Example Of Things You Don’t See

[kwatt]

I just probably saved some poor repairer a legal battle or cost at least. Got this in an email yesterday….

blood sucking scumbag wrote:Dear Sirs

We hope you will be able to help us in respect of query concerning Zanussi washing Machines.

We act on behalf of a client with a claim for compensation arising out of a manual handling operation in 2004 concerning a Zanussi Washing Machine.

Our client was an engineer who was required by his employers to attend on a customer to repair a Zanussi Washing machine. This required the removal of the drum and weights and as he lifting these out he injured himself. Our client had previously complained about the particular problem with the Zanussi machines as they were designed in such a way that the removal of the drum was too heavy reasonably for one engineer. Subsequent to the accident, our client has been told by a fellow engineer that when he worked for ServiceForce, he was provided with a kind of “cradle/bridge” ( presumably from Zanussi ) that helped to take the weight of the drum as it was moved and avoided the need to lift it.

We are trying to find some information on this piece of equipment and, in particular, details of its use in the industry as a whole.

We have tried Zanussi and ServiceForce direct with little success.

We wonder whether you are able to assist with any information or at least point us in the right direction?

Any assistance you can provide would be gratefully received,

If there are any queries with our request, do not hesitate to contact our Mr Rogerson

Yours Faithfully

Suitable reply sent…

kwatt wrote:Hi David,

I have no knowledge of a cradle designed for this task despite being, at one point, a major Zanussi service agent. Removing the tub from a Zanussi is perfectly feasible for one man if the job is done correctly and the weights/motor removed prior to lifting. Removing the weights and motor will bring the tank assembly well within the 25Kg limit for a single man lift.

The only true “two-man” jobs are where the drum has to come out the top and even that can, if done properly, be carried out by a single engineer or an installation where the machine has to be man-handled without mechanical aids. As I am sure you can appreciate these types of calls, like a Zanussi tank job, are carried out on a daily basis by hundreds of engineers with no incident whatsoever.

I would suggest that, if your client sustained any injury as a result of this type of job, he probably hadn’t taken sufficient precautions to protect his own well being.

Regards

Kenneth Watt

It’s the little things we do in the background that very often people don’t see or understand. 😉

K.

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