Fulton Hogan Hiways workers attended a workshop on the proper way to lift and tow heavy items at the company’s depot in Suva on September 19.
Danny Poharama, FHHJV Knowledge Transfer Manager, who organized the training, said that the workshop corresponded to the upgrading of the latest in towing and lifting equipment now available at the company’s depots.
He said the new equipment is made of high strength nylon fabric and included straps capable of towing heavy equipment with a breaking strength of 25 tonnes and nylon slings that can lift items of 5 tonnes.
He said the training provided the workers with the knowledge and experience to effectively use the equipment.
“When we are towing large equipment like heavy trucks and buses or lifting heavy concrete pipes into place, we need to be efficient. The training is focused on best practices,” said Mr. Poharama.
He said that it is very much focused on safety.
“When dealing with these sort of weights there are always risks, we want to make sure that the workers understand these risks and mitigate against them,” he said.
Mr. Poharama said the training was divided into two parts, the theoretical where the workers understand the equipment and learn about the process and mechanics of towing and lifting, and the practical.
“This is where the workers receive ‘hands-on training”, the proper way of securing a strap for towing or securing a sling for lifting”