures and decided that Platform.as should tighten safety further. Better one check too many than one too few, as it is fatal if, for example, a bolt is forgotten. Therefore, we also choose to take this extra step to prevent an accident from happening. At the same time, it is made as visible as possible that all bolts are mounted, so users of our hoists can feel safe.”
Platform.as’ safety procedures and certified quality management system are continuously monitored, as well as updates and adaptations are introduced to best protect employees and users of the company’s machines.
“Our goal is to ensure that no one is injured as a result of using our equipment. Safety is our highest priority, and we will continue to invest in improving our procedures, and training of employees, to ensure that our machines can be used safely and securely on Danish construction sites,” says Casper Gorm Knudsen.
In a time when safety is crucial, Platform.as hopes that their commitment to raising standards will inspire others in the rental industry to do the same and prevent similar accidents in the future.
