LEEA • Don’t overlook the obvious
October 17th 2006 Overhead lifting operations can encompass an extremely wide array of equipment, ranging from straightforward and simple items to highly complex automated handling systems. Inevitably, attention tends to be drawn towards the latter category, whilst the former can all too easily be overlooked. However, when it comes to ensuring the safety and efficiency of lifting operations, it is important to pay sufficient regard to the critical role often played by the most inexpensive and commonplace products, reports Derrick Bailes, chief executive, Lifting Equipment Engineers Association. In particular, this is true of those devices which are broadly described as below the hook attachments.
A diverse and ever-increasing range of below the hook attachments is now available. These include not just general purpose slings, clamps, tongs and magnets, but any number of purpose-designed (and indeed custom-built) solutions. What all such devices have in common is responsibility for actually securing the load during the course of the lifting operation. And whilst, short of overload or deliberate abuse, it is actually quite difficult to damage something like an overhead crane, slings and other attachments tend to be vulnerable each and every time they are employed. A sling, for example, may connect to the load by wrapping around or passing through it, and may be used at an angle or in choke. As a result, there are numerous opportunities for an error which might cause the sling to fail, or leave it less safe to use next time around.
Many of the problems associated with below the hook attachments start with inadequate specification and selection. Unfortunately, there is a tendency in many quarters to try and make do with general purpose slings for every operation rather than obtaining purpose designed equipment. Such equipment can not only make the job safer but also more efficient. This is particularly true when lifting a series of identical items. In any case, it should be stressed that legislation places a duty on employers to ensure that all work equipment is suitable in any respect in which it is reasonable to foresee it will affect the health and safety of any person. Last minute attempts to cannibalise standard slings to suit an awkward load are an all too common characteristic of serious lifting accidents. Virtually all could be avoided with a bit of forward planning and modest investment in more appropriate equipment.
In terms of creating an effective specification, the buyer should be able to explain clearly the requirements of the lifting operation, the characteristics of the load and the proposed manner in which the equipment is to be used. One important factor frequently overlooked is how the equipment will be released once the component is in place, sometimes high above the ground or in a difficult to reach position. The buyer should also warn the supplier of adverse environmental factors such as extremes of temperature, humidity, dirty conditions or the danger of chemical attack and/or a corrosive atmosphere.
An understanding of the scope and status of relevant standards will put buyers in a strong position. Harmonised European Standards (CEN) are particularly useful. Significantly, they have a quasi-legal status, in that a product made to the relevant CEN is deemed to meet the essential health and safety requirements demanded by the Machinery Directive. They therefore represent a near-watertight means of ensuring an appropriate level of quality. As far as below the hook items are concerned, a significant recent addition is EN 13155: 2003 Cranes – Safety - Non-fixed load lifting attachments. With the exception of general purpose slings, this encompasses just about anything that can be hung from a crane hook. In the absence of a relevant CEN, buyers should specify the relevant national standard.
Sourcing equipment of appropriate quality obviously provides some defence against the possibility of later misuse, but an effective programme of in-service inspection and thorough examination is also vital. Although the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) established the current requirements for thorough examination of lifting equipment in 1998, and they are based on previous long established requirements, there is still considerable confusion about what it involves. A thorough examination must take place either within a certain period (every six months in the case of below the hook attachments) or in accordance with an examination scheme. A thorough examination is defined by the LEEA 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. Indeed under LOLER the meaning has become somewhat broader and may also include procedures such as non-destructive testing.
Important as the thorough examination is, it should always be regarded as a ‘longstop’ measure, and clearly distinct from an in-service inspection. This is generally a visual process supplemented, if appropriate, by simple operational tests. Ideally the in-service inspection will be carried out by the slinger or operator. Frequency will depend on a number of factors, but given their vulnerability to damage, in the case of slings and the like, an inspection should be performed each time it is used. This does not have to be time-consuming. An experienced slinger should be able to 'cast their eye' over a sling in seconds, and there is no need for records to be kept. However, if a defect is found, the procedure should be to withdraw the sling from service immediately.
In recent years, those responsible for workplace health and safety have had to deal with a host of new challenges – RSI, stress and the like. As a result, it is perhaps easy to understand why long established activities such as overhead lifting can drop down the list of priorities. However, it remains a discipline that is as important as it is potentially dangerous, and therefore requires on-going consideration. It is equally important that this attention and effort is focused on the issues most likely to make a real difference to standards of both efficiency and safety. Below the hook attachments may be amongst the most straightforward and economic items of lifting equipment, but they undoubtedly play a critical role. As a result, the consistent application of a few commonsense rules and procedures at every stage of their specification, selection, operation and maintenance will reap real rewards. More articles from Lifting Equipment Engineers Association: |
