Advertising Policy

The regulations came into force on the 5th December 1998 and build on the requirements in PUWER 1998. Lifting equipment includes such equipment as cranes, lift trucks, goods lifts, vehicle inspection hoists, ropes, bell hoists and vehicle tail lifts.

A competent person should ensure that lifting equipment has adequate strength and capability, particularly mounting and fixing points. This includes considering the strength of the ground where the equipment is to be positioned for use. Pneumatic tyres should be inflated to correct pressures and checked on a regular basis. Loads should not normally be lifted by straps or banding unless it has been designed for the purpose.

Lifting machinery must be fitted with a suitably designed carrier, which includes edge protection, working platform and overhead protection where appropriate. People should never be lifted on the fork arms or, pallets balanced on the fork arms of a lift truck as there is an obvious risk of falls. In the event of failure of any carrier, a method of rescue should be available. Where there is a significant risk of overturning or overload the equipment should be provided with devices to provide audible or visual warning when lifting limits are being approached.

Lifting equipment should be clearly marked to indicate safe working; loads and the maximum people to be carried. It must not be used for lifting people if it is not designed for that purpose.

Lifting equipment should be positioned or installed to minimise the need to lift loads over people to prevent risks of crushing them. The equipment should only be used when there is sufficient headroom and appropriate measures are in place to prevent overturning. Lifting operations must be planned by a competent person. For routine lifting operations the initial plan may only be required and reviewed to ensure that nothing has changed, for example a lift truck in a warehouse or a patient hoist. If the operator of lifting equipment is unable to see the full path of the load, there must be a system of work to ensure that the load is prevented from colliding, for example a signal or a banksman.

 
Thorough Examination and Inspections

  

Lifting equipment on initial use after installation, periodically during its? life, in accordance with an examination scheme or, following exceptional circumstances must be thoroughly examined by a competent person. The examination should take into account the condition of the lifting equipment, the environment in which it is used and the number of lifting operations and loads lifted. Different parts of the equipment may be examined at different intervals as decided by the competent person, who could draw up the examination scheme and carry out the inspection. This person is often an insurance company engineer but could be anyone sufficiently knowledgeable and trained for the purpose. For a person lift the intervals should be at least every 6 months, any other lifting equipment at least every 12 months i.e. a lift truck. All defects during use should be reported to the employer as soon as possible like cracks in a lift truck chain, or damage to textile slings. Certain situations involving lifting equipment may need to be notified to the enforcing authority for the premises concerned. Where your risk assessment has identified significant risks in the use of lifting equipment, a suitable inspection should be carried out, for example daily checks on forklift trucks. Reports of thorough examinations and other documents such as the current record of inspection should be kept and readily available.

Young persons i.e. those under 18 years of age must not use high risk lifting equipment, wood working machinery or power presses unless they have sufficient maturity and competence, or they are undergoing training with adequate supervision.