Health and Safety company of the year

The high-flying construction hoist sales and hire specialist, Direct Hoist, has added to its success with the Building and Construction Review Commitment to Health and Safety Award.

Safety is top priority when working at heights. No matter how short the project or how few storeys are climbed, it’s vital to afford maximum protection for workers.

As modern building techniques call for more specialised products, health-and-safety regulations mean construction hoists have become essential for almost any site.

“Companies gain credibility for using the right safety equipment,” says Rob Wilson, founder of ever-expanding hoist hire and sales specialist Direct Hoist. Based in the Midlands and serving industry throughout Britain, Direct Hoist benefits from Rob’s 30-plus years’ experience of safety on site.

The award stems from a constant commitment to staff development and unrivalled attitude towards impeccable safety standards. And now Direct Hoist has rocketed to the top of the class, with its newly-launched programme of training courses already in high demand.

Direct Hoist, a midlands-based construction hoist sales and hire specialist, recently expanded its Lincolnshire site to include a bespoke teaching centre. And now, as a further step towards being a one-stop shop for its customers, Direct Hoist is offering tuition to help boost health and safety standards even further.

Rob Wilson, Direct Hoist’s managing director, is known for pre-empting a client’s requirements, thanks to 30-plus years in the hoist hire industry. He says, “We intuitively know what our customers need, so we’ve started running courses to ensure the highest levels of safety for our clients staff”

Direct Hoist’s training facility includes a 10m training tower, capable of transporting a two-tonne platform hoist to full height and all training is industry-specific with up-to-the-minute knowledge of equipment, working practices and regulations.

Courses can be fully accredited to NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) Level 2 in hoist installation. Experienced students are offered a two-day session in the theory and practical elements of assembly and disassembly of various lifts. A week-long course is available for a more comprehensive understanding of erecting and dismantling different types of hoist.

At the end of each course, students are examined by an external assessor before they can receive a certificate, which will be recognised on most building sites.

Direct Hoist has more programmes on the horizon, including electrical safety and working at heights. So if your firm has any training goals, especially with health and safety at the forefront, Direct Hoist can certainly show you the ropes.

It’s not just training that’s keeping Direct Hoist ahead of competitors – and to ensure customers receive the best choice – Direct Hoist last year became UK distributor for Electroelsa, an Italian manufacturer of mast-climbing work platforms (MCWPs), transport platforms, material hoists and construction hoists.

Rob says, “Electroelsa is implementing a wide range of technological innovations, which we’re excited to introduce to the British construction industry.

“We’re currently supplying an Electroelsa 3×1.2m platform for a large development in Lincoln. We’re adapting the entire Electroelsa range for the rigours of the British rental market, where we’re enhancing components for longevity during intense usage – it’s vital to minimise downtime on-site, while maintaining efficiency, cost and ease of use.”

Direct Hoist and Electroelsa are perfect partners with them also being a market-leader in safety, boasting an independent overspeed device (OSD) that intervenes by locking the platform if it descends at an excessive speed, along with an automatic safety system to protect the machine from being overloaded.

Electroelsa machines also benefit from high-tech computer control, including SIM technology with data-logging; it features a self-diagnostic function to remotely relate to Direct Hoist any problems, wherever it is in the world.

“We can save countless man-hours by quickly solving issues without even visiting the site,” says Rob. “We can programme a hoist to restrict or enable users, and we can turn it off remotely in the event of emergency or theft – or even non-payment…”.

“The Direct Hoist Group is also in the process of launching a plant hire department – mini diggers, dumpers, excavators and such like – again to give our clients better and easier access to the machinery they need. You can even hire the trailer and van to tow it to site”.

By then, Direct Hoist will be ready to open a new depot in Birmingham – another step on this impressive firm’s safe flight to the top.

Contact
T 01724 781647
info@directhoist.co.uk
www.directhoist.co.uk