A Sheffield engineering business has developed a bespoke maintenance solution for Tesco that will aim to improve the safety of working at height.
PCT, a sub contract engineering company that employs 70 members of staff collaborated with safety specialists HCL Safety to develop a modular access system for Tesco which will enable safe access from one roof-top to another that will allow for cleaning and maintenance.
Engineers at PCT were given the challenge to design and manufacture a companionway ladder system that can be adjusted to accommodate different heights. In addition to meeting stringent safety standards, the ladder also had to be extremely light to allow for manual handling.
Managing Director of PCT, James Harding-Terry, commented: “We thrive on a challenge at PCT and this project allowed us to demonstrate both our design expertise and fabrication skills.
“It’s important to get working at height right. Trips and falls whilst working at height account for 40 deaths and 4000 injuries each year. We’ve developed a range of working at height products over the past few months and we’ve also seen an increase in demand for bespoke projects like the one for Tesco.”
Based at Holbrook, Sheffield, PCT was founded in 1926 and has survived war, recession and a number of steel crises, to mark its 90th anniversary this year.
The family run specialist sub contract engineering company operates in a number of sectors including the construction and automotive industries and manufactures around 50,000 towbars every year.
PCT has a turnover of more than £5 million and also specialises in profiling, metal fabrication, tube manipulation and including prototype development.
Over the last few years PCT has become a specialist in the manufacture of working at height safety equipment and has the highest levels of health and safety and quality accreditation.