If your workplace involves heavy machinery, it is always essential to have the right equipment to lift those machines. This not only makes work more accessible but also prevents any risk of injuries while working. This is also mentioned in the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1988 (LOLER), which was regulated to ensure no risk while lifting heavy equipment in the workplace.
In the article given below, you will be learning about the importance of heavy lifting equipment in the industrial place.
Lifting Equipment Increases Efficiency
Having or investing in extra equipment might seem like a waste of money or an unnecessary space occupying object. People have such a perspective because, in few industries, such equipment can be rare.
But in actuality, lifting equipment is an integral part of the workplace. This is because manually lifting heavy machines can involve many workers, whereas lifting equipment needs only one person to operate it. Any work done manually is always time-consuming and has the risk of damage; this can be avoided by having lifting equipment as the work will be done on time, and it gently handles any large load with care.
Hence, the workers can focus on production or any other important part of the work instead of spending energy and time in lifting. So, owning lifting equipment can increase the efficiency and productivity of a workplace.
Safe Work Environment
A safe environment for the employee must be a major concern, especially in the workplace that has the work of lifting and transporting heavy goods or machinery. Employees are prone to be injured while manually handling heavyweights, and if any worker is injured, his ability to work efficiently gets limited or terminated in many cases. This will result in forced workload on other employees or damage the workplace efficiency.
In another case, the company will have low morale once people realize the unsafe environment for working. This will result in low company profile, lack of new employees, the resignation of old employees, lack of respect among consumers, and on the whole the reputation of the company goes down.
Easy Storage
Not all pieces of equipment consume a lot of space, and there is no need for you to buy a huge crane if there is no need for it. Several equipment are available which are easy to handle and compact in size. In fact, most of the new cranes fit in a limited floor space.
For example, loader cranes on the back of the truck are mobile and can be stored in a smaller space. These loader cranes also have long telescopic arms that can be folded into a compact form while storing it after work.
Designed for Specific Tasks
There are specific tools for specific jobs; for instance, cranes nowadays can be bought according to the need and the size of the equipment that needs to be lifted. These cranes, which are used in automotive industries, are specifically designed with chains, boom, and lifting hooks to just lift the convenience of an engine crane.
Regulations for the Usage
There are many laws and regulations that a company must follow, and one of them includes the work safety of the employees.
Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAW) speaks about employee safety, health, and welfare. Thus if any employee faces injury due to lifting or any other work in the workspace due to lack of facility, then the company may face a lawsuit.
The LOLER act in 1988 has been specifically set regarding lifting equipment in the workplace in which they have mentioned about the weight for an individual to carry and operation of lifting equipment for a safer work environment.
Lifting and taking care of hardware should likewise conform to the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER). All these acts are set to make sure a safe work area, ensuring few standards of the equipment for secure use. These acts make sure the regular maintenance of the equipment and proper training is given to the workers regarding the equipment usage.
Why are Certified Lifting Equipment so Important?
For owning such special equipment, one must carry legal documents which will ensure that the equipment truly belongs to you. In-country like the UK, all the lifting equipment must have a seal and a proper certification given by an engineer to confirm the owner of it. All these activities are governed by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), inspecting the certification, which must include the capacity and rating of the equipment. As per the law, manufacturers need to hire a non-destructive testing (NDT) engineer for frequent inspection.
Certified equipment ensures the safety and long run of it, and a regular inspection of the device will additionally ensure its safe operation. However, a certificate given by an engineer will be an extra credit or guarantee which says that the equipment has been inspected and is safe to be used.
On the whole, investing in lifting equipment will be workplace efficient and safe because it is good to “prepare and prevent instead of repair and repent.”
