Tag Archives: Boom Lifts

CASS: Equipment Training for Students

At Hugg & Hall, we pride ourselves on not only our high levels of customer service through our parts, rental, and service departments, but also through our training programs. We care about the future of the skilled trade workforce, which is why we offer equipment training and certifications for students who are at least 18 years old. 

High School Students Learn Skilled Trades

“CASS”, a.k.a the Career Academy of Siloam Springs strives to encourage students to become skilled workers before graduating High School. Students in this program are able to complete hands on learning and instructional courses taught by professionals in the business during their High School years. Thanks to the opportunities CASS offers, these students will be able to succeed at having a career in a local manufacturing plant, such as Simmons Foods, or Tyson, immediately after graduation.

CASS works with local companies to provide various kinds of equipment training for their students. Opportunities for students in this program have included courses in welding, HVAC, electrical, and even trucking! Because many students graduate and go on to study at universities, skilled workers and laborers are in short supply. The CASS program encourages change and produce groups of young skilled workers who are excited to learn a skilled trade! 

To learn more about the CASS program, visit their Facebook page, here

Hugg &Hall Hosts CASS for Student Lift Training

The Siloam Springs CASS program has trusted Hugg & Hall to provide equipment training for their students for the last 4 years. Hugg & Hall has also provided student training for programs in Berryville as well as Clarksville for the last several years. At the end of April, ten students attended courses at our Springdale, AR location to be trained on safe forklift and aerial lift operations. Warehouse and manufacturing operations covet these skills from potential workers.

Students attended an in depth instructional course in our training room each morning with professional trainer and certified operator, Bob Hendricks. After their classroom instruction, the students stepped outside to receive hands on forklift operations training and aerial lift training. Thanks to our training department, these students have officially completed and passed the courses. Because of the high standard of quality assurance Hugg & Hall has, the students are able to state to companies that they can safely and certifiably operate these pieces of machinery.

“I love teaching young students! They come into class ready to learn as a blank slate. Sometimes when you teach those who have been in the business for a long time, getting them to unlearn bad habits can be difficult. Students who come into our training sessions are eager to learn and learn the right way.” – Bob Hendricks, trainer

 

Training with Hugg & Hall:

Hugg & Hall provides safety training for all of our equipment in order to keep you and your company OSHA compliant. Our Training Department commits themselves to exceeding OSHA’s stringent requirements; featuring experienced and highly trained instructors. Training is offered on warehouse, yard, and rough terrain forklifts, as well as aerial work platforms, Bobcat Equipment, and pedestrian training.

To learn more and book your next forklift operations training session, check out the Operator Training section of our website:

Equipment Safety Training Certifications – Hugg & Hall Equipment Co. (hugghall.com)

Link

The Electric Push | Transforming the Construction Industry

With the never-ending push to improve our carbon footprint, more and more companies are beginning to offer electric equipment options into their fleets. Electric equipment reserves the same power diesel-powered machines provide with the added benefits of zero emissions, less noise, and cleaner job sites. Companies such as Toyota, JCB, Genie, and more are coming into this new-age era. Below are just a few of the electric machines Hugg & Hall has to offer.

Toyota

Toyota has recently launched a new line of electric forklifts. These forklifts provide clean, emission-free workspaces and are ideally used for indoor projects and warehouses. With five models on their product line, you are sure to find what works best for you.

  • 3-wheel Electric Forklift
    • Ideal for narrow aisles and tight spaces.
  • Core Electric Forklift
    • Compact four-wheel electric lift capable of moving any standard size load while still being able to operate in spaces as small as 11 feet wide.
  • Large Electric Forklift 
    • Capable of lifting 12,000 lbs.
  • Stand-Up Rider Forklift
    • Dock-to-Stock capabilities and ideal for navigating narrow aisles.
  • Electric Pneumatic Forklift
    • Designed for indoor and outdoor applications.

JCB

19C-1E is the first fully electric mini excavator and the first E-TECH machine JCB offers in North America. These machines are ideally suited for construction and excavation operations within enclosed or urban job sites, noise and emission sensitive areas such as hospitals or schools. These machines produce zero exhaust and one-fifth the noise. An on-board charger with standard domestic 110V input for 12-hour recharging. Three lithium-ion batteries create enough power to get through a typical workday on a single charge.

GENIE

Genie has recently released the Z-60 FE fuel-electric, and the Z-60 All Electric articulating boom lift. These machines are ideal for outdoor and indoor operations that require low noise and clean performance. These areas include construction sites, sports arenas, facilities, and challenging pedestrian areas. The Genie boom lifts feature a 135-degree range of motion, allowing workers to quickly and accurately position themselves while the 4WD and full-time active oscillating axles provide traction for gradeability up to 45%. 

 

WACKER NEUSON 

These are cordless, battery powered rammers that are ideal for indoor construction and renovation projects, for use in poorly ventilated areas and sound sensitive areas. Easy to operate with a quick push-button start, the battery is separate from the rammers and can be replaced without any special tools. Wacker Neuson offers two electric models of their Wacker Packer, the AS50e and AS60e. 

