|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
Lifting Operations & Lifting Equipment
Introduction The Safe Use of Lifting Equipment Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) came into force on 1998 and require that lifting equipment used at workplaces on initial use after installation and periodically during its life must be thoroughly examined by a competent person. This person is often an insurance company engineer but could be anyone sufficiently knowledgeable and trained for the purpose. Lifting equipment includes such equipment as cranes, lift trucks, goods lifts, vehicle inspection hoists, ropes, bell hoists, vehicle tail lifts and components including chains, slings, hooks, shackles and eye bolts. Examples of equipment covered include a passenger lift, a dumb waiter, a vehicle inspection hoist and a scissors lift. Thorough Examination and Inspections For a person lift the intervals should be at least every 6 months, for any other lifting equipment at least every 12 months e.g. a fork lift truck. Reports of thorough examinations and other documents such as current record of inspection, servicing and repair documentation, and any daily checks should be kept and readily available at the workplace. There is also an important link with the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) which apply to all work equipment, including lifting equipment. There is an associated Approved Code of Practice and Guidance (Booklet L113) which has been used to produce this element. Suitability of lifting equipment Need to consider ergonomic risks when selecting lifting equipment. Material of manufacture needs to be suitable for conditions of use. Means of access/egress need to be safe and suitable. Need to minimise risks from slips, trips and falls from any part of the lifting equipment (e.g. cover or fence any floor openings, suitable edge protection where there is a risk of falling more than 2m, or less then 2m where there are other relevant risk factors involved. Adequate protection for operators (from adverse environmental conditions). Where affected by high wind, need to fit devices to detect dangerous situations (most commonly this would be an anemometer). Strength and stability Equipment must have adequate strength for the proposed use, with an appropriate factor of safety against failure. Equipment must also have adequate stability for its proposed use. Where appropriate, sufficient resistance to overturning must be provided to be put into place and operating effectively before the equipment is used. Lifting equipment with rails are also covered (devices to remove loose material etc.). Mobile lifting equipment with pneumatic tyres to be inflated to the correct pressure. Means to check this should be supplied. Where there is a significant risk of overloading, need to provide devices such as rated capacity indicators and limiters. Lifting equipment used for lifting persons Work equipment used for raising/lowering people should be specifically designed for the purpose. There are some very limited exceptions but even with these all necessary precautions to ensure safety (including supervision) must be taken. Such equipment may include lift trucks, telescopic handlers and cranes. Guidance on suitable precautions are given in booklet L113. Persons being carried (i.e. in a lift car) should be protected from being injured by something outside of it (i.e. fully enclosed when in use). Persons working from a carrier need to be protected by suitable edge protection; floor to be slip resistant. Lift cars to have devices to prevent free-fall, independent of the means of suspension of the car. Where practicable, other carriers to have devices etc. to prevent the carrier falling in the event of the failure of the primary means of support. In the event of malfunction, persons being lifted must not be exposed to danger and a reliable means of rescue must be available (incorporating means to summon assistance, emergency means of lowering the carrier or self rescue). Position & installation
Marking of lifting equipment Lifting machinery and accessories to be marked with their safe working load (SWL). Where it is not practicable to mark the equipment itself, a coding system should be used to provide the user with the SWL (e.g. colour coding, label). This also applies where the SWL is dependant upon varying configurations (e.g. fork lift truck fitted with attachments). Where a significant hazard arises from the use of the machinery it should be provided with appropriate equipment or devices such as rated capacity indicators/limiters. Accessories for lifting include single item (e.g. shackle) or an assembly of items (such as a lifting beam and slings). Accessories include slings, shackles, swivel or eye bolts, clamps, lifting magnets, vacuum lifters and lifting beams. Any carrier of person should display the maximum number of persons to be carried in addition to the SWL. Organisation of lifting operations Lifting operations need to be:
The person planning the operation should have adequate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of planning such operations. The plan must address:
Where two or more items of lifting equipment are used simultaneously to lift any load, where appropriate a written plan should be drawn up and applied. Proper planning is a combination of
For routine operations, an initial plan may only be required once but it may need review occasionally to ensure it is still valid. (e.g. fork lift trucks in a warehouse). For complex operations a plan may be needed each time it is carried out. Supervision should be proportionate to the risk and determined by the nature of the work and the competence of the personnel involved. Where practicable, loads should not be carried or suspended over areas occupied by persons. Where this is not practicable, need to establish a safe system of work to minimise the risk to persons who may need to be below the load. Operators of lifting equipment must be able to see the full path of the load or have a responsible person with an appropriate means of communication to guide him/her. Lifting accessories must be compatible with the load and used in a safe manner. The person attaching or detaching the load (or some other authorised person) must give their authorisation before the equipment is operated.
