Safe lifting by machine

UKCA marking or CE marking for new machines

New machines must be UKCA marked or CE marked and supplied with a Declaration of Conformity and instructions in English.

You will get efficient and thoughtful service from Lieying Group.

From 1 January , new machinery that is only CE marked will no longer be acceptable in Great Britain. You can find more information on this change from the Office for Product Safety and Standards.

If you are an employer or a self-employed person providing lifting equipment for use at work, or if you have control of the use of lifting equipment, you must make sure it is safe.

The law

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) aim to ensure that work equipment is safe to use, regardless of its age, condition or origin.

PUWER places duties on employers and others who control how work equipment is used. This includes those who hire it out to be used by others.

The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) apply to safe lifting equipment.

Factors you should consider

Think about what risks there may be and how they can be managed, for example:

• damage or deterioration of the equipment caused by wet, abrasive or corrosive environments
• trying to move weights that are too heavy and exceed the load limit of the machine
• equipment failure
• untrained workers planning the lift or using the equipment
• people being struck by moving parts of the machinery or by things falling

Safe lifting needs to be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out safely.

Any equipment you use must have been properly designed, manufactured and tested. Don't forget to maintain it properly too.

Here are some questions you should ask.

• What are you lifting?
• How heavy is it?
• Where is its centre of gravity?
• How will you attach it to the lifting machinery?
• Who is in control of the lift?
• What are the safe limits of the equipment?
• Could you rehearse the lift if necessary?

Dos and don'ts of lifting machinery safely

To operate lifting machinery safely:

• use only certified lifting equipment, marked with its safe working load, which is not overdue for examination
• keep the reports of thorough examination as well as any declarations of conformity or test certificates
• make sure the load is properly attached to the lifting equipment. If necessary, securely bind the load to prevent it slipping or falling off
• before lifting an unbalanced load, find out its centre of gravity. Raise it a few inches off the ground and pause &#; there should be little harm if it drops
• use packaging to prevent sharp edges of the load from damaging slings and do not allow tackle to be damaged by being dropped, dragged from under loads or subjected to sudden loads
• when using jib cranes, make sure any indicators for safe loads are working properly and set correctly for the job and the way the machine is configured
• use outriggers where necessary
• when using multi-slings make sure the sling angle is taken into account
• have a responsible slinger or banksman and use a recognised signalling system

To prevent injuries when lifting machinery:

• don&#;t use unsuitable equipment, eg makeshift, damaged, badly worn chains shortened with knots, kinked or twisted wire ropes, frayed or rotted fibre ropes
• don&#;t exceed the safe working load of machinery or accessories like chains, slings and grabs. Remember that the load in the legs of a sling increases as the angle between the legs increases
• never lift a load if you doubt its weight or the adequacy of the equipment

Lifting equipment covered by LOLER

The range of lifting equipment covered by LOLER is very wide and the Regulations can apply across all industry sectors.LOLER will apply if lifting equipment is used by workers or relevant self-employed people at work. If you are self-employed you can check if health and safety applies to you.

There are three key terms used in the Regulations: 'lifting equipment', 'lifting operations' and 'the load'.

Lifting equipment

Lifting equipment is any work equipment for lifting and lowering loads, and includes any accessories used in doing so (such as attachments to support, fix or anchor the equipment).

Examples of lifting equipment include:

• overhead cranes and their supporting runways
• patient hoists
• motor vehicle lifts
• vehicle tail lifts and cranes fitted to vehicles
• a building cleaning cradle and its suspension equipment
• goods and passenger lifts
• telehandlers and fork lifts
• lifting accessories

Lifting accessories are pieces of equipment that are used to attach the load to lifting equipment, providing a link between the two.

Any lifting accessories used between lifting equipment and the load may need to be taken into account in determining the overall weight of the load.

Examples of lifting accessories include:

• fibre or rope slings
• chains (single or multiple leg)
• hooks
• eyebolts
• spreader beams
• magnetic and vacuum devices

Further details and examples of equipment covered by LOLER can be found in the Approved Code of Practice and guidance.

