With the earliest literary references to winches being dated back to the 4th century BC, it’s fair to say that winch technology has come leaps and bounds from the original wooden winch machines that were used back then.
Their convenience and capabilities are unmatched, certainly compared to manpower, so it’s no wonder that we’ve relied on winch equipment for so many years! There are a plethora of benefits winches offer in the workplace, although one is often overlooked when singing their praises: safety.
In this blog, we’ll discuss the safety features incorporated into winches themselves, along with how the use of winches can actually help to reduce accidents in the workplace.
Reducing Workplace Accidents
Winches are most commonly used in highly labour-intensive environments, such as industrial construction sites or shipyards, where they will be utilised in conjunction with manual labour. Not only does their use help to improve productivity at such sites, helping large-scale products to be complete with efficiency, but they also help to reduce manual labour requirements.
By using a winch to move materials around, rather than having workers manually do so, they are able to preserve their energy and channel it into other tasks, reducing the chances of them overexerting themselves and making avoidable mistakes due to exhaustion that could lead to accidents.
Furthermore, regularly carrying such large and/or heavy loads can lead to significant back injuries or other serious accidents, which is mitigated by instead relying on a winch to safely and efficiently move such loads.
Safety Features of Winch Technology
Not only does the use of winches in the first place already reduce certain workplace safety risks, but they also feature certain safety elements within their design to further their reliable and safe functioning.
The first is the incorporation of brakes. Most winches require some form of braking capacity, allowing the winch to maintain tension when a load must be held in the same position (for example is being suspended in the air). Applying the brake ensures that any loads that are being held don’t fall mid-suspension nor that there are any runaway winches.
There are three key types of winch brakes:
- Manual brake
- Automatic brake
- Electric brake
The next key safety feature implemented in winches is an emergency stop stop system. This can be used in the event of a control system failure or to stop the machine immediately to prevent an accident, and works by cutting out the electrical supply that is being used to operate the winch. In the case of hydraulic or air winches, a ball valve is instead used to cut off their power source and perform an emergency stop.
Winch Hire Specialists
We have experience providing lifting equipment hire for all major industries, we’re winch experts that you can rely on here at Atlas Winch & Hoist Services.
We offer a range of different winches for hire – all of which are reliable and safe to operate, thus being indispensable to your work operations.
Get in touch with us today to discuss your requirements with one of our winch specialists.