The key piece of legislation for people who work at potentially dangerous heights in Great Britain is The Work at Height Regulations 2005. As stated on the HSE website, this legislation was put in place "to prevent death and injury caused by a fall from height". The regulations state that work at height must be:
Interestingly, the 2005 regulations do not specify any particular equipment that must be used when working at height - they simply state the need for "sufficent work equipment" and remind employers that, when selecting appropriate height safety equipment for any given task, they must take account of working conditions, fall distance, the duration of the job, and several other factors.
In a nutshell: the law doesn't state that you HAVE to use a safety harness or a fall arrest block, but you are required to have some kind of fall prevention system in place, and the aforementioned items are among the most commonly-used solutions. In the end, it is up to you to decide what kind of equipment is most appropriate for the task at hand.
If one of your employees suffers an accident whilst working at height, you may investigated by the Health and Safety Executive. If they decide that you neglected to provide the right safety equipment or otherwise failed to fulfil your duties as an employer (as prescribed by the 2005 regulations and several other pieces of legislation), you will likely be prosecuted, which can lead to hefty fines and even jail time.
So don't leave anything to chance! Plan your work properly, carry out a full risk assessment before starting, and always use the appropriate height safety equipment to minimise the risk of a fall.
Further Reading: Height Safety Checklist
We get a lot of enquiries from people looking to rent - rather than buy - our products, usually because they've got a one-off job that requires a special piece of equipment that they're unlikely to use again afterwards. Over time, equipment hire has become just as big a part of the SafetyLiftinGear service as the items we sell outright, and almost all of our products are now available to rent as well as to purchase.
If you are interested in hiring our lifting gear, our height safety equipment, or anything else you've seen on our website, give us a call on 0808 123 69 69 or email sales@safetyliftingear.com to discuss your requirements with a member of the SLG sales team. Alternatively, you're welcome to visit any of our five depots throughout the UK - click here to find your nearest.
If you work on scaffolding, a scaffold hoist can be extremely helpful and when it comes to lifting your tools and other materials. Using a hoist to raise and lower the items in question can save a lot of time and energy, and SafetyLiftinGear's remote controlled scaffold hoist is particularly effective in this respect.
This 110 volt hoist has a reach of 25 metres and a maximum capacity of 200kg, making it ideal for moving toolboxes, mortar, and other common items. Since it's remote-controlled, you can activate the hoist from anywhere within a 100 metre range, saving you the hassle of going back and forth every time you need to hoist something.
Here are some more useful facts and figures:
The remote-controlled hoist comes with a lifting arm and two scaffold brackets for easy attachment. The radio control is extremely sturdy, and it has an emergency stop button that allows you to quickly halt the hoist's movement if necessary.
This deluxe scaffold hoist is perfect for a wide array of purposes in world of construction. It is currently available at the discounted price of £1,169.82* (including VAT) - click here to order yours!
*Price correct at time of writing.
We never shy away from a high-profile project here at SafetyLiftinGear, and this one's a humdinger. Our lifting equipment is currently being used in the ongoing expansion of Manchester City's Etihad Stadium, which will see the stadium's seating capacity increased to approximately 61,000.
Once completed, this gargantuan project will see the Etihad overtake Arenal's Emirates Stadium to become the 2nd largest ground in the Premier League (Manchester City's local rivals Man United have the #1 spot; Old Trafford has a capacity of more than 75,000). According to mcfc.co.uk, Man City's official website, the aim of the expansion is to "ensure everyone can enjoy watching the Boys in Blue score goals", and additional tickets will be available from the start of the 2015/16 season in August.
Here's what SafetyLiftinGear have provided for this ambitious infrastructure project:
We are very excited about this project and wish Man City all the best in the 2015/16 season!
When presented with a heavy load, you may occasionally be tempted to just lift it on your own, rather than calling for help or using the proper lifting equipment. You're pretty strong, and after all, you're only carrying it a short distance - what could go wrong?
Well...a lot of things, actually. Heavy lifting is serious business, and you can really hurt yourself if you don't do it in the right way. Here are some of the risks you run when you lift a heavy load without the proper assistance and/or equipment...
More...
We recently told you about our involvement in The Bloodhound Project, a British initiative that's aiming to 1) break the world land speed record, and 2) inspire young people to enter the fields of science, engineering, and mathematics. SafetyLiftinGear are the Project's official suppliers of material handling and lifting equipment, which means that a wide variety of our products are being used to create the rocket-powered car that will hopefully hit the 1,000mph mark later this year.
One of those products is a heavy-duty lifting beam, which was designed to lift the Bloodhound's engine chassis into place. The beam was supplied, inspected, and tested by the SafetyLiftinGear team, and as you can see, it even has our name on it:
Click here to learn more about the Bloodhound Project, or visit our lifting equipment section to browse our full range of high-quality lifting gear. If you need a bespoke solution for your project - as Team Bloodhound did - then give us a call on 0808 123 69 69 to discuss your requirements.
The SafetyLiftinGear team will be at the 2015 Royal Bath & West Show from the the 27th to the 30th of May. This event has taken place annually at the Bath & West Showground for the last 49 years (2015 is the show's 50th year at the Showground), and it really does have something for everyone - here's a small sample of what's going on later this month:
The show will also play host to more than 500 trade stands, where exhibitors will be showing off everything from sweets and drinks to cars and, well, lifting equipment! If you're visiting the Royal Bath & West Show next week, you'll find SafetyLiftinGear at Stand 115 - once there, you'll be able to take a close look at our extensive product range and put your questions to SLG's friendly and knowledgeable sales team.
We'll also be promoting several special offers; a variety of items will be available to purchase directly from our stand at discounted prices (don't worry if you don't want to carry your purchase home from the show - we'll be more than happy to send it to you afterwards). Here are some of the products you'll be able to buy:
This show is truly a great day out for people of all ages, so why not come on down and say hello? Click here for ticket information and prices.
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