Raising safety standards with occupational health services from Abbott
Ainscough Crane Hire was founded in Wigan, UK, in 1976 and now operates nationally from 30 locations. It is the UK's largest crane hire company with a diverse fleet of over 400 cranes and mobile towers ranging in lifting capacity from 40T to 800T, as well as the accompanying haulage trucks and trailers needed to transport machinery regionally and nationally. Ainscough employs more than 800 highly trained team members, with over 600 of these working on site to provide specialist lifting solutions for construction, power generation, petrochemical, and emergency response applications.
A deep commitment to staff and customer safety underpins all of Ainscough's projects, leading the company to establish its own industry-recognised 'Make the Safe Choice' ethos. This comprehensive approach to a safe system of work stems from the team's extensive experience and knowledge base, focusing on understanding and identifying potential dangers and responding appropriately to prevent physical and mental harm. In addition to this, every lift that Ainscough delivers is in line with BS 7121, the code of practice for the safe use of cranes.
A Preventative Safety Strategy
The use and transport of cranes involve inherently complex tasks and can be dangerous if not carried out in line with official safety guidance. Possible risks include workers or goods falling from height, road accidents, falls on site, or musculoskeletal issues resulting from heavy and repetitive manual tasks. However, the less obvious long-term health effects of crane operation are increasingly being recognised, as the sedentary nature of the job may exacerbate or contribute to obesity, diabetes, and back pain for some individuals. Furthermore, frequent lone working and the stress caused by the heavy responsibility of the role can result in mental health difficulties, which may sometimes be harder to pinpoint and treat than physical injuries.
These adverse health effects could pose safety risks in themselves, as they can affect an individual