LEEA - Why work with a LEEA member?
October 10th 2007 Although overhead lifting is a well-established and commonplace activity in a wide range of industries, it is all too easy to lose sight of its importance to overall business operations. Derrick Bailes, chief executive, Lifting Equipment Engineers Association, explains the benefits of choosing a member of the LEEA.
In warehouses, factories and construction sites alike, overhead lifting often represents a vital link in the supply chain. Poor planning, inadequate supervision, untrained staff, inappropriate equipment and lax maintenance can lead to costly bottlenecks and delays to work schedules. Occasionally the results can be even more serious, as lifting related accidents are still a significant cause of death and serious injury within the workplace. For a host of reasons, it is therefore vital that employers give overhead lifting due consideration.
As a starting point, it is important to appreciate the legal obligations that are associated with overhead lifting operations in the UK. The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) are obviously pertinent, but the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER), the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Management of Health and Safety Regulations must also be addressed. The requirements are wide ranging, and the precise implications will inevitably vary from one organisation to another, but clearly selecting the right equipment for each application is a key aspect of the legal framework. Given that many of the major types of overhead lifting equipment – including overhead travelling cranes, slewing jibs, monorails, hoists and slings – have been around for a relatively long time, it is perhaps understandable that they are sometimes taken for granted. In fact, there is now an incredibly diverse (and ever-growing) choice of equipment on the market, offering solutions that are tailored to an equally wide range of applications. At the same time, globalisation has opened the market to products sourced from low wage economies in both Europe and the Far East. Prices have fallen significantly for some types of equipment. However, whilst it is impossible to generalise, in some cases this new generation of budget-priced products has brought with it real concerns over quality and safety standards.
Faced with significant legal obligations and a potentially confusing choice of equipment, there is obvious sense in looking to reputable suppliers for support. Despite the fact that identifying the right equipment is a vital element of a safe lifting programme, in all too many cases, the specification for lifting equipment produced by a potential buyer can amount to little more than a vague description of the type of product required and a safe working load. In fact, getting a safe, efficient and cost-effective solution is likely to involve a number of factors. These could include the characteristics of the load and the proposed manner in which the equipment is to be used, and any adverse environmental factors such as extremes of temperature, humidity, dirty conditions or the danger of chemical attack and/or a corrosive atmosphere. To establish a duty rating, the frequency of use and average loadings should also be determined, where possible. A good supplier should be able to provide sensible and well-informed advice in all these areas.
Identifying the right product is only the starting point. Employers are obliged to ensure that lifting equipment is fit for purpose throughout its working life, and this will typically involve correct installation, periodic thorough examination, in-service inspections and routine maintenance. Equally, the need to use ‘competent’ staff for all the job functions associated with overhead lifting (including planning and supervision, thorough examination, and the operation of equipment) may also require the use of external suppliers, to provide additional services or train in-house personnel to the necessary standards.
In all these areas, the choice of supplier will be dependent on a number of factors. However, it is worthwhile bearing in mind the active role that LEEA plays within the overhead lifting industry. Established (as the Chain Testers Association) back in 1946, LEEA has always been a technically-driven organisation. In particular, it is distinguished by the fact that full members have to meet a range of technical criteria. These include the use of appropriately trained staff, effective and comprehensive processes in terms of control of materials, proper systems for identification, documentation and traceability of lifting equipment, and suitable methods of storage.
Organisations seeking full membership must pass an initial technical audit, and are then subject to further periodic inspections by LEEA’s technical officers. Only full members are entitled to display the LEEA logo, providing customers with a clear indication that the supplier has met an independently verified set of standards.
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.
For information and your nearest member, see www.leea.co.uk More articles from Lifting Equipment Engineers Association: |
