That a modest town like Loughborough should boast an internationally known and respected university is largely due to the entrepreneurial vision and determination of Dr Herbert Schofield, Principal of Loughborough College for 35 years (1915 - 1950). He developed the small Technical Institute in the centre of the town to deliver high-level engineering courses, teacher training, outstanding work in art and design and sporting excellence. He also purchased land on the western edge of the town so that now the university has an impressive green and spacious campus of 410 acres, one of the largest in the UK. Furthermore, he initiated the policy of buying and building student residences so successfully that today Loughborough has one of the highest proportions of students living in Halls of Residence in the UK.
On this vast campus the university has an extensive tree stock and formal gardens as well as woodland. With a number of hedges over 2 metres tall, the Estate Department has to operate safe working practices due to Health & Safety legislation. These impose mandatory requirements upon employers, employees and self-employed for the avoidance, elimination and minimisation of risks associated with falls when working at height. Employers and the self-employed are responsible for:
- Eliminating or minimising risks
- Organising, planning and carrying our work at height by competent persons
- Selecting suitable work equipment to perform work at height
- Ensuring that work equipment is inspected prior to use
In hedge cutting, the use of a ladder cannot be justified because the risk is not low. The ground from which hedges grow is normally soft, uneven, bumpy and often sloping, on which a ladder/step ladder would not be stable. In addition, a hedge is not a stable surface on which the ladder can rest at the top. The operator is using a cutter, frequently powered, which requires two hands to operate so the operator is unable to securely hold onto the ladder. Furthermore, the need to lean out from the ladder's stiles in order to cut the hedge puts sideways pressure on it which then increases the risk of slipping.
The Henchman range of pioneering safety hedge cutting platforms fully comply with the requirements of Working at Height Regulations, and are the safe alternative to ladders and stepladders to work at height.
Loughborough University purchased a Wheeled Henchman 75 to comply with this legislation and ensure that staff could safely work at height without overstretching as this could lead to muscle fatigue, strains or possible accidents. The Henchman platform is used mainly for hedge trimming but occasionally for maintenance of the discus and hammer cages at the athletics stadium. It was also recently loaned to the University Rugby Club to enable them to film their matches! According to Karen Setchell from the Loughborough University Estate Department, 'Henchman is the best piece of equipment on the market for our type of work. We are particularly impressed with the Wheeled Henchman because thanks to its portable design we don't have to dismantle it every time we want to move to another part of the campus, we just simply tow it! We also find it easy to store assembled.'
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