Fremantle Commercial Diving executes considerable amounts of work each year cleaning and inspecting water tanks. The design and condition of these tanks is variable, and not all tanks have inbuilt fall arrest or rescue components. In an effort to lower the risk profile associated with this work, FCD and The Lifting Company have developed The Skyhook MK4, a unique truck mounted mobile fall arrest system. Designed and built to meet all Australian Standards, the Skyhook MK4 is the first unit of its kind in Australia.

Manufactured to AS1891 and AS5532, the Skyhook MK4 has a reach of 25 m high and 13 m radius. In a scenario where there is no WAH and/or rescue equipment installed on an asset, or the available equipment is deemed inappropriate for use, the Skyhook MK4 provides a rated overhead anchor point for two persons.

In addition to rated WAH anchor points, the Skyhook MK4 also provides a rated overhead anchor point suitable for rescue recovery of an injured person. The anchor point can be used to both rescue an injured person from inside a water tank and to lower a casualty over the side of a tank without the need to reconfigure systems.

Work area lighting is also provided at the attachment point, along with cameras with a live video feed to the operator via a monitor located on the trucks control panel. Through the development and ongoing use of this device FCD is setting new standards Nationally for safety when working on elevated water tanks.

The Skyhook MK4 is a game changer for height safety. This device represents a quantum shift in thinking about how heights risk can be managed and sets entirely new benchmarks.

Fremantle Commercial Diving are proud to announce that we are the recipients of multiple prestigious awards for the development of this device, including:

• Safety and Health Invention of the Year – Work Safety Awards WA 2017
• National Water Industry Safety Excellence Award 2018 – Australian Water Association
• Best Solution of a WHS Risk 2018 – National Safety Awards