UNIQUE NEW LOADING BAY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FROM EASILIFT PREVENTS ACCIDENTAL VEHICLE DRIVE-OFFS

PRESS INFORMATION

REF:        ELS 169                                DATE:     14th September 2010

EMBARGO:        For immediate release   

UNIQUE NEW LOADING BAY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FROM EASILIFT PREVENTS ACCIDENTAL VEHICLE DRIVE-OFFS

Loading bay solutions supplier Easilift Loading Systems has joined forces with one of the world’s leading access management system manufacturers to devise an innovative solution to the problem of drive-away accidents.

Called the Anti-Drive-Off - Loading Bay Management System, the solution synchronises the dock door and associated control equipment with an electronic key control system manufactured by Traka.

Both companies are industry leaders in their fields and their new collaboration has resulted in a cost-effective system which is set to revolutionise loading bay safety procedures and potentially save lives, while protecting many more workers from serious injury.

The system, which can be retro-fitted to current installations, ensures that not only are drivers prevented from moving their vehicles, but that the dock doors are only opened by qualified staff. Furthermore, it provides companies with an audit trail, giving management a concise record of loading bay activity.

Figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that loading bays are accident hot-spots. There are 246,000 workplace accidents every year and 12 per cent of those which are rated as fatal or major occur while unloading or loading, with falls and crushing the two main causes of injuries.

Accidents occur for a variety of reasons, including the unfamiliarity of drivers with the loading bay layout or operational system, lack of due care and attention, a simple breakdown in communication, or a combination of these factors.

The Anti-Drive-Off - Loading Bay Management System works from the moment a vehicle arrives on site. The driver is assigned a specific loading bay, parks up and goes to the transport office, where he or she hands over the vehicle keys, which are then attached to a Traka iFob corresponding to the dock number.

The iFob, unique to Traka, is an intelligent key which is shaped like a bullet and contains a unique electronic chip. It is inserted into a Traka key cabinet by the transport manager and a related iFob is removed and handed to the driver as a receipt.

It is only when this second iFob is removed that the doors to the dock can be opened. The cabinet sends a message to the dock door controller which illuminates a green LED light, showing that the door is "live".

Just as iFobs can only be inserted into the cabinet by a qualified person, controlled by their ID card or unique pin, so only an authorised person can open the dock door, by inserting their own iFob into the dock door controller.

Loading or unloading can now take place safely. Drive-off accidents are prevented because the driver does not have the vehicle keys and although the doors can be closed at any time, they cannot be opened again until the same initial procedure is followed.

When loading or unloading is complete, the door is closed, which sends a signal to the control panel in the transport office. The driver then hands back the iFob, this is inserted into the cabinet and the iFob attached to his keys is removed. The iFob is unclipped, the driver is handed the vehicle keys and is free to leave.

There are a number of other existing vehicle drive-away prevention systems available, but Easilift sales director David Whyatt believes the Anti-Drive-Off - Loading Bay Management System is the best there is.

He said: "Given the high vehicle and personnel activity and movement levels in and around the loading bay in a busy warehouse, it is perhaps no surprise that drive-away accidents do sometimes happen.

"As a leading specialist supplier of total loading bay solutions, we were determined to find a practical and cost-effective answer to this on-going problem and are therefore proud to have worked together with Traka to develop what we believe is now the most technically advanced anti drive-off system on the market."

Traka’s key management systems are widely used by leading organisations across the world, including prisons, banks and major retail operators, and they have made huge improvements in the materials handling industry by ensuring that only trained personnel can operate equipment such as forklift trucks.

John Kent, chief executive of Traka, said: "Drive-away accidents are a major concern in the materials handling industry and so we are delighted to have joined forces with Easilift to develop the Anti-Drive-Off - Loading Bay Management System.

"It offers a host of benefits, of which health and safety is certainly the most important, but when you factor in other valuable considerations such as its ability to offer operational data, you’ll realise why we believe it is, without doubt, the best and most comprehensive solution on the market today."

An animated presentation of the Anti-Drive-Off - Loading Bay Management System in operation is available to view at www.easilift.co.uk/intelligentaccessmanagement. Easilift will also be promoting the system at IMHX 2010 exhibition at the NEC Birmingham from November 16 to 19 and will be present alongside Traka on Stand M185 in Hall 18.

For more information on this please contact Colin Chadburn, UK Products Manager, by ringing 07730 530016 or emailing colin.chadburn@easilift.co.uk. For information on Easilift’s other market-leading loading bay solutions ring 08451 301920 or email via our website www.easilift.co.uk

- ENDS –
High resolution photo to accompany this release is available by clicking here.

Photo Caption: Easilift Loading Systems’ Anti-Drive-Off – Loading Bay Management System will help to reduce accidents in loading bays.
(Alternative photos are available on request)

_{Editors note}

<sub>With more than 30 years’ experience in the design, manufacture, installation and maintenance of high quality loading bay equipment and industrial doors, Easilift is the UK’s leading specialist supplier of total loading bay solutions to some of the biggest names in retailing, manufacturing, logistics, distribution, warehousing, building, construction and the service sector.

The company provides a complete range of loading bay equipment, including dock levellers, dock shelters, dock seals, industrial & high speed doors, vehicle restraints and lifting platforms, together with a wide selection of accessories and safety aids, such as dock plates, dock bumpers, dock & traffic lights, wheel guides and integrated control systems.

Easilift was also one of the pioneers in the design and installation of dock pod systems, which are complete stand-alone loading bay enclosures that can be installed directly onto the external face of a building. Suitable for new buildings, extensions and refurbishments, they can be quickly and easily re-positioned, if required, and are ideal for use with the increasingly popular and highly cost-effective double deck trailer units

As the UK’s leading loading bay equipment specialists, Easilift was one of the first in its sector to achieve the prestigious SAFEcontractor accreditation in recognition of its health and safety record and competency, confirming to prospective customers that effective policies and systems are in place.

It is a member of the Loading Systems International Group, one of Europe’s foremost specialist manufacturers of loading bay equipment. The Group has over 450 employees across Europe and a total turnover in excess of 60 million Euros.                                                                                                                                                                      

Easilift is a leading member of the Association of Loading & Elevating Equipment Manufacturers (ALEM) and the Confederation of Construction Specialists. Operating to the international ISO 9001:2008 quality management standard, it has Investors in People Bronze status accreditation and is also an active participant in the Construction Skills Certification Scheme, with all its engineers fully qualified under the CITB Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS).  
                   
ISSUED BY/MEDIA ENQUIRIES TO:
McConnells Public Relations
49 Uttoxeter New Road
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DE22 3NL
Tel: 01332 222900
Email: simon@mccgp.co.uk
Web: www.mccgp.co.uk
Contact: Simon Burch
PR Account Manager
                                                                                                            
ISSUED ON BEHALF OF:                             
Easilift Loading Systems Ltd     
Spring Grove       
Penistone Road                                             
Kirkburton        
Huddersfield                                                
HD8 0PL.       
Tel:  08451 301920     
Fax:  01484 601401.     
Email:  sales@easilift.co.uk                                    
Web:  www.easilift.co.uk                              
Contact:  David Whyatt, Sales Director        

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