Keep on track when lifting gear threatens to get out of control
December 05th 2011

Geoff Holden, chief executive, Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) says most employers recognise that overhead lifting is a safety-critical activity, subject to sector-specific health and safety legislation in the shape of LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations).

One of the key requirements of LOLER is that all lifting equipment is subject to periodic thorough examination by a competent person. Once in service, a thorough examination must be undertaken every six months for lifting accessories and equipment that is used for lifting people, and every 12 months for other lifting equipment.

For many employers, simply keeping track of lifting equipment and when it is due for thorough examination is a major challenge. Under LOLER, lifting equipment is defined as “work equipment for lifting and lowering loads and includes its attachments used for anchoring, fixing or supporting it.”

This means not just obvious items such as overhead travelling cranes and electric hoists, but also a myriad of relatively small, simple and portable equipment, such as slings and shackles.

In many businesses, such items can all too easily become dispersed across a wide range of different sites, work areas, tool boxes and vehicles.

In all but the smallest organisations, the ideal solution is a dedicated, central storage area for all portable lifting equipment, with a formal control and issue system that ensures every item is accounted for. This should be managed by a nominated person (or persons). He or she should operate a control and issue system which ensures that only equipment which has been inspected and found to be serviceable is released.

If permanent staffing is not viable, the store should be locked and control handed to someone who will be available as and when necessary.

Whatever set-up is utilised, equipment should only be issued to employees who are authorised to use it. A clear indication of the length of time that the issue applies for should also be given, and a record kept so that action can be taken to recover overdue equipment.

A reliable means of identifying lifting equipment is vital. Each item should have a unique ID number, along with other essential marking such as the safe working load, manufacturer’s ID and the traceability ID.

Hard stamping is commonly used, but can present problems on smaller items such as shackles. If the stamping is too sharp or too deep it will be a stress raiser and can lead to cracking. Marking should therefore be done on a low stress area and the size and length of the number kept to the minimum necessary.

On returning an item to the stores, the user should report any problems with it. To minimise both the safety risks and the costs of further damage, it is essential that staff do not feel under pressure to cover up defects. In broad terms, the key to this lies in the cultivation of a ‘no blame’ culture, where employees do not fear repercussions if they report faults or damage to equipment they have been using. Whatever the feedback received from users, all equipment returned to stores should be inspected by the nominated person before being made available for use again. It should be stressed that this process is distinct from a thorough examination.

The LEEA’s code of practice defines a thorough examination as ‘a visual examination, carried out by a competent person carefully and critically and, where appropriate, supplemented by other means such as measurement and testing, in order to check whether the equipment is safe to use.’

An inspection is not as complex or time-consuming, although it may include simple operational tests. Basic facilities such as good lighting and somewhere to lay or hang the equipment are all that is generally needed. However, the nominated person must have the experience and authority necessary to quarantine any unserviceable equipment, prior to repair or disposal.

The nominated person should also be given responsibility for ensuring all equipment is subject to thorough examination on schedule. Thorough examination is usually (though not necessarily) undertaken by an external company. To aid this process, some examiners hard stamp equipment with the relevant date to indicate when the next examination is due.

However, given the potential problems already outlined, this is not advisable. Some examiners use a system of colour coded tags, but there is no accepted industry standard for these.

RFID tagging is another option, either embedded by the manufacturer or retro-fitted. All the relevant information can then be programmed onto the tag, and read with a handheld scanner. However, there is a long way to go before this becomes feasible for all lifting equipment.

Where thorough examination is concerned, it is important that the term ‘competent’ is correctly interpreted. Certainly it should not be taken as an excuse to use unqualified and/or inexperienced staff. To help employers, the LEEA now issues TEAM (Test, Examine And Maintain) cards to engineers that pass its industry-recognised Diploma qualification.

These detail the types of equipment studied by the holder, and are supported by a log book of relevant work experience. Employers are urged to insist it is shown by anyone intending to work on lifting equipment they are responsible for.

As a final point, it should be borne in mind that equipment can deteriorate as quickly in storage as it can in use. Clearly the storage conditions should be designed to minimise such problems – clean, dry and free from contaminates that might damage the equipment. However, some components (such as the brake of a hand chain block) will be affected simply by the length of time spent in storage. The system must be designed to take this into account.

Clearly legal obligations are high on the agenda of most employers. However, achieving effective control of lifting equipment should also bring with it additional benefits. Not least of these will be an extension in the working life of lifting gear. Potential problems can be identified at the earliest opportunity, and equipment kept in conditions that are designed to minimise the risk of rapid deterioration or unnecessary wear and tear.

More articles from Lifting Equipment Engineers Association: