Lifting Operations & Lifting Equipment

Relevant Statutes:

Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998

Lifting Equipment - means work equipment for lifting or lowering loads and includes
its attachments used for anchoring, fixing or supporting it.
Lifting Operation - means an operation concerned with the lifting or lowering of a
load
Load - includes a person
Thorough Examination - is carried out by a competent person and where appropriate
includes testing.

Duty Holders

The regulations impose duties on employers as well as persons who control

lifting equipment
supervisors and managers of lifting equipment
the system of work to the extent of their control.

Note that the HSWA also apply. In general the regulations do not apply to ships.

Lifting Equipment

Duty holders/employers shall ensure lifting equipment, loads and attachments are:

of adequate strength and stability
positioned/installed to reduce the risk of striking a person
falling
being unintentially released
clearly marked with the SWL for all configurations
to show whether it is designed to lift persons.

Lifting Equipment for Lifting Persons

Duty holders/employers shall ensure:

equipment is such to prevent persons being crushed, trapped or falling out/off (ifactivities carried out from carrier - sfairp)
has devices to prevent carrier falling or if impossible, safety ropes or chains (inspected every working day)

Organisation of Lifting Operations

Duty holders/employers shall ensure operations are:

properly planned by a competent person
appropriately supervised
carried out in a safe manner.

Thorough Examination and Inspection

Required before it is put into service for the first time unless it:

has never been used
has a EC declaration of conformity less than 1 year old

Equipment should not be used if "2nd hand" unless there is evidence that its last
thorough examination required by the regulation has been carried out. It follows that no equipment should be sold etc unless it is accompanied by such evidence.

Installed Equipment

Must be inspected before use after it has been installed
Equipment exposed to deterioration should be thoroughly examined in accordance with an examination scheme every 12 months, and:

every 6 months for equipment or accessories used for lifting persons
after circumstances likely to jeopardise safety.

As appropriate this type of equipment should be inspected between thorough examinations.

The competent person carrying out a thorough examination shall - immediately notify the employer of any dangerous defects (this also applies to persons carrying out an inspection) make a written report as specified in schedule 1 of the regulations to:

the duty holder/employer
if hired etc, the hirer
if there is an imminent risk.

When defects are reported, duty holders/employers shall ensure the equipment is not used
unless the defect is rectified (or if the defect will become a danger in the future, before
the specified date when it will become a danger)

Keeping of Information

Duty holders/employers shall keep the following records:

EC declaration of conformity
the information contained in all thorough examination reports (only 2 years for accessories)
the information relating to installation, until the equipment is uninstalled
the information relating to conditions causing deterioration until the next report, or
2 years whichever is later
the latest inspection report.

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