A safer slogger

WHILE THE SLOGGING WRENCH MIGHT BE TRIED AND TESTED ON THE WORKSITE, A NEW PRODUCT FROM IMPACT TOOLS IS SET TO MAKE IT SAFER THAN EVER BEFORE.

Traditional slogging wrenches, known as short and stubby spanners, are able to remove hard-to-move bolts. Impact Tools has brought a new and improved version to market with safety in mind.

Company owner Colin Turci found the inspiration for the Safewrench, made by Ampco, in Germany five years ago.

The key to the new product is the two integrated spring washers it has inside. The two washers provide a firmer grip on the nut or bolt and can effectively hold the spanner on the nut.

The concept is to reduce the risk of injury from holding both the hammer and slogging wrench, which allows for more focus and precision on the task.

“Because it can hold itself on the nut, you can concentrate on using the hammer to hit the spanner rather than trying to have one hand on the spanner or someone else holding the spanner,” Turci told Safe to Work

“I was really surprised to see how many traditional wrenches were still being sold, especially when you think about how they are used.

“Traditional wrenches are definitely not the safest option and, on top of that, users are sometimes focusing so much on not hurting themselves that they’re not focussing on the job at hand.”

Safety is crucial on the worksite, especially in the mining sector, with hand safety at the top of the list.

A recent report from the WA Government, ‘Safety Performance in the West Australian Mineral Industry’, showed hand injuries were in the top three most common serious injuries reported in 2020–21.

Turci said the Safewrench helps minimise potential hand injuries on the work site.

“You can have this spanner upside down and it won’t fall off the nut, you can safely hit it with a hammer without putting another person in the line of an unfortunate accident,” he said.

“With a traditional wrench, two people are involved, one holding the spanner and one hitting it with a hammer. Our product removes two people from the line of fire.”

While the company still sells traditional slogging wrenches, the advantages of the Safewrench have been accepted by more and more of Impact Tools’ clients, with some remote mining operations making it a standard product across sites.

As evidenced by sales over the past 18 months, the company has seen more operations looking for ways to improve safety and picking the Safewrench as a solution.