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Setting the bar higher for handrail solutions

 

From the design sheet to the quarry site, Webforge Locker’s Monowills Link range is designed to give customers a high quality ready-to-install handrail system that doesn’t cut corners. 

The Webforge Locker brand combines two major companies into one unified business, offering a range of grating and handrail solutions, screening media and more across the construction, access, extractive and industrial sectors. 

As a major supplier of handrail products for projects in quarries, mining and other spaces, Webforge alone has more than 75 years’ experience as a manufacturer and supplier of Access products.  

With Webforge operating a number of its own local and international manufacturing plants, its supply chain can provide high-quality product manufacturing in-house within a fast delivery window. 

Among the products manufactured by Webforge is the Monowills Link range. It offers a fast and convenient alternative to the traditional welded Monowills safety barrier systems, both of which are synonymous with reaching the required Australian and New Zealand standards. 

Rather than simply supplying pipe fittings, Webforge instead offers key expertise in manufacturing and installing a complete and compliant handrail system. 

Safety rails near the weighbridge at a Townsville quarry.

 “One of our big differentiators is that we want to sell compliant handrail systems rather than pipe fittings,” Webforge Locker national business development manager Matt Taylor told Quarry.

“Our company designed the Monowills Link range four years ago. We work directly with our casting suppliers to produce high quality Link components for stock, then provide assembly of compliant stanchions, rails and closures from our locations around Australia & New Zealand.”

Taylor, with Webforge Locker extractive screen solutions national estimator/technical sales support Jason Philippi, delivered a complete Monowills modular Link system to a quarry in Townsville. 

 “Basically, the customer needed a quick job to get some facilities up to scratch,” Philippi told Quarry. 

The client opted to retrofit the handrail system themselves, which Webforge was able to deliver.  Due to it being a retrofit, IFC drawings were not available, and Webforge was able to determine the exact specifications needed through basic dimensioned sketches from the client. 

All stanchions and pipe were supplied to the quarry by Webforge in under two weeks. “Usually with fabricating handrail, you’ve got to fabricate the handrail, weld it, galvanise it and get it painted,” Phillipi said. “Whereas with our Link range, all you need to do is use the components, get them painted and put it together.”

By using grub screws, the Monowills Link range removes the need for any specialty tools or skills to build a handrail system. And as a result, the quarry was able to construct the handrail themselves by following Webforge’s instructions. 

“As no special tools or machinery is required, anyone who can operate a hand drill can put the system together,” Taylor said. 

“The client had a basic plan, but was adjusting as he went along on site, so the flexibility to adapt and adjust during installation is really what the modular handrail system is all about.”

Quarrying customers can also choose, as an additional step, to lock the grub screw in place with a self-driving screw for added anti-vibration protection. 

“If you’re in an environment with vibration, and you want the advantages of a modular system, this secondary fixing

The Link range merely requires components to be assembled and painted accordingly.

method and confidence that parts will not loosen over time, is something no one else currently offers in the market, Taylor said. “It’s certainly something we’re leading the industry in, we have the only incorporated anti vibration solution out there.

Monowills’ modular Link system also benefits quarry operations with their ability to be transported at a much lower cost. 

“These fabricated safety barriers will typically be supplied as pre-assembled stanchions and pre-cut pipe and closures, and because of that method, it’s about a third of the price of transporting a traditional welded safety barrier,”
Taylor said. 

 

DELIVERING AN AUSTRALIAN STANDARD

Monowills modular handrail systems are available in two sizes: standard 32NB and heavy-duty 40NB, both of which comply with Australian Standard AS1657.

“AS1657 is the dominant handrail standard that a lot of these quarries would need to meet,” Taylor said.

The AS1657 standard, determines the dimensional and functional of requirements of safety barrier used on platforms, walkways and stairways, and the most common standard call upon in heavy industrial environments like quarries. 

Webforge has acknowledged that in some cases multiple Australian Standards may be required and referenced simultaneously. As a result, the company’s standard stanchion range are designed to comply with a multitude of Australian Standards, offering a solution that is designed, tested and independently certified by the company. 

 “If they’re using our standard system, we know that the loading requirement is sorted, we then provide guidance on allowable stanchion spacing and installation” Taylor said.

 “Because our stanchions are preassembled, dimensionally we have the rails, closures & kickplate in the correct location to meet the desired standard”.

While the standard items can be constructed in several different configurations, bespoke solutions can also be offered in the Monowills Link range. 

With an extensive team of in-house experts, Webforge is equipped with the expertise to deliver high-quality, one-off projects. The company also aims to turn around made-to-order jobs within six to ten business days. 

 “Solutions are about leading the customer to a handrail solution that’s compliant,” Taylor said. “It’s one of the things we lean into really hard is that if a customer is wanting to do something bespoke, that we help them meet their safety barrier requirements, but we don’t allow changes that inadvertently undermine specification in the process. 

“That’s something that adds a lot of value because with an adjustable modular handrail system, there is the temptation to just make it up as you go along.”

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