Altec issues safety recall on telescopic jibs
4 March 2015 by Daniel SearleAltec Industries has issued a recall of its telescopic jib, manufactured between 2005–2013, due to an issue that can cause unimpeded movement of the jib.
The movement can take place if the limiting pin is not inserted in the correct position. Altec will issue retrofit kits to install on the affected jibs - thought to number 724 in total - and assist the operator in the proper placement of the pin.
Altec made a running change in production of all three of its telescopic jibs in August 2013, to remove the second pinning location and to use a single pinning point for both the extended and retracted operating models. This followed an accident reported to Altec in January 2013 involving a platform operator failing to correctly insert the pin that secures the outer section of the telescopic jib to the inner section.
The company then created the retrofit kit, comprising a high-visibility jib pin and a cable lanyard to assist proper pin placement.
Following a similar accident reported to Altec in November 2014, the company increased awareness of the issue by offering the retrofit kit to operators free of charge.
Three sizes of jib are affected - 24-40ft, 26-44ft and 31-55ft - which were produced between 1 March 2005 and 30 August 2013.
