Lighting towers are increasingly important and more common on work sites around New Zealand.

As construction and roading activity continues to grow, light towers are the vital piece of plant to keep construction sites working fully after dark.

Here's some important things to consider when buying a lighting tower:

Quick Checklist:

• Ensure the engine with your lighting tower comes complete with auto shut down in the event of low oil, low oil pressure, overheated engine temperature.
• Make sure that the engine fluids and oil tanks are fully bunded, so as to minimise the risk of spillages and damage to the environment.
• Check silent operation - is there a sound limit for the area of operation?
• Remember that by minimising noise you are making it easier for your crews to operate and minimising complaints from nearby residential areas.
• Make sure that the canopy is fully protected from corrosion. Many cheaper light towers are not up to the harsh environments they work in, so make sure your light tower has a Zintec coating or similar.
• Does the lighting tower have an external power output that is rated for use in New Zealand? This can prove extremely useful for running additional tools or a site office.
• LED lights will provide substantially increased hours of operation and keep maintenance costs low.

Safety

Ensure that your lighting tower offers Advanced Safety System as standard, including;

• Automatic descent of the mast when handbrake is released - ensuring that the mast will not be up during motion
• Deployment alarm
• Emergency stop button
• Automatic shut down in the event of low oil or overheating
• Forklift pockets and single eye lift for cranes
• Can be secured at ground level, and is compliant when loaded on a flat bed truck.

Quick Safety Guide

Daily, weekly, monthly and annual maintenance checks & servicing will pay off on the long run. Here's some ways to safely operate the lighting tower:

• Carry out daily checks including fuel, coolant, oil.
• Deploy the rear stabilisers FIRST - ensure all legs are locked in place. Wind down legs are best and are easier to get in a safe position in rough environments.
• Check the unit is level by checking the spirit level on top of the machine.
• Before raising the mast, ensure that all stabilisers are level and deployed.
• Raise the mast, ensuring there are no overhead obstructions and power lines
• Turn on the lights one by one.
• When leaving site and lower the mast, ensure all stabilisers remain deployed.

Need a decent light tower that is NZ certified, and meets all the above requirements? Check out the SMC lighting tower, now available in NZ.

All safety information above is a guide only and is not official safety instructions. Please ensure you operate with the operating instructions set out by your individual machine manufacturer.

Source: Morris Site Machinery UK.