Maintenance
A helping hand for hands-on maintenance NIVEK INDUSTRIES NOW OFFERS THE HYTORC ATTACHMENT TOOL FOR HYTORC’S HYDRAULIC BOLTING TOOLS, ENABLING SAFER MAINTENANCE WHILE KEEPING WORKERS’ HANDS OUT OF THE LINE OF FIRE.
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or safer maintenance practices, Nivek has already proven it can carry the weight of industry expectations with the company’s lift assist range. A staple in Nivek’s portfolio is the LA-40 tooling manipulator arm, which protects against hand injuries and fatigue by supporting the weight of rattle guns, impact drivers and torque tooling. By taking the weight out of maintenance, the LA-40 arm allows for easier tool use without the burden of hand and muscular skeletal injuries. Nivek has taken the safety and manoeuvrability capabilities of the LA-40 arm a step further with the Hytorc attachment tool, which can be mounted directly on the LA-40 arm to support the hydraulically driven tools in almost any orientation. The Hytorc tools are capable of achieving extremely high torque, which is essential for tightening and loosening the various nuts and bolts of mining plant and machinery. The tools have traditionally needed to be held in place by one operator, while a second operator drives the hydraulic tool. “The main cause of concern is that the person holding the tool is not the one controlling it. This can potentially lead to the operator powering on the tool whilst the other person has their hand in an unsafe position,” Nivek general manager Derrick Cant tells Safe To Work.
The Hytorc attachment tool can be mounted directly on the LA-40 tooling manipulator arm.
“If the person holding it has their finger between the reaction arm and the plate when the operator turns on the tool, the tool will easily crush their finger.” To alleviate this potential danger, Nivek has developed the Hytorc attachment tool, which is now available in Australia. Cant says Nivek developed the tool in response to customer demand for a product that allows operators to stand clear while using the Hytorc tools during maintenance for heavy earthmoving equipment. “A couple of customers approached us at different times asking for something that could hold the Hytorc tool to allow the operator to stand back and operate it instead of having to actually hold it in place,” Cant says.
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“It is mounted on our LA-40 arm and supports the weight of the Hytorc tool so it can be put in place without workers suffering from fatigue by holding up the heavy tool during operation. There is also less chance of people’s fingers getting trapped as the operation is now a one-person job.” Workers in the mining sector have long suffered the impact of hand injuries due to the demands of heavy equipment and maintenance activities. These injuries can be extremely detrimental to mine workers, forcing them to leave their jobs as they usually never function the same once injured. According to a 2013 bulletin from the Queensland Mine Inspectorate, the largest proportion of miners suffering serious hand injuries from 2007-2012
