DESCRIPTION
In 2015, staff at Stanton Bonna Concrete Ltd (SBC) read an article in a newsletter about a tragic accident within the construction industry. A contractor’s employee was killed whilst jointing a pipe when the wooden buffer, which was being used to push the pipe, broke and hit him on the head. SBC had seen similar methods being used for jointing concrete pipes on some of their client’s construction sites.
This tragic event provided the idea from which the ’Pipe Pusher’ was conceived, a tool that would eliminate the use of a wooden buffer to joint pipes. An initial design was created in-house and finance obtained to build a prototype. This prototype was used to carry out a site trial, to assess the safety and usability of the product.
The ‘Pipe Pusher’ was much safer to use. The trial demonstrated that no one needed to be near the jointing operation, no manual handling of a large wooded buffer, it was easier and quicker than traditional methods. The Pipe Pusher is attached directly to an excavator via a quick coupling.
BENEFITS
- Reduced risk of injury as operatives no longer near operation
- Reduced risk of injuries from manual handling
- Greater control over the jointing process
- Easily adjustable and interchangeable arms
- The Pipe Pusher fits most quick hitches on 80 of 90mm pins, on excavators
- Can be used to joint pipes from DN900 to DN1400
- Being extended to include pipes up to DN1800 and possibly up to DN2400
- A more efficient and safer jointing operation