Leading UK powered access provider Nationwide Platforms has announced the rollout of its game-changing safety technology, Harness ON™, which is being fitted across the company’s entire fleet of boom lifts. In an unprecedented industry move, the company has also confirmed that Harness ON™ will not increase the rental price of their machines, meaning there is no extra cost for the customer.

AH-025 — Harness ON is being rolled out with no extra cost for the customer

Unbranded versions of the safety device will also be openly shared with Nationwide Platforms’ competitors, allowing all of them to install the device on their own machines and scale up the safety standards of the industry as a whole.

The IPAF Global Safety Report for 2023 emphasises the prevalence of falls from the machine platform as the primary cause of fatal accidents during MEWP (Mobile Elevated Work Platform) operation. Designed to prevent such falls, Nationwide Platform’s Harness ON™ revolutionises safe working at height by permanently connecting its intelligent induction technology to the manufacturer’s designated anchor point, securely fastening the operator in.

Harness ON™ is wired to the machine’s control panel too, so that when the operator clips the standard lanyard carabiner onto the device, the circuit is completed, granting uninterrupted access to all MEWP functions. This means that for the machine to operate at all, the operator must be fastened in. In this way, life-saving safety practices are automated and human error is minimised.

Nationwide Platforms’ decision means there will be no additional charges for hiring a machine with Harness ON™ compared to hiring the same machine without such technology.

Paul Rankin, CEO of Nationwide Platforms, said: “We drive and change safety in the market. It is a major part of our value proposition. When adding value, you have to do something different, and we have chosen safety as that differentiator.

“But it’s more important than that: this technology is essential to improve workplace safety. Falls from height are the largest cause of accidents, so we wanted to ensure that we developed a solution that we could openly share with our competitors and OEMs, with no Loxam branding.

“From a market perspective, such a move demonstrates how Nationwide Platforms separates itself from other companies, especially in light of rising inflation as well as other economic pressures in Europe. If we only sold in price, then we wouldn’t be here.

“Our motto at Nationwide Platforms is, ‘Your Safety, our priority’, and with this new initiative we’re ensuring that neither cost nor competition are barriers to customer safety.”

Harness ON™ is the result of a collaborative effort between Nationwide Platforms, MEWP manufacturer Dingli, and Control Dynamics Inc (CDI), an aviation specialist and development partner. Additionally, Nationwide Platforms garnered support from major UK contractor Balfour Beatty, which has endorsed the device and conducted trials on major projects, further validating the technology’s effectiveness.

Christopher Houlton, Manager at BlueSky Solutions, said, “We are really excited about Harness ON™ and hope to get as many people exposed to this device as possible in the coming months. Harness ON™ is the future of safely working at height.”

For more information on Harness ON™, please visit: https://www.nationwideplatforms.co.uk/en-gb/services/safety-innovations/harness-on.

For more information on Nationwide Platforms, please visit: https://www.nationwideplatforms.co.uk/en-gb.