Bend

Ensuring safe access and protection when working on surface mining machines should be a priority for any operation.

Applying handrails in areas which require frequent maintenance and inspection is a proven safety measure and will ensure personnel are far less likely to fall from a potentially life threatening height.

Handrail integrity is critical. Due to the rocky terrain and the 6000 hours per year a machine such as a Caterpillar D10T would run, handrails inevitably begin to crack and have to be replaced as often as every 300 operational hours.

This becomes extremely costly and inefficient when also considering the downtime required to repair or replace the handrails.

A significant risk to personnel safety also becomes present if the damaged handrails are not detected early enough, where simply leaning on the handrail could cause failure and result in a serious fall incident.

The solution

Bend-tech received an enquiry from a valued client about redesigning its D10T bonnet handrails to be more robust and reduce cracking. The above ground parts team went out to site, learned more about the issue, took down measurements and discussed possible solutions.

Drawing from Bend-tech's in-depth experience with manufacturing handrails, our team developed a robust set of handrails with design features addressing the ‘cracking’ problem.

Features include:

Bend-tech has received multiple reports of positive feedback from sites running these handrails, with a notable first failure recorded at 6000 hours, working out to last 5-20 times longer than original handrails.

Further adjustments have since been made to the design and it is expected to see handrail lifetime extended further.

This significant improvement in handrail integrity will ensure greater safety for personnel and prove to be a more efficient solution for those running D10Ts.

If you would like to learn more about these CAT D10T bonnet handrails, get in contact with the Bend-tech above ground parts team today via the Bend-tech website.