No tools necessary platform
June 1st 2008

A new work platform from Lobo Systems can be assembled, expanded and reduced, without the need for tools, taking the risk – and cost – out of work at height

When considering cleaning at height, an example of a critical environment could be the maintenance of large hanging wall tapestries or paintings. At The National Galleries of Scotland and stately homes around the UK, a British invention from Lobo Systems is designed to create a safe working environment and has been adopted when cleaning the art collections.

The Lobo System is a work platform that can be configured to meet any access application. It is assembled without tools and its patented clamp provides a safe and secure working facility up to a maximum height of 10m – making light work of cleaning at height. Personnel can reconfigure the system, adapting it from one project to another with ease. Lobo can be moved around a site by fitting wheels. It can be quickly assembled, taken down and reassembled and is easy to flatpack and transport.

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 places onerous requirements on anyone who sends paid employees to work where a fall is liable to cause personal injury. A full risk assessment must be carried out before anyone is asked to work up there – that is now the law.We are not only talking about significant drops – accessing a light fitting for cleaning and repair clearly fits into the criteria because a fall is liable to cause personal injury.

Ladders do not always provide the solution and according to many sources they are often the cause of accidents. In homes and gardens in Britain an average of 50 people die each year from ladder falls – and a further 6000 require hospital treatment.The situation in the workplace is often potentially far more hazardous.

Providing it satisfies the risk assessment criteria, the typical answer to many questions of access is traditional scaffolding or a scaffolding tower.The problem with this however, is that normally it is provided by external sources. If you face an equipment breakdown requiring access at height you need the solution immediately. Short notice hiring is even more expensive than pre-planned and it might be needed for something as inconsequential as cleaning or repairing a window.

Lobo says the solution lies with its modular system which can be expanded or reduced without the need for tools to meet the demands of the job.And when the job is finished, Lobo packs away neatly in its own on-site, secure storage.

Evidence from satisfied users on both sides of the Atlantic includes cuts in scaffolding costs, reduced downtime while waiting for it to arrive and be erected, and less reliance on outside contractors. Lobo can be safely and securely erected with a minimum of training. In most cases the payback time for Lobo is measured in months when compared to conventional scaffolding.The system is available in various kit forms.

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