Sheffield Engineering Firm Develops Innovative Safety Solution for Tesco

A Sheffield engineering firm has developed a bespoke maintenance solution for Tesco which aims to make working at height safer.
PCT, a sub contract engineering firm employing 70, collaborated with safety specialists HCL Safety to develop a modular access system for Tesco which enables safe access from one roof-top to another allowing maintenance and cleaning.
Engineers at PCT were challenged to design and manufacture a companionway ladder system which could be adjusted to accommodate different heights. In addition to meeting stringent safety standards, the ladder also needed to be extremely light to allow for manual handling.
James Harding-Terry, managing director of PCT, said: “We thrive on a challenge at PCT and this project allowed us to demonstrate both our design expertise and fabrication skills.
“It’s important to get working at height right. Trips and falls whilst working at height account for 40 deaths and 4000 injuries each year. We’ve developed a range of working at height products over the past few months and we’ve also seen an increase in demand for bespoke projects like the one for Tesco.”
PCT, which is based at Holbrook, Sheffield, was founded in 1926 and has survived war, recession and numerous steel crises, to mark its 90th anniversary this year.
The family-run business operates in a range of sectors including the construction and automotive industries and manufactures around 50,000 towbars each year.
PCT has a turnover of more than £5m and also specialises in profiling, metal fabrication, tube manipulation and including prototype development.