Underground mining safety often does not attract the attention it should, particularly when it comes to maintenance on mobile equipment. With the majority of underground machines barely reaching a quarter of the height of their surface machine counterparts, more risk tends to be accepted when conducting maintenance tasks at this height.

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Handrails, grab rails and ladder steps enhance fall protection measures

The issue here is that many of these underground machines require routine inspection and maintenance at height of around three metres. Furthermore, some of these areas are right on the edge of the machine, further increasing the likelihood of a fall. A fall from three metres may not be as catastrophic as one from a 10 metre plus haul truck, though it is enough to cause injury which may put an employee out of action for some time.

This is why it is important to ensure your mobile equipment is equipped with safety handrails.

Bend-tech is a leading supplier of handrails to suit a wide range of Sandvik loader and truck models. Our handrails are designed to ensure fall protection and enhanced safety for personnel during maintenance, and are built to withstand the harshest underground mining environments.

Handrails are built with our patented single action stainless steel hinge system, allowing them to be easily folded up during maintenance and down during operation. This action prolongs handrail integrity and corrosion resistance.

These OEM replacement handrails also include a number of design enhancements, such as the kick-hinge system and additional kick plates which make maintenance and use of the handrails safer and easier. In addition, we also offer custom designed handrails which can be retrofitted to the machine to increase safety and reduce handrail damage.

This offering is best showcased in our TH663 low-folding handrail set pictured below.

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Sandvik TH663 Low Folding Handrails

The low-folding handrails offer features and benefits unique to Bend-tech. These features increase handrail durability, operator safety, operator usability and offer considerable maintenance cost savings over standard OEM design.

  • Low hinge points – allow the handrails to lay flat on the deck when not in use, effectively reducing the exposure to damage caused by wipe-outs and rock falls.
  • Superior hinging mechanism – the kick-latch design allows operators to engage the folding feature with their feet, eliminating the need to bend down. These latches have a solid structure that offers greater durability compared with the vulnerable OEM design.
  • Lay-out design optimisation – the Bend-tech design ensures all noticeable gaps are covered by fold-out handrail gates and extensions to ensure that maintenance teams are protected while carrying out tasks in varied positions across the deck.
  • Cost-effective replacement – Bend-tech offer considerable cost savings when compared to standard OEM supply, allowing MEM teams to reduce their maintenance spend and invest greater in safety.
  • Local supply – we maintain a high volume of stock across all models to ensure your demands can be met locally without incurring extended lead times.

Our expert team are readily available to discuss your handrail requirements on-site or over the phone. Get in contact with the team today!

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