Rail hire company deploys safer technology

With a new rail hire division recently being established at machinery business Kennards Hire, the company was focused on ways to make its equipment safer.

Kennards Rail Hire provides the complete range of rail-related tools and machines from minor plant and equipment (MPE) to highly specialised gear including clipping machines, rail saws, rail vehicles and geometry and testing equipment.

It now operates four dedicated rail hire operations which are strategically located in Maitland and Dubbo in NSW, Brooklyn in inner western Melbourne and Brendale in Brisbane’s northern suburbs.

From here it services a national client base which includes rail infrastructure managers (RIMS) such as Sydney Trains, major contractors such as John Holland and McConnell Dowell, specialist rail sector businesses such as Martinus Rail as well as other small, independent contractors nationally.

The company called on Plant Assessor to assist it with ensuring it had all the relevant safety-related information for each piece of its hire equipment. Plant Assessor assessed each item and identified any gaps in documentation. It photographed and catalogued all relevant items and ensured anything that was unique or customised received a specific assessment.

Every piece of plant and equipment supplied by Kennards Rail has a unique quick response (QR) code located in a prominent location. The operator can use the QR code to access an array of safety-related information relevant to that unit or piece of equipment including instructional video, SWMS, SOPs and assessment information.

This QR Code system replaced a manual system in operation since 2006, which was extremely time-consuming to maintain. This QR code system is unique to Kennards Rail Hire and has proven to be popular with clients, giving them unprecedented access to information and complete peace of mind.

“We saw an opportunity to fill a void in plant and equipment that was specifically used in the rail sector, especially gear that was in demand and hard to come by,” said Alex Eisermann, Product Manager – Rail at Kennards Hire.

“The rail industry in Australia is experiencing significant growth in recent years and there has been constant demand since we established the Rail Hire division.

“A major point of difference with Kennards is our emphasis on safety. We ensure our entire range is extremely well maintained, fully calibrated and compliant so it’s presented fit to use every single time it’s delivered to site.

“Because safety is of paramount importance to Kennards we implemented a system that ensures that any operator has access to all relevant safety and technical information at all times.”

While the QR Code system serves as an independent safety system in its own right, Kennards’ membership of Plant Assessor also ensures that it can quickly and easily share details of its plant and equipment with other Plant Assessor users.

This means Kennards Rail Hire clients have even greater visibility about where and when a machine is being used and how quickly it can be moved on site and between sites, ensuring minimum downtime, which is always important when goods are being used under a hire arrangement.

“Kennards is committed to maintaining the highest standards across all facets of our operation,” Eisermann said.

“We are pleased to have found such a well-credentialed business such as Plant Assessor to assist us with our safety-related work and to ensure we continue to provide the best possible product to our clients.”

Image courtesy of Kennards Hire.