OSHA, ASME, DOL, HSE LOLER. All of these acronyms somehow, in some way offer compliance and or enforcement guidance for lifting and rigging safety. Today, I’m flying to Leeds, UK to attend the LEEA (Lifting Equipment Engineers Association) 2011 trade show. The show is called LiftEx, and according to the LEEA website, it’s the leading event for the lifting industry.
“Now in its 7th year, LiftEx 2011 has become the leading event for the lifting industry. It has grown considerably to become a major exhibition this year, with 38% more floor space than in 2010. Now with 65 exhibition stands, the event will showcase the latest technology in the industry by bringing together designers, engineers, manufacturers, distributors, repairers and hirers of all types of lifting equipment.”
In preparing for this conference, I’ve been looking at the different lifting and rigging standards in Europe to ensure that I have educated discussions with anyone I talk to while on my trip. In short, the basic safety compliance requirements related to lifting and rigging seem to be very similar across many different countries.
We have many rigging customers in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and many more countries. For most of them, one basic safety requirement is that all lifting and rigging equipment needs to tagged with a clear indication of the working load limit, and that each piece of rigging gear needs to be inspected once a year by a competent person. And those inspection records must be available. Each country has some footnotes to this basic requirement. As an example, the UK requires that any rigging equipment that lifts a person is required to be inspected every six months.
The fact that all of these different countries have put in place strict regulations on the proper use and documentation of lifting equipment is a clear sign that this equipment must be taken seriously, as it can cause workplace incidents if used improperly. We’re always looking for new perspectives on safety and compliance, and so events like LiftEx are an important way for us to connect with peers in the industry. It helps us understand what’s important, and it helps make constant improvements to the world’s leading inspection software. It helps us make lifting and rigging safety compliance easier.
I’m looking forward to LiftEx and the opportunity to discuss rigging safety compliance with my peers in other parts of the world. If you’re attending LiftEx, you can see us in stand 41. Come by and say hi!
