Northern Strand was honored to accept the Agriculture Equipment Innovation Award at Agri-Trade 2018 for our cutting edge Bin Safe System. The Agriculture Innovation Award is given to a company that celebrates new ideas, helps farmers meet new requirements, or provides a product to help meet new and changing needs in the agricultural sector. The judges for the Innovation Award are farmers; those who actually use agricultural products on their farm or ranch. The $1,500 price given to Northern Strands was donated to the Northern Strands Group of Companies' charity of choice, the Children's Wish Foundation of Saskatchewan.
The Bin Safe System is a farm safety equipment product that was developed to allow farmers to climb and easily access a grain bin for repairs or inspections. The system is an extremely cost effective alternative to grain bin walk ways, grain bin cages, and grain elevators. The implementation of new regulations in Alberta Farm Safety requires fall protection on various farms. Thus, the Bin Safe System helps farmers meet new legislative requirements and also provides the agricultural industry with a product to help meet new and changing needs on farms.
Up next for Northern Strands is the 2019 Crop Production Show hosted in Saskatoon Saskatchewan January 15 - 17, 2019 in booths C55-56. We will also be attending the Manitoba Ag Days Trade Show in the Inventor Area in Barn 4 Booth 1819 from January 22, 23, and 24th in Brandon Manitoba!
There are a number of important factors to consider when using chain to lift a given obstacle. Shiny, gold, Grade 70 Transport chain is intended for load binding only. This chain is used to hold heavy items down to a flatbed truck and the gold-chromate finish as well as the carbon-steel construction makes this chain easy to spot and more difficult to break.
With this said, this chain should not be used for lifting unless it has been fabricated by a sling manufacturer and the manufacturer is required to follow guidelines for fabrication. ASME and/or ASTM standards must be followed and they require that either grade 80 or 100 chain be used in sling fabrication, due to the alloy steel construction and its ability to elongate when overloaded as opposed to snapping suddenly. The manufacturer will also have to put a tag on the chain sling that indicates what maximum load or Working Load Limit can be safely applied to the sling, making it easier for end users to know the limitations.
When lifting any objects off of the ground, the weight of said object as well as the capacities of the lifting device and rigging must all be known before making the lift. This important guideline is something that the Northern Strands' Training Division focus on in the Below the Hook Rigging training. Sections 208 and 209 of the Saskatchewan’s Occupational Health and Safety Regulations refer to this concept directly as well.
When in doubt about whether to lift a load with a certain chain or not ask yourself this question: Does the chain have a tag on it indicating its Working Load Limit?
If yes – there are a number of other questions you should ask yourself after this to determine that all of the parameters related to the lift are safe.
If no – do not attempt the lift and look for an alternative solution.
When performing any sort of lift whatsoever, it is important that workers are trained in safe rigging practices and that they are competently supervised. Whether you are an employee or an employer, feel free to contact Northern Strands about our various Safety Courses and our Below the Hook Rigging Seminars.
For more information about Below the Hook Rigging Seminars click here: Hook Rigging Seminars
For more information about all Safety Training Courses click here: Safety Training Courses
Northern Strands Training Division Contact Information
Email: training@northernstrands.com
Phone: 306-242-7073
Did you know that a wire rope lanyard designed for fall arrest is not the same
as a wire rope sling that is designed for lifting?
When used as a fall arrest lanyard, wire rope by itself is unable to absorb any type of energy. Because there is no elasticity or stretch, this will subject a worker to a injury or even a potential amount of fatal arrest-force should they happen to fall while wearing it.
When wire rope is used as a connecting device, it is absolutely essential that a Personal Energy Absorber is used along with it. A PEA should actually be used with any lanyard or connecting device that allows for potential free fall, despite the fact that the webbing or rope of some lanyard types does actually absorb small amounts of energy.
Most jurisdictions, including Saskatchewan, prohibit fall
forces in excess of 8 kilonewtons. Therefore, employers are
legally required to ensure that a personal fall arrest system used by their
employees is set up in order to prevent arrest forces in excess of 1800 pounds.
The amount of force a human body can withstand has not
technically been verified by modern science. Less arrest force is generally easier on a person's body than more fall force. Additional information on this topic can be found here.
Wire rope slings should never be used as connecting devices in a Personal Fall Arrest System; it
will subject a falling worker to more fall force than a proper energy-absorbing lanyard would.
Northern Strands provides training on both the proper use of fall
arrest equipment and the proper use of rigging equipment. If you
would like more information one either of these programs, please contact us.
Contact us at:
training@northernstrands.com
306-242-7073
Over the last few decades worker safety in Canada has become an area of utmost importance for our government, companies and workers. Worker fall protection safety has been a particular area of focus in safety regulations and culture across Saskatchewan and Canada.
Did you know that Saskatchewan's Occupational Health and Safety Regulations states that, "An employer or contractor shall develop a written fall protection plan where:
(a) a worker may fall three metres or more; and
(b) workers are not protected by a guardrail or similar barrier."?
What constitutes a fall protection plan or system? OH&S regulations state, "The fall protection plan required by subsection (1) must describe:
(a) the fall hazards at the worksite;
(b) the fall protection system to be used at the worksite;
(c) the procedures used to assemble, maintain, inspect, use and disassemble the fall protection system; and
(d) the rescue procedures to be used if a worker falls, is suspended by a personal fall arrest system or safety net and needs to be rescued.
(3) The employer or contractor shall ensure that a copy of the fall protection plan is readily available before work begins at a worksite where a risk of falling exists.
(4) The employer or contractor shall ensure that a worker is trained in the fall protection plan and the safe use of the fall protection system before allowing the worker to work in an area where a fall protection system must be used."
Northern Strands Engineered Fall Protection Division recently completed a job where we installed an Engineered Fall Protection System for a commercial rooftop. We completed the installation of two force management anchors on a standing seam roof. Standing seam clamps are attached to the roof top. Bearer bars bridge the gap between two standing seams. Anchor plates are the riveted to the bearer bars and the pull tested. Finally the anchors are assembled on the anchor plate and torqued. These rooftop anchors are now ready for the customers use.
If you have questions regarding commercial rooftop fall protection plans, please contact the Engineered Fall Protection Division of Northern Strands at 306.242.7073, email lifelines@northernstrands.com or visit our webpage http://www.northernstrands.com/fall-protection.aspx
Northern Strands is COR safety certified and is a Mission Zero Charter Member.
We are proudly Saskatoon, Saskatchewan owned and operated.
Northern Strands Suspended Access Division has designed a unique Portable Electric Winch System for material handling. Why did we design a Portable Electric Winch System? To offer an alternative to Air Winches. Our Portable Electric Winch System was designed with portability and ease of use in mind.
Who can benefit from the use of this unique winch? Iron workers, sheeters, insulators, industrial mechanical contractors, plant maintenance workers and anyone that has a need for temporary hoisting solutions in a somewhat confined space.
Features include:
- Capacity from 300lbs to 2000lbs depending on the weighted base.
- Variable speed.
- Accurate load weight readout.
- Anti two-block.
- Positive controls.
- Controlled decent.
- Counter weighted system, no need to fasten unit to structure.
- No need for a compressor.
- Overload protection.
- Ease of use.
- Long pendant control keeps operator away from the suspended load.
Our Portable Electric Winches are available to rent today!
Contact our Suspended Access Division for all your material handling, work platform, tugger, winch and swing stage needs. Our products are available to rent throughout Canada.
Visit our website at http://www.northernstrands.com/suspended-access-systems.aspx
staging@northernstrand.com
Phone 306-242-7073.
Northern Strands is proudly Saskatoon, Saskatchewan owned and operated.