 

NIFTY LIFT

The award-winning self-propelled SP50N boom lift can lift two people plus their tools to a platform height of 49ft 6in or a working outreach of 32ft. A 180-degree rotating cage and jib-boom paired with fully proportional multi0function controls deliver remarkable precision when positioning. The SP50N offers two power options, super-efficient battery power or second-generation hybrid power system. These lifts are ideal for indoor use, or a clean, quite operation.

SKYJACK

The Skyjack scissor lift is known for being an industry leader for over a decade. Skyjack lifts are ideal for indoor work. With Skyjack’s color coded and numbered wiring system, these machines are easy to trouble shoot and repair.

 

ANSI A92: NEW STANDARDS TO REQUIRE CUSTOMER EDUCATION, TRAINING & ENGAGEMENT

ANSI_ NEW REGULATIONS WILL REQUIRE CUSTOMER EDUCATION & TRAINING

Hugg & Hall Equipment Company (Hugg & Hall) is committed to transparency and keeping customers informed of industry updates/regulations to ensure successful transitions and positive experiences.

The importance of educating customers on impact of new standards

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is expected to release new standards for boom and scissor-type lifts, in the coming months. The updated standards have significant implications for the construction, equipment rental and equipment sales industries and will impact prices, training and operations. An important aspect of the implementation will be equipping customers for the change; both for awareness and preparation purposes.

The new regulations are replacing prior ANSI standards A92.3, A92.5, A92.6 and A92.8 which covered manually propelled aerial, booms, scissors and under-bridge inspection machines. The updates are focused on moving North American equipment toward current global standards. The updates to regulation will include: terminology changes, platform load sensing technology requirements, new wind force requirements, new stability testing, new railing height requirements and new platform entry requirements. ANSI and their Canadian counterpart, the Canadian Standards Authority (CSA), are moving toward equipment design standards that will bring North American equipment up-to-date with the current standards implemented in Europe to reduce global variances in the industry.

Educating customers is particularly important because of the, plausibly, profound impact that the new standards will have on equipment operation and prices (on compliant machines). Manufacturers will be forced to invest in production to supply compliant machines within the one-year from implementation limit and the new features and production costs will raise the prices of machines for direct buyers, including rental companies.

The precise impact of the new standards is yet to seen, but it’s clear that the standards will have a significant impact on prices, equipment operation and training procedures. Thus education will be very important to ensure a smooth transition for companies and their customers.

How training will play a part in the implementation of the new standards

Training is expected to play an integral part in the successful implementation of the new A92 standards. New training and familiarization requirements will be implemented under sections A92.22 and A92.24. A significant change to prior requirements is in the new requirement of training occupants and supervisors along with operators. In addition, online theory will be available as an option for operator training.

Occupant training will include the use of fall protection, stability factors, safe use of accessories, work procedures, hazard avoidance, manufacturer warnings/instructions, site risk assessment, general knowledge and basic operation comprehension.

Supervisor training will include proper equipment selection, potential hazards training, applicable rules/regulations/standards and manufacturer operation manuals.

Recently, James Lennartz, Training Manager at Hugg & Hall, spoke on the importance of training as it relates to the ANSI A92 updates.

“We need to make sure that our customers are prepared for the changes so that they do not lose valuable time on their projects,” said Lennartz. “Every single one of our customers are on time schedules to complete their projects and if they are not aware of the coming changes they have the potential to fall behind on the completion date and lose money; their delays cost their customers time and money. A vicious cycle.”

The standards specify requirements for application, inspection, training, maintenance, repair and safe operation of Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) formally known as Aerial Work Platforms (AWPs), according to Lennartz.

“Our task as trainers is to ensure that our customers are aware of all changes and how they will affect their daily processes throughout the work day on each jobsite,” said Lennartz. “No one jobsite is the same nor are the conditions at which the MEWPs are being used by our customers. We need to make sure that both operators of MEWPs and their supervisors are able to safely operate and evaluate the use of MEWPs.”

Lennartz elaborated on how Hugg & Hall trainers are strategizing to accomplish these important goals.

“We hope to accomplish this by providing the necessary information in regards to the features, functions, safety devices, equipment limitations and operating characteristics as defined by the manufacturer, utilizing both the standards and operator manuals,” said Lennartz.    

The new ANSI standards will require more customer engagement, which is a primary reason customer education/training, leading up to the implementation of the standards, is essential.

“From what we are seeing the customer is going to have a bigger role in how their operators are using the MEWPs,” said Lennartz.

Customers are expected to be more involved in areas such as safe use planning, records retention, personnel qualifications, training requirements and rescue from height plans, according to Lennartz.

“Personnel operating MEWPs will be trained based on the classification of equipment that they will operate as equipment will be divided into different types and groups,” said Lennartz.

Though the new standards are yet to be released, the Hugg & Hall team is committed to keeping customers educated on upcoming industry changes and is dedicated to providing the needed support and resources.