You might be surprised by the sheer variety of customers we cater to here at SafetyLiftinGear. Naturally, we take a lot of orders from the construction industry, but building sites are far from the only places where SLG products can be found!

Our heavy-duty garden carts are an excellent example of this. They are designed to carry heavy loads over uneven terrain, and while they obviously have their uses on construction sites (e.g. moving bricks, tools, and other equipment from A to B), these uses are just the tip of the iceberg. Here are three other places where our garden carts do their share of heavy lifting:

• Gardens and garden centres. As the name suggests, our garden carts are perfectly suited to garden work. Our dump cart is particularly handy for moving garden waste and compost around.
  
  
• Farms. We frequently supply garden carts to the agricultural sector - the long-handled design of our utility carts makes them far easier for farmers to use than traditional wheelbarrows (largely because you don't have to lift up our carts to move them around!)
  
  
• Music festivals. Our garden carts start to look a lot more trendy when you realise that they've been used to help some of the UK's biggest musical festivals to run smoothly! A lot of work goes on behind the scenes of your favourite festival, and SLG's LoadSurfer carts make it that much easier to move everything around.

Click here to see more of SafetyLiftinGear's garden carts.

Heavy lifting can be dangerous, frequently resulting in injuries and accidents when done improperly. Here, courtest of the experts at SafetyLiftinGear, are some tips to help you stay safe next time you're lifting heavy objects:

• Plan your actions. Don't jump head-first into lifting a heavy item - think about what you're doing first. What route are you planning to take? Would it be possible to push or slide the load instead of lifting it? Can you lift it alone without putting yourself in harm's way, or do you need to call for help?
  
  
• Bend your knees. When you bend down to pick up the object in question, make sure you bend at the knees instead of at the waist. This will put the weight on your legs, rather than putting your back at risk.
  
  
• Get a good grip. Before you rise to a standing position, ensure that you have a good hold on the load that will not slip as you move.
  
  
• Keep it close. Don't hold the load at arm's length; instead, hug it close to your body (especially as you rise from picking it up).
  
  
• Take it slowly. Never rush when lifting and moving a heavy load - that's how accidents happen!
  
  
• Don't twist your spine. Twisting your body while carrying a heavy item can do a lot of damage - ensure that you're facing in the same direction as your feet at all times.
  
  
• Put it down properly. Don't simply drop the load when you reach your destination - find a suitable space to deposit the item, then bend at the knee and place it down gently.

One final tip: know when you're beaten! Some loads are simply too heavy to be lifted by manpower alone, and in situations like these, you may need to use specialist lifting equipment (e.g. slings, hoists, chains) to get the job done. Don't try to show off by lifting something that could get you hurt!

First of all, let's clarify the difference between hydraulic jacks and other types of jack. You may well have a jack in the boot of your car, but this is probably a man-powered device, designed to lift your vehicle in the event of a breakdown or emergency.

Hydraulic jacks, on the other hand, tend to be found in more industrial environments, such as garages and workshops. These heavier-duty products, while still primarily used on cars and other vehicles, have a far wider range of uses than standard mechanical jacks - for example, hydraulic jacks are sometimes used to lift building foundations during construction projects.

But how do hydraulic jacks work?

Some of the hydraulic jacks that we sell here at SLG can lift loads of 30 tonnes or more - clearly, this kind of lifting power would be difficult to produce with sheer manpower!

So how do the jacks do it? There's a lot of complicated scientific theory behind hydraulics, but here's a simplified explanation:

• Inside the jack's hydraulic cylinder, powered pumps apply pressure to a reservoir of oil.
  
  
• Because liquids cannot be compressed, the oil is pushed through the cylinder and into a larger chamber.
  
  
• Thanks to Pascal's Law (we told you there was a lot of science behind this stuff!), the pressure in the wide chamber remains the same as it was in the narrow one. This pressure is what forces the jack - and, by extension, whatever you're using the jack to lift - upwards.

Does that make sense? This is an extreme simplification, of course, and different types of hydraulic jack (bottle jacks, cylinder jacks, etc.) work in slightly different ways. Still, this should give you a rough answer to your question!

