Site safety a key consideration as Tonic Construction selects JCB’s new site dumpers for use on its latest developments.
Wiltshire-based Tonic Construction is one of the first building firms to take delivery of the new JCB 7T-1 Hi-Viz site dumpers, purchasing two machines from dealer Holt JCB. They are predominantly being used in housing developments in the private residential sector, hauling aggregate and spoil around the developments.
Following a fatality on one of its sites in 2016, Tonic Construction’s Chairman Tony Iles has spearheaded a drive among construction industry professionals, manufacturers and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) to rid the industry of accidents related to the operation of site dumpers.
The JCB 7T-1 Front Tip Hi-Viz model addresses the key safety concerns experienced on construction sites today – visibility, stability and operator protection. By using a low-slung chassis design and revised skip, the operator benefits from an improvement of 77% in front end visibility, compared to a conventional six-tonne dumper when laden.
By increasing the wheelbase, widening the wheel track and lowering the skip height, stability is improved in all directions including the payload centre of gravity being reduced by 16%. One of the keys to enhanced operator protection is the fitment of the ROPS/FOPS Level II JCB SiTESAFE cab as standard.
Tonic Construction Chairman, Tony Iles said: “The new JCB Hi-Viz model typifies what I have been looking for from a front tipping dumper and ticks so many boxes for me. The design is a credit to JCB.
“The introduction of fully operator protected cabs on site dumpers takes safety to new heights, further enhanced by the superior visibility on this JCB model. We see the Hi-Viz as a massive step forward from our current fleet, due to the extra natural visibility enabled by the lower skip height, and better visibility through the front cab screen. Also, when the local risk assessment allows, operators can potentially stay in the cab during operations, and this could help stop hundreds of trips and dumper related incidents each year.
“JCB has taken site dumper design to the next level. It keeps the momentum going in the movement to make open-cabbed dumpers a thing of the past in the UK construction industry.”
Groundworks | JCB’s new piling solution
Tonic has recently collaborated with the HSE and other groundwork contractors to form the Southwest House Building Ground Workers Safety Forum with the aim to improve best practice and overall safety within the industry. The collaboration enables a uniform approach to improving existing working practices across the industry and review of new methods of work, plant and specialist equipment.
An accredited Worksafe Contractor, Tonic Construction is a successful Wiltshire-based civil engineering and groundworks contractor. Operating throughout the south of England it works extensively with national housebuilders, management contractors, local authorities and private developers. Since its incorporation in 1999, Tonic has delivered complex projects through its project management, engineering, surveying, estimating and plant hire divisions, as well as property development projects.
