Plated job transport

[born2print]

So our plant may be odd for the fact that our prepress is upstairs and the pressroom is downstairs.
We have simply carried plated jobs down for years. Our largest plate size is 40".
However, our platemakers as well as most of the prepress staff is getting old and / or infirm and finding a better and safer way is needed.
We pursued a dumbwaiter scenario and basically state law won't allow that.
An elevator is cost prohibitive.
We were going to get a dedicated used stand-up forklift that would just lift up / down things (we do have a bay door that is at the edge of prep and middle of pressroom) but that spending was un-approved.

Does anyone else have this situation? A solution? We're talking about engineering some sort of strap system to wrap around a couple of jobs with a handle... kinda klugy...

[Joe]

Probably about any solution is going to cost more than moving the prepress to the first floor.

When I started my apprenticeship prepress was on the 2nd floor too. We had a dumbwaiter. I guess it wasn't against Illinois state law.

Amazon sells drones. You would need a pretty stout drone though for carrying plates. Maybe a mini-copter!

Personal Helicopter

[Joe]

The Mini Copter Revived – Personal Helicopters

[Joe]

Seriously though a wood platform (4' x 8' 3/4" plywood) with pulleys and cables to raise and lower it. Could even hook up an electric motor to it. Surely a good maintenance person could rig one up. Just hide it where OSHA never sees.

[Savage]

We are also on the first floor, while printing is on the ground floor.
We have a few of this https://www.ggrgroup.com/products/trolleys-and-a-frames/ggr-plate-glass-trolley/ with an offset plate cardbox attached to each. We put the plates inside the box and had a custom made steel platform pulled by a winch. Its very similar to the skyscrapper windows washer platforms, but smaller.
The platform has wheels that glide through the wall to keep it steady... It works just like an elevator but the size and weight it can lift/lower is just for the transporters (can't be used by a person, for instance).

[Possum]

I saw a show in which a big guy was lowered into some Egyptian ruins by a pulley system run by an ordinary electric drill. If a drill would work for that, you can probably rig up something that doesn't cost too much.

[born2print]

Thank you for the feedback!
I would love to build a dumbwaiter, but it's a non-starter because it breaks some rules regarding the height / distance.
I like the trolly but not sure about making it work on the stairs - which are 2 half flights with a 180degree turn at the landing half way.
...since we are prohibited from winching them.
ugh. Ratchet tie-down with a grab handle is still our best working theory right now but I will pass the glass trolly idea up.
thanks again y'all

[Possum]

Trouble is, somebody will prolly have to get their hand sliced in half before management thinks it worth doing something about.

[born2print]

Yes, frustrating, someone with some corporate pull declared it a safety issue and we shopped the used forklift and were all set, then someone with MORE pull dis-approved the spending. Back to square one.

[born2print]

My best idea is a shoulder strap solution, carry them like a golf bag, the weight on your skeleton and just steadied with your hands. I met resistance / fear that if someone slipped on the stairs that the plate load would drag them down with it. kind of a funny thought actually...

[Tracy]

When I worked at the Newspaper We worked above the presses, We had a conveyor for the plates
prolly too costly tho, There must be a solution with that bay somehow.
I use to have to make that trek with the plates, so I know what your talking about!!

[born2print]

Indeed you do Tracy 

Yeah, spiral roller slide was an early idea that was squashed.

[Joe]

I would suggest having the pressmen stand down there and you throw them to them like a frisbee. A few pressmen sliced in half might make them turn loose of some money.

[mc hristel]

I would think that you need to find out what the people in charge would consider appropriate. Since they seem to have shot all the ideas you who have to live with the solution have had, bounce it back to them. At some point it would seem appropriate to get OSHA involved in the discussion as well so you can be sure that you are covered there.

I agree with Joe that the least expensive would be to move prepress (or at least the plate making) to the same floor as the presses... Or you could propose they move the presses to your floor... 

[David]

Move that press!
Move that press!