The News Review:
- UN points finger at Israel over Gaza blackout
- Specialist Focus: Plant Hire – Quick Hitches
- Engineerson tap.(Features)(Leyland Trucks)(Company overview)
UN points finger at Israel over Gaza blackout
The Age – Jan 22, 2008
According to Israeli officials who briefed the local press anonymously the Defence Ministry’s decision to cut off remaining fuel supplies to Gaza last Thursday could not have produced a blackout so quickly. "Hamas is the one cutting off the power supply in order to create a humanitarian crisis and in order to demand the intervention of the international community" one such "senior security source" told Israel’s top-selling daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronot. But John Ging Gaza director of the UN refugee agency UNRWA said his engineering staff had confirmed that Gaza’s sole power station was forced to shut down on Sunday because it ran out of fuel. "It is documented in public statements by the Israeli authorities last week that there would have to be an increase in fuel supplies to Gaza because the supply was inadequate. They acknowledged that the power plant was already working on 50% capacity and it had almost no fuel reserves" he said. Mr Ging said it was true that 75% of the Gaza Strip’s power is still supplied by Israel paid for by foreign donors and another 5% from Egypt. But the Israeli-blockaded enclave’s antiquated power grid is unable to divert remaining current to Gaza City whose 800000 people depend largely on the strip’s sole power plant… But John Ging Gaza director of the UN refugee agency UNRWA said his engineering staff had confirmed that Gaza’s sole power station was forced to shut down on Sunday because it ran out of fuel. "It is documented in public statements by the Israeli authorities last week that there would have to be an increase in fuel supplies to Gaza because the supply was inadequate. They acknowledged that the power plant was already working on 50% capacity and it had almost no fuel reserves" he said. Mr Ging said it was true that 75% of the Gaza Strip’s power is still supplied by Israel paid for by foreign donors and another 5% from Egypt. But the Israeli-blockaded enclave’s antiquated power grid is unable to divert remaining current to Gaza City whose 800000 people depend largely on the strip’s sole power plant. Nor as has been claimed is Hamas diverting fuel from the plant for its own use since the turbines are powered by a special heavy diesel oil that cannot be used in vehicles or private generators. "We have had to close the power plant for want of fuel" the plant’s director Rafiq Mliha told reporters warning of "very serious consequences for residents but also for the operation of hospitals and water treatment plants".
Specialist Focus: Plant Hire – Quick Hitches
Contract Journal – Jan 22, 2008
Unlike the fully automatic hitch which has a mechanical locking device built into the mechanism the hydraulics on a semi-automatic only grab the pins – a locking pin is used to ensure absolute security of the attachment. Brendan McGreevy engineering manager at hitch manufacturer Hill Engineering sums up the situation by saying: “A semi-automatic without a safety pin is only as good as an ring in the hydraulic system or an exposed hose. ” Alan Rackstraw from quick hitch manufacturer Miller UK goes one step further. As quality engineering and improvements manager he has attended accident sites to investigate accidents involving Miller couplers and attended meetings about incidents with other makes. His conclusion is that incidents don’t usually happen just because a safety pin has been left out – there is usually another contributing factor. In one incident Rackstraw says not only was the safety pin unused but the operator was grabbing a new bucket and instantly slewing over a trench… It has advised its inspectors to check if safety pins are being used and consider prosecution if two or more safety pins are missing on a single site. Pressures of the jobThe question is: why there is such widespread misuse? Are operators unaware of the problem untrained just lazy or under intense pressure to get the job done? Most probably it is a mixture of all these factors. Certainly the HSE says the Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) card does not indicate competence in the use of quick hitches and the advent of automatic quick hitches means the lack of a safety pin does not automatically sound alarm bells with operators. So if a machine operator has taken the safety pin out and lost it or stowed it in the toolbox any subsequent operator may not know the hitch even needs a safety pin. To counter this hitch manufacturer Lemac has recently altered the design of its quick hitches so the safety pin remains attached to the body at all times (as recommended by the HSE – see box below). Company owner Vic Feary says his firm is producing a kit of parts to convert existing hitches and safety pins to the new design. Rackstraw says the only way to ensure the hitch is operated safely is for the operator to determine what type of coupler is fitted before putting that machine to work.
Engineerson tap.(Features)(Leyland Trucks)(Company overview)
Free with registration – Personnel Today – AccessMyLibrary.com – Jan 22, 2008
(Features)(Leyland Trucks)(Company overview) Faced with a shortage of new recruits for its engineering business Leyland Trucks drew up a strategy to grow its own. Lucia Cockroft reports. The business Lancashire-based Leyland Trucks a division of PACCAR Group runs the UK’s only remaining heavy truck production plant. riginally established in 1896 the company produces 20000 trucks a year from its assembly base in Preston Lancashire. Vehicles are sold across Europe under the DAF name which claims to be Europe’s fastest-growing truck brand. The 1200-strong workforce at the Leyland base includes 120 design engineers. The challenge As a major manufacturer the firm requires a continual flow of committed proficient engineers.