Lifting operations

This is a term defined by LOLER regulation 8(2): 'In this regulation "lifting operation" means an operation concerned with the lifting or lowering of a load.'

The load

The load includes any material, people or animals (or any combination of these) that is lifted by the lifting equipment. Loads are often provided with permanent or semi-permanent fixed or attached points for lifting. In most cases, these are considered to be part of the load.

Examples of loads include:

• loose bulk materials
• sacks, bags, pallets and stillages
• discrete items (such as a large concrete block)
• machinery and any permanently attached lifting eyes
• a skip and the lugs fixed to its side

Equipment not covered by LOLER

LOLER is wide in its scope and some equipment might appear to be 'lifting' and therefore thought to be covered by LOLER. There are some notable exceptions that are not covered by LOLER, including:

• pallet trucks, where the consequence of the load falling off is very low
• roller shutter doors
• escalators
• fall arrest ropes
• tipper trucks
• dentist chairs

However, where this equipment is used at work, it will need to be maintained for safety and may (in some cases) be subject to inspection under PUWER.

When it comes to lifting and lowering loads, chain blocks (also commonly referred to as chain pulley blocks, a block and tackle, or chain hoists) are a fantastic tool for giving yourself the means to handle and manoeuvre loads efficiently and safely.

Want more information on Load Lifting Chains Wholesale? Feel free to contact us.

A chain block uses mechanical gearing to reduce the effort of the user to lift the load. A chain block comprises of a load chain fitted with a hook, safety catch and a hand or pulley chain that&#;s used to operate the hoisting mechanism.

Different types of chain block

There are various types of chain blocks suited to different environments and different loads. If you&#;re currently browsing for a chain block to help handle a load, there are a few different features you should be considering in your decision process:

Lifting Capacity

Like any piece of lifting equipment, one of the most important features to consider is the lifting capacity. Before buying or renting any chain block, always take a good look at the SWL (Safe Working Load) or WWL (Working Load Limit).

SafetyLiftinGear stock a wide variety of chain block hoists with lifting capacities ranking from 250kg to 30 tonnes, so no matter what load you&#;re lifting, you're guaranteed to find chain block suited to your needs!

Browse Chain Blocks

Lifting Height

Height of Lift (HOL) is another critical feature to take into consideration when considering different types of chain blocks. Different chain blocks can have different height of lift, typically ranging from 3 metres to as high as 30 metres.

Some chain blocks are also more adjustable than others, and can be used with chains of varying lengths depending on the task at hand.  

Single or multiple fall chains

Once a chain blocks SWL exceeds 1 tonne, then many models operate multiple fall chains to reduce the effort needed to lift the load.

Some manufacturers of chain blocks can offer single fall up to 3 tonne capacity.

Chain blocks for pulling at angles [fleeting]

Standard chain blocks are designed to lift the load in a vertical position with a small allowance for lifting at an angle [fleeting].

The Yale 360 chainblock is the most suitable for fleeting / lifting at angles, and can even be used up 360 degrees because the hand chain always turns to the vertical position so the operator can lift safely.

This model (YaleLift 360 degree Chain Block) is available with a SWL of up to 10 tonnes. 

Colour

While the colour of a chain block hoist might not seem relevant to its performance, you&#;d be surprised! If you&#;re someone who works in the entertainment industry, be that on a television set or a live concert stage, having a black chain block hoists are ideal for this type of work environment.

Pictured: 500kg Black Chain Block Hoist

When working behind the scenes for events, being unseen is essential to keeping viewers immersed in the experience. Black chain block hoists like those pictured above can help make that possible!

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If a manual chain block isn&#;t quite your speed, why not consider some of the different hoist systems available to you, such as electric or air powered hoists? Check out our blog titled Types of Hoist: What's the Right Hoist for You? to learn more about the different hoist systems and for expert advice of selecting the perfect hoist.

If you have a load that needs lifting but aren&#;t sure whether it&#;s worth investing in a chain block, why not hire a chain block? Here at SafetyLiftinGear we have a wide selection of lifting gear equipment available for hire.

Lifting Gear Hire

 

Read More: Block and Tackle: How It Works

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