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For the fourth consecutive year, ALLMI will have a presence at the Vertikal Days Show which takes place at Haydock Park racecourse on the 16th and 17th June. Following the success of last year’s show, ALLMI will be exhibiting alongside a variety of loader crane manufacturers, as well as holding an Operators’ Forum General Meeting and a seminar for the launch of the ALLMI / CPA Best Practice Guide. ALLMI Executive Director, Tom Wakefield, comments “we’re delighted to be involved with this year’s show and we expect to build upon the success we experienced last year.
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On the 16th June at the Vertikal Days Show, ALLMI and CPA will hold a seminar to launch their ‘Best Practice Guide (BPG) for the Safe Use of Lorry Loaders’. The BPG was produced in conjunction with the Health and Safety Executive, the Modular and Portable Building Association, the Safety Assessment Federation, the United Kingdom Contractors Group, the National Construction College and Construction Skills, and its purpose is to clarify and expand upon the requirements of BS7121 Part 4: 2010 (the new British Standard for the Safe Use of Lorry Loaders) which was released in February this year.
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29th December 2009 will see the implementation of the new Machinery Directive. The revision of this Directive means that all related European standards have also had to be revised and this includes EN12999, which covers the requirements for Loader Cranes. As the leading authority for loader cranes in the UK, ALLMI has representatives heavily involved with this revision. Bryan Flintham of Terex Atlas and John Penny of Penny Hydraulics represent ALLMI on BSI Crane Committee, MHE3, and CEN Working Group, WGP8. On the process for revising standards in line with the Directive, Flintham comments:
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On the 17th June, the first Operators’ Forum General Meeting of 2010 will take place at the Vertikal Days Show, the UK’s only event dedicated exclusively to the lifting equipment industry.
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With the A3 amendment of the European Standard for loader cranes, EN12999, due to come into force on the 27th December this year, ALLMI has been busy updating its members on the new requirements that this will bring. The changes introduced by the revised Standard will include: - A requirement for the stability of the vehicle / deployment of each stabiliser to be monitored by the RCL system.
- A requirement for testing the maximum emission sound power levels upon installation.
- A requirement for both audible and visual warning in the cab for boom height warning (or boom not stowed) and for the “manual stabiliser not locked” device.
- A requirement for manufacturers to ensure that the foot diameter is such that the resultant maximum ground pressure is no more than 4MPa.
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ALLMI recently announced the appointment of its new full time Technical Manager, Alan Johnson. With a wealth of experience in the lorry loader industry, Johnson is responsible for the technical aspects of ALLMI’s activities, which includes managing all technical projects and playing a significant role in the auditing of ALLMI’s training providers and membership applicants. In addition, Johnson has taken charge of ALLMI’s buyers’ co-operative in order to further enhance commercial services to members.
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Following seven meetings held throughout 2008 and early 2009, the BS7121 Part 4 Working Group has recently submitted the first draft of the revised standard to the British Standards Institution (BSI).
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Further to an appeal to the CEN Technical Board from the Italian Standards Body, UNI, a meeting of ‘WG8 Loader Cranes’ was held on 11th February in Haan, Germany, in order to resolve the outstanding issues relating to the new version of EN12999, the European Standard for Loader Cranes.
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As part of its ongoing work on the issues surrounding Engine Management Systems (EMS), ALLMI has recently released a new guidance note, which gives advice to anyone involved with purchasing and specifying a chassis cab to be used with a loader crane. Considerable savings can be made by specifying the chassis correctly at the time the order is placed and it may be possible for the chosen chassis to be configured to make it more suitable for the installation of a loader crane. Depending on the chassis make and model, the chassis may be ordered:
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ALLMI recently took part in an inaugural meeting of an Industry Working Group for EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval. The purpose of the Working Group is to establish industry solutions for any of the outstanding issues relating to the forthcoming implementation of Type Approval from the 29th April 2009.
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It has recently come to ALLMI’s attention that clarification is required with regard to the A2 amendment of BS EN12999. The A2 amendment was approved by CEN (the European Committee for Standardisation) on the 16th March 2006 and was entered into the EU Official Journal on the 1st October 2006. The provisions of the amendment are not mandatory for loader cranes manufactured during the 12 months following the date of introduction, but compliance is required for any loader crane manufactured from the 1st October 2007, which has been issued with an EC Declaration of Incorporation and / or an EC Declaration of Conformity stating that the loader crane complies with EN12999.
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 ALLMI recently launched its new look identity card (pictured right), which is awarded to operators who successfully complete one or more of the Association’s training schemes. ALLMI Executive Director, Tom Wakefield, comments “we’re very pleased with the new design. We feel that it builds upon the professional image already established, whilst continuing to provide the important information relating to the operator’s training. The card will also continue to be the only one for lorry loader training in the UK to bear the HSE’s ‘Working in Partnership’ logo and commendation.” For information on ALLMI training please click here.
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ALLMI recently reported that 2009 has been its best ever year in terms of membership growth. 27 new member companies bring the total to 116, which means a growth rate of 30% in this financial year. |
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ALLMI is currently in the process of developing an Appointed Person (AP) training course specifically for lorry loader operations. Headed by ALLMI's Technical Director, Alan Johnson, an AP working group has been busy developing the course material, the first draft of which is expected to be complete by the early stages of quarter two 2010.
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In response to the introduction of Driver CPC, ALLMI has had ongoing dialogue with the arbitrary body, the Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training (JAUPT), with a view towards getting the ALLMI courses approved and thus broadening their appeal.
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The public comment phase for the draft of the ALLMI / CPA Best Practice Guide on lorry loader operations closed on the 6th November. The BPG is expected to be published in early 2010 and the purpose of the document is to clarify and expand upon the requirements of the new British Standard for lorry loaders, BS7121 Part 4.
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On the 20th November the ALLMI Operators’ Forum held its second General Meeting of the year. Following the successful event held at Haydock Park Racecourse in June, November’s meeting saw members updated on a raft of issues, including the forthcoming requirements of the recently revised Standards, BS7121 Part 4 and EN12999.
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