DESCRIPTION
AC Plant Glazing is a long-established family company providing a nationwide glazing service for quarry plant and other equipment such as cars, buses, coaches and HGVs.
Windscreen repair and replacement in quarries makes up only a small fraction of its overall business but is seen by its staff and customers as the greatest risk to safety. This is because of the working environment and the requirement to work at height when replacing most heavy plant and machinery’s windscreens.
Windscreens installed on operator’s cabs of larger equipment are often unsuitable for traditional mobile scaffolding methods. A few years ago, AG Plant Glazing developed its first Mobile Fall Prevention Device (MOFAP) to meet the safe working at height requirements of equipment used in quarries. The key objectives were to facilitate unencumbered access with potentially large pieces of glass whilst providing an overhead fall arrest anchor point for the fitter’s harness and allowing the screen removal and replacement work to be completed. The system is based on an inertia reel that does not inhibit movement but locks in the event of a fall.
Please see the entry in the 'Sharing good practice guide 2026' and watch the video to find out more about the solution.
BENEFITS
- Provides a fall prevention anchor point for the windscreen fitter carrying out glazing work.
- Provides a slide out platform to aid access to small and larger equipment.
- Provides simple derrick to easily manage the lifting of guarding visors.
- Significant reduction in the risk of falls from height.
- Significant reduction in risk of manual handling injuries.
- Significantly safer method of working for fitters on mobile plant.
- More efficient operation as the need for ad hoc scaffolding removed.
- Fitters less likely to need support from quarry operators who are untrained in glass handling.
- Equipment has reduced the numbers of slips trips and falls experienced by fitters.
- Chipped or broken glass during installation has fallen to almost zero.
- Reduced downtime and cost for windscreen replacements.