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Developments By Fripp Design and Research; To Improve Safety On Construction Sites!

Workers on construction sites often encounter problems when trying to cut materials accurately and safely. How do you secure the materials without compromising safety? Many operators will use their foot to hold an object while cutting it with a power saw – clearly a hazardous practice and one which could potentially lead to serious injury, not to mention a prosecution of the employer for breach of Health & Safety procedures.

Sheffield based Fripp Design and Research was approached by its client, Site Tools to design and develop a special vice that could be used on a construction site to secure the power saw during cutting operations. Fripp based its initial design on the inventor’s wooden mock up, aiming not only to meet the day to day practical requirements of the construction industry, but also taking into account the essential safety requirements of the application.

An original concept for the vice was produced for presentation as a licensing opportunity, which meant it was designed for visual impact rather than for its ultimate function and manufacturability. However, things moved on apace following interest expressed by two of the UK’s major construction companies and the pressure was on to produce fully functioning prototypes as quickly as possible.

Field trials are planned to take place with the two construction plans. It is hoped that the new vice mechanism will provide a significant advance in construction site safety.
Feb 2010

Feb 2010

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