By Aidan Earp, Managing Director, All Star Safety Ltd
Among the demonstrations we stopped to watch at Vertikal Days on 9 September, Torquer’s equipment stood out. Harriet, Lara and I saw two ideas tackling different parts of a lifting operation: making the connection to a load, and controlling which way that load faces. They were among the highlights in our account of the day at Newark.
The products are SPEAR and Catcher, and HALO. Seeing them demonstrated made it much easier to understand the possibilities than looking at a brochure alone.
SPEAR and Catcher: making and releasing the connection
SPEAR stands for Self Positioning Engage And Release. Torquer’s system uses a mechanical SPEAR connector with a matching Catcher. The intention is to connect and release a load through the lifting and landing sequence, reducing the need for someone to make that connection by hand at the load.
Our short video shows the tabletop demonstration: the SPEAR engages with the Catcher, the demonstration load is lifted, then landed before the connector releases. It is a useful illustration of the operating principle; the working equipment and its application need to be specified for the actual lift.
What interested me was the point in the job that this addresses. Connecting and disconnecting equipment can put people close to the load. If a suitable system changes that task, it is worth asking how the whole operation could be arranged around it.
That starts with compatibility. A matching Catcher and a defined operating sequence are central to the idea. It should be considered as a specified lifting arrangement, with the manufacturer’s instructions, rather than assumed to work with any existing lifting point.
HALO: controlling the orientation of a suspended load
HALO stands for Hands free Autonomous Load Orientation. It allows the orientation of a suspended load to be controlled remotely. This addresses rotation during the lift, while SPEAR and Catcher address the connection.
The demonstration involving water and pumps was particularly memorable. Watching the suspended load turn made the idea very clear: control its orientation from a distance, with less reliance on people being close enough to influence it physically.
For me, the attraction is the opportunity to reconsider people’s positions during a lift. Whether that opportunity is useful depends on the load, the available space, the required movement and the conditions. A demonstration gives you a reason to investigate those details.
The questions we would take into a lift-planning discussion
Before introducing equipment like this into a job, these are some of the questions we would want to work through with the supplier and the lifting team:
- What load and lifting arrangement is the chosen version designed for, and what equipment must be used with it?
- How will the team confirm that the connection is secure and that release is appropriate?
- What weight and headroom does the equipment add to the complete lifting arrangement?
- Where will people stand, what will they be able to see and how will instructions be communicated?
- What are the operating limits, inspection requirements and arrangements if the planned sequence cannot be completed?
These questions sit within the wider planning process. HSE’s guidance on planning lifting operations explains the need to consider the foreseeable risks, the resources required and the responsibilities of those involved. A new device needs to be understood within that complete operation.
Why it was worth stopping to watch
The best show demonstrations leave you thinking about a familiar task differently. These two did exactly that. We came away wanting to understand where the equipment could make the work easier to control, and what would need to change in the plan to get that benefit.
You can explore the equipment on Torquer’s website. If you are reviewing a lifting method or introducing unfamiliar equipment, All Star Safety’s consultancy support can help you work through the planning and competence questions.
Next in this series, we will look at Whitney’s SECATOL remote-controlled concrete skip discharge system, another demonstration that prompted a useful conversation about where people need to be during the work.