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Firm puts safety first on Sydney's bridge
From the Gazette & Herald, first published Thursday 5th Aug 2004.
MAYOR of Devizes, Coun Margaret Taylor, has spoken of her delight to see the name of a local company on the safety equipment of one of Australia's most popular tourist attractions.
Mrs Taylor and her husband Ray, also a town councillor, were in Australia recently to visit their son Graham, his wife Suzanne and their two little grandchildren.
But the couple made a special visit to Sydney Harbour Bridge to look at the safety equipment installed by Latchways, which has its headquarters at Hopton industrial estate in Devizes.
Mrs Taylor said: "We knew that Latchways equipment was attached to the bridge so that tourists could be shepherded safely onto the bridge, led by a guide.
"I approached the company that organises the bridge climb and told them we would like to have a look at the equipment. Being Mayor helped a lot, but they couldn't have been more helpful. It was a great thrill to see the name of a Devizes firm on the bridge."
Over a million people have taken part in the bridge climb since the tourist attraction was opened in September 1998. They are required to take off all loose items, likely jewellery and watches, in case they fall off while on the bridge, causing danger to people below.
They have to wear protective suits and shoes provided by the company and are attached to the bridge structure itself via a "fall arrest system" created by Latchways in Devizes.
This system enables the climbers to remain attached to the bridge at all times, without the need to unclip the safety rope each time it reaches a stanchion.
The Latchways system, which is now fitted, in one form or another, to everything from electricity pylons to aircraft wings throughout the world, was developed by Commander Tupper in the early 1970s for use aboard yachts.
But the market for safety systems aboard yachts was limited and, for many sailors, defeated the purpose of undertaking thrilling voyages across dangerous seas.
So in the mid-1980s venture capital company Dunedin took it over and began looking into the commercial uses of the safety equipment. It began to take off, and in 1995, the current managing director, David Hearson, was brought in by Dunedin to find a private buyer for the company.
The decision was taken in 1997 to float the company on the London Stock Exchange and, since then, the company has not looked back.
In 1999 they moved to their present purpose-built plant on the Hopton industrial estate in Devizes and are looking to expand onto the adjacent site which the company acquired some time ago.
The company still uses the original yacht conception for all its systems, but their research and development has moved its applications on so that it can save lives on the tops of tall buildings, communication masts, aircraft wings and many international landmarks. These include St Paul's Cathedral, the Manchester Stadium, the Deep Aquarium, The Gherkin (home of the Greater London Authority), the Eden Project in Cornwall and the Customs House in Dublin.
Latchways employs a total of 130 people, 52 of them on the Devizes site, where the assembly of all the systems they produce is carried out. Mr Hearson said: "I am very pleased that the Mayor took such pleasure in seeing our equipment in use. We have many close ties with Devizes and the vast majority of our workforce comes from the local area."
Gazette editor Gary Lawrence climbed the bridge in 2001 and 2002. He said: "The bridge climb is an amazing experience because it gives you a unique view of the harbour.
"The Latchways system means you are completely safe and it is quite possible to forget that you are suspended hundreds of feet up and just enjoy the view.''
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