The term covers a surprisingly broad range of kit. We’re talking about cranes and hoists, obviously, but also fork-lift trucks, passenger and goods lifts, mobile elevating work platforms, and even things like chain blocks and lever hoists. Essentially, if it’s designed to lift or lower loads – and that includes people – it falls under this category.
Business owners thinking that all they need for materials handling devices and lifting equipment are a few pallet trucks and a fork lift, often get confused and think they have all bases covered, however this is not the case as other devices are also required for certain tasks along with a complete assessment of the lifting products being used, how often they are being used and the conditions they work in.
What you need to Know
You’re required under LOLER for the equipment to be sufficiently resilient to the task, correctly situated from a safety point of view, and have safe working loads posted. That’s the starting point. Also, you’re looking at required (and there is no choice about this) frequent inspections. Depending on the equipment and how you use it, you may have to have inspections on a six-month or annual basis. Some activities even require all the equipment to be examined each time it is deployed.
Also, there is PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations) which concerns maintenance, training, and ensuring that the equipment approved for use is appropriate for the purpose. These two sets of regulations are not mutually exclusive, and this is a point that confuses some people.
Selecting Equipment that actually works for you
This is where many companies are embarrassed about wasting money, either the least expensive option, or consider going for something massively over-spaced under the guise that this choice presents a better safety option. Neither logic is very sensible.
Establishing the weight and nature of the load is the best place to begin. Is the weight uniform? Is it necessary to align it to specific angles? How high should it be lifted? Is the setting indoors or outdoors? Is it a dusty/sandy place? Is there a likelihood of coming into contact with harmful chemicals?
Also, take into account the frequency of use. Sometimes, use of some machines is limited to once a week, and for others, a continual operation of 8 hours is expected. The frequency of use determines the servicing and maintenance requirements of the machine.
Training Shouldn’t Just be a Tick-Box Exercise
Having the best tools for the job is of course a good place to start, but it is never good to have untrained operators. Different pieces of equipment have different training requirements, but the essence is always the same; the operators must know their work.