Red Rooster has produced a radio telemetry emergency stop system (TESS) for air-powered hoists and winches. The company recognises that the market for such a product is limited, but in man-riding applications in the offshore industry it “should prove an invaluable safety device”. It could also be useful in any application where the operator does not have a clear view of the load.
Product development was conceived and supervised by Malcolm Hodgson, director of Red Rooster and an associated company Steve Wright Lifting, based in Scotland.
“Unlike most products which I have been involved with, in this case the primary motivation in developing it was one of safety rather than potential profit,” Hodgson says.
“I became involved as a direct result of one of the most horrific accidents ever, in the offshore industry, last year. A man died as a result of a communication breakdown while suspended from a man-riding winch.
“Having been involved with offshore winch operations for many years, I started to consider how such an incident could be prevented with an engineered solution rather than relying upon procedural solutions (which were proved to be fallible). I asked myself, whether even with my knowledge of winches, would I feel safe when being lifted and lowered under the control of another person. My conclusion was that I would only feel safe if I had the ability to stop the winch if I felt that I was at risk. Hence, TESS was conceived.” The system allows a pneumatic winch or hoist to be stopped from up to 100m away by using a secure radio signal. It comprises a stainless steel enclosure, measuring 400mm by 300mm by 120mm, which can be fitted to the main air supply of any pneumatic hoist or winch without modification. This receiver/valve module closes the air supply and stops the motor when activated by an encoded radio signal.
The transmitter unit measures 180mm by 80mm by 30mm and weighs 190g, so can be carried in a pocket or clipped to a belt. It has just a single button which when pressed, stops the hoist immediately, explains Hodgson.
