2020 WINNER, 2023 FINALIST - ACE AWARD!!!! (844) 344-2271 sales@compositeap.com
CAPs are Beautiful to Work With!
Install CAPs With Only One Team Member!
Install CAPs With Only One Team Member!
Install CAPs With Only One Team Member!
No need for cranes, crane operators, crane guides, and an operator to steer the frame over the hole. Use those other employees and equipment to lay pipe...where you make money! And lower your workman's comp.!
Extracting CAPs is a Breeze!
Install CAPs With Only One Team Member!
Install CAPs With Only One Team Member!
In addition to avoid sticking to the frame due to corrosion, CAPs are half the weight. They won't fly out, but they can be removed with basic tools and a tug. Superman is not needed! Victoria Hinojosa, Miss Texas USA 2021, shows us how it's done.
Lifting Traditional Manhole Covers - "Hazardous"
Heavy Manhole Cover Lifting Costing Millions!
$700,000 to over $1,000,000 per year is the cost of back strains lifting manhole covers for just one medium-sized utility operation. This incredible data was given to CAP recently by a utility engineer; each incident costs $70,000, and they have 10-15 incidents for strains lifting covers each year. CAP composite covers weigh half to one-third of current covers and should certainly reduce, and hopefully eliminate, this issue.
Spinal Compression deemed "Hazardous"
"...it becomes clear that manual lifting of (cast iron) manhole cover is extremely hazardous and has the potential for inflicting very serious injuries."
- An Ergonomic Evaluation of Steel and Composite Manhole (Access) Covers, University of Cincinnati Ergonomics and Engineering Controls Research Laboratory
Costly Devices Required - Still Not Total Solution
This type of lifting assist is a must for safe traditional manhole cover lifting. But the average cost of $1,200 per unit and set up time should be considered as part of the added cost. Plus, these devices do not address initial movement on and off a truck bed, but merely hole maintenance activities.
Back Injuries Predicted To Increase with Cover Growth
Back Injuries Plague the US Workforce
" ...over 36 percent of injuries involving missed workdays were the result of shoulder and back injuries. Overexertion and cumulative trauma were the biggest factors in these injuries."
Source: The Bureau of Labor Statistics
Confined Space Concerns Cause Increased Manhole Cover Weights
O.S.H.A. (29 CFR 1910.146) requires special procedures for confined spaces and describes a portal exit 24 inches or less "Restricted" for rescue service (Appendix F) . Since most standard manholes are 22 to 24-inch clear openings, the future holes will be larger than today's. 30-inch clear openings are now mandatory for new manholes in Texas, New Hampshire and an increasing number of states.
Iron Density is 4 Times Composite Density
Density of Cast Iron= 7.2 grams/cubic cm
Density of Composite = 1.8 grams /cubic cm
That means for the same change in the cover volume, the already heavier iron cover will increase 4 times more than the composite!!
Example: 125 lbs 26" iron cover might increase to 205 lbs for 32" cover while a composite cover of the same dimension would increase from around 75 lbs to 95 lbs - gaining 20 lbs vs. 80 lbs.