How To Use Lifting Gear Products Safely

by Nikki Dale⁽⁷⁾
Lifting gear direct

For the period of this post we are going to briefly inspect the key safety precautions which must be taken whilst using any lifting gear.

Using any form of lifting gear, whether or not it's a little item like a shackle or chain sling, or a larger appliance like an electric hoist or jib crane can be hazardous if particular methods aren't followed. Some years ago new regulations were launched regarding the safe use of lifting gear, this is referred to as LOLER; or lifting operations and lifting equipment regulations. These regulations additionally comprise inspection procedures for lifting devices to ensure they meet the requirements set.

Here are a few key guidelines to follow to help you ensure safety whilst utilizing any lifting equipment.

The safe working load (SWL) of any lifting equipment is crucial to its safety, and must be easily noticable on every product, if not then it will require testing to assess the SWL and a test certificate needs to be issued to substantiate this. The safe working load is the maximum weight the device can lift safely, and so must not ever be loaded in excess of this limit, it is usually advised to use a tool with more capability to what you might be likely to need to allow for errors however providing better safety.

One more key issue to take into consideration is care and maintenance of all lifting equipment in use. Before each use, particularly if it has not been used for a while, it is a good idea to give the item the once over, checking for just about any problems which can be detrimental to its safe use, this could be something as simple as a loose bolt of even minor cracking in the welded joints. If any problems are observed then the item shouldn't be used until it has been corrected and re-tested if necessary. It's also important to note that all lifting gear products must undergo safety inspections regularly, 6 or 12 monthly is the norm.

Trial lifts are recommended before the full lifting manoeuvre to make sure the lift is safely balanced and also held firmly, this is done simply by lifting the object barely clear of the floor and held momentarily, if it appears unstable then corrections may be made, this technique is far better than going immediately into a full lift which may not be balanced correctly and subsequently tip and fall, possibly causing serious injury.

All lifting operations should be carried out in a cautious manner to minimise the chance of injury, in particular if the user of the appliance isn't experienced, for instance if you are using a chain sling to lift your load, there a variety of different types of hitches suitable for different loads, and it takes years of experience to recognise the best one to evenly balance your load about the centre of gravity so that it will not tip. Wherever possible it's best to have the users taught properly to use some lifting gear devices, or at the very least abide by the user guidelines which should come with the product.

The above described basic guidelines must always be adopted, failure to take action could perhaps lead to accidents, resulting in fines , or even worse, a severely disabling injury or maybe death. Always remember, safety first.

Article submitted Thursday, December 01, 2011 & read 18 times.

Nikki Dale works within the Lifting Gear Direct group along with its sister company Lifting Equipment ltd and can provide good information regarding lifting equipment, safety practices and all kinds of ropes, particularly the why, how and where questions that are commonly asked.

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