Where appropriate, the SWL should be reduced to take into account the environment and mode in which it is being used (termed ‘derating’). Examples include using a carpet boom on a fork lift and the way a sling is attached to a load (i.e. the angle of its legs). Employees should be given appropriate training and instruction. Lifting accessories must be stored in conditions that do not lead to damage or deterioration. Thorough examination & inspection Issues involved include:-
LOLER requirements are:- -this covers the initial thorough examination. In the case of new equipment the ‘thorough examination’ is considered to have been carried out by the manufacturer or supplier and confirmed in the Declaration of Conformity. -A thorough examination is required after substantial or significant modification or repair. Reg.9 (2) - this covers installation in a new location or a reconfiguration. Reg.9 (3)(a) - the lifting equipment should be thoroughly examined at intervals specified in the Regulations (see below) or shorter intervals if the competent person considers this appropriate, or in accordance with the intervals specified in the examination scheme for the equipment. (the specified period and examination scheme approaches respectively). - The specified periods are-: Lifting equipment for lifting persons or/ and accessory for lifting at least every six months. other lifting equipment, at least every 12 months. - The examination scheme may be drawn up by any competent person. The scheme should identify and specify which parts should be thoroughly examined, the intervals between examinations and, where appropriate, those parts that need to be tested. The competent person should be informed of any changes in the use of the equipment that may effect the examination scheme. Different items or parts of the lifting equipment may be thoroughly examined at different intervals. The time between thorough examinations should be reviewed by the competent person periodically. Examples of equipment likely to require a thorough examination include fork lift trucks, cranes and vehicle inspection hoists. Reg. 9(3)(b) Where a risk assessment identifies a significant risk to the operator from the use of the lifting equipment a suitable inspection should be carried out, the frequency and extent of which depends on the potential risk. The inspection should include, where appropriate, visual checks and functional tests. The persons who determine the nature of the inspection required and carry out the inspections must be competent. Examples of lifting machinery which may require regular inspections are fork lift trucks, automated stacking equipment etc. Reg.9(4) Lifting equipment must not leave a business or (if obtained from the undertaking of another person) be used in business unless it is accompanied by physical evidence (e.g. a paper copy of the last examination report) that the last thorough examination required has been carried out. Reg. 10 - Reports and Defects Thorough examination -- any dangerous defects need to be notified to the employer forthwith by the competent person. - a report in writing must be made as soon as is practicable (containing information specified in Schedule 1 of the Regulations) to the employer and any person from whom the equipment has been hired or leased. - where the defect involves an existing or imminent risk of serious personal injury, a copy of the report must be sent as soon as practicable to the relevant enforcing authority. Where the equipment is hired or leased, this will be the HSE, otherwise it will be the enforcing authority for the premises. - the employer must ensure that the lifting equipment is not used before the defect is remedied, or after a time specified in a report under Schedule 1 and before the defect is remedied. Inspection -- any dangerous defects need to be notified to the employers forthwith by the competent person. - as soon as practicable, the competent person must make a record of the inspection in writing. Reg.11 - Keeping of Information Employers need to keep the EC declaration of conformity relating to lifting equipment (where received) for so long as the equipment is operated. Reports of thorough examination of lifting equipment (but not as an accessory for lifting ) must be kept until use of the equipment ceases. Reports of thorough examination of an accessory for lifting should be kept for two years after the report has been made. Other requirements relating to the keeping of records apply to where the safety of lifting equipment depends on installation conditions and where there is exposure to conditions causing deterioration. The reports or copies, should normally be stored at the premises where the lifting equipment is being used. Check list
References/Further Details
All the above publications are available from HSE Books. The following free publications are available online:
Online versions of the following publications may be obtained from the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform website:
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|