Health and Safety issues for lifting heavy machinery

Health and Safety issues for lifting heavy machinery

Are you self-employed or an employer who provides the usage of lifting machine at work? Or perhaps you have control over its usage, then; you must ensure its safety.

The first thing you need to think about is the risks that may be present as well as how they can be managed. For instance:

• The deterioration of the machine as a result of wet, corrosive or harsh environments;
• Attempts to lift weights, which are very heavy, and at the same time surpass the machine load limit;
• Failure of the equipment;
• The use of the equipment or planning of the lift by unskilled workers;
• People being hit by moving components of the equipment or by items dropping.

Safe lifting should be appropriately planned, supervised and carried out by an expert. Any machine you make use of must have been designed properly, manufactured and tested. Likewise, do not forget to maintain it properly.

The factors to be considered as far as safe lifting is concerned are:

• What exactly are you lifting?
• How weighty is it?
• At exactly what point is its centre of gravity?
• How would you assign it to the lifting device?
• Who controls the lift?
• What exactly are the bounds of the equipment?
• Could the lift be rehearsed?

THE DOS AND DON’TS OF LIFTING MACHINERY SAFELY

DOS

• Make use of only licenced lifting equipment that is labeled safe for working load and likewise, not overdue for a test;
• Keep the records associated with the declarations of conformity or detailed evaluation and test certificates as well;
• Be certain that the load is correctly mounted on the lifting machine. If required, safely bind the load to avert it from falling or slipping off;
• Before lifting any unbalanced load, locate its middle of gravity; lift it a couple of inches above the ground and pause. This is to ensure it is well balanced;
• Make use of packaging to prevent the sharp sides of the load from destroying slings. Never allow tackle to be destroyed by being dropped, pulled from under loads or exposed to unexpected loads;
• When making use of jib cranes, ensure that any signs for safe loads are adequately working and are correctly set for the task along with the way the equipment is designed;
• Make use of outriggers where essential;
• Whenever multi-slings are used, ensure the sling angle is considered;
• Endeavour to have a reliable banks man or slinger and also, make use of a recognised signalling system.

DONTS

• Never use inappropriate machine, e.g. damaged or severely worn chains that are shortened with knots, makeshift, twisted or kinked wire ropes, rotted or frayed fibre ropes;
• Never surpass the safe working load of the equipment or gadgets like slings and grabs, chains. Bear in mind the load in the lower limbs of a sling rises as the angle between the legs rises;
• Never carry any load should you be in doubt about its weight or the capability of the equipment.

What does LOLER apply to?

The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations ( LOLER ) apply to any lifting equipment used at work, including: employees' own lifting equipment for lowering or lifting loads, attachments used for anchoring, fixing or supporting it. However, these regulations do not extend to fixed anchor points that form part of a structure or building.

LOLER covers a wide variety of equipment, which include:

• Hoists
• Mobile elevating work platforms
• Vehicle inspection platform hoists
• Lifts
• Fork-lift trucks
• Cranes 

The regulations also include lifting accessories such as slings, eyebolts, chains etc. LOLER doesn’t apply to escalators, which are covered by the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations.

For more information on we take this seriously, and to book a heavy lifting machine for your next project, call 0845 603 7180 or fill in our enquiry form and talk safety.