Working with confined spaces can be incredibly dangerous, and it's imperative you have the correct confined space safety equipment to try and minimise risks. A confined space is a space that is enclosed, whether it's a small space or even a large space, it's also a space which has a reasonably foreseeable risk to workers. The risk could be potential fire, explosion, loss of consciousness, asphyxiation or even drowning. A space need not necessarily be small to be confined, but a large space can provide equal if not more danger for a worker. 

Emergency Escape Breathing Apparatus 

Working in a confined space is dangerous primarily because of the risks caused by noxious fumes, reduced oxygen levels or a risk of fire. You could also be at risk of flooding, drowning or asphyxiation from a source such as dust, grain or other contaminant. 

SafetyLiftinGear can provide a range of high-quality confined space equipment that will help you and your employees stay as safe as possible. We offer a wife range of rescue equipment and entry gear for confined spaces, along with a variety of other items - such as gas detectors and breathing masks - that will help protect you and your workers during these dangerous conditions at all times.

Four Gas Detector

Our range of Confined Space Equipment includes the following:

• Confined Space Kits
• Rescue Harness
• Tripods, Winches & Gantries
• Retrieval / Recovery Blocks 
• Gas Detector
• Breathing Apparatus 

Confined Space Rescue Kit c/w Fall Arrest / Retrieval Winch, Gas Detector, Breathing Apparatus

If you are working with confined spaces, please ensure you remain safe and minimise risks in every way possible. It's imperative for you and your workforce to identify any potential risks and have the appropriate confined space equipment to minimise these risks. If you have any questions about any of our confined space gear please don't hesitate to give us a call at 0808 123 69 69 today. 

As well as height safety and fall protection equipment (among many other categories of course), we offer a range of comprehensive Event Rigging Equipment which we are particularly proud of. Our Event Rigging Equipment is high-quality gear which is used in the entertainment industry.

Whether it's beam clamps or chain hoists, we've got plenty of high-quality, durable event rigging gear for you to choose from. The majority of our event equipment has a sleek and stylish black finish, which is ideal for the event industr, because the equipment will blend in seamlessly and won't be highly visible to the audience. 

We are now proud to offer an all new black finish bow shackle, available for 2 ton and also 3.25 ton. 

2 Ton Black Finish Bow Shackle 

3.25 Ton Black Finish Bow Shackle

To date, SafetyLiftinGear has been fortunate enough to supply products for the BBC, Pinewood Studios, exciting new films and even music tours. If you're a Foo Fighters fan, our event rigging gear has gone on tour with them, which we think is pretty cool indeed. View our impressive range of event rigging equipment here. 

If you have any questions about event rigging equipment, please don't hesitate to give one of our experts a call on 0808 123 69 69. 

Why are fall protection systems necessary?

Fall protection systems are essential when working at height. Indeed, falling from height can result in fatality or at the very least cause extreme injuries. If you're working at height, it is your employer's responsibility to ensure the correct fall protection systems are in place not only for themselves and their workers but for the families of their staff too. 

Tragic accidents when working at height cost the UK economy in excess of £800million every year. This combined with the potential loss of lives means it really is essential for businesses to get the appropriate fall protection systems in place to keep their working sites in good order. 

Our fall protection systems:

SafetyLiftinGear offers a variety of fall arrest equipment, from Permanent Horizontal & Vertical Safety Lines and Rail Anchorage Systems to Guided Fall Arresters. Indeed, we offer every type of fall protection equipment to completely secure your working site and minimise the risk of dangerous falls from height. 

However, simply purchasing the appropriate fall protection systems is not enough to ensure your working site is free from risk. These fall arrest products must be installed and secured properly for them to be completely effective, which is why SafetyLiftinGear also offer expert installation services for permanent fall protection systems to ensure your fall arrest system is in place and working properly. View all of the different fall protection systems we offer by clicking the button below:

View All Fall Protection Systems Here >

Here at SafetyLiftinGear, we are committed to providing the highest-quality products for every purpose. Whether you are looking for lifting equipment, height safety kits, or something else entirely, we want to feel confident that you are getting the very best for your money.

With this in mind, we'd like to introduce the latest addition to our catalogue: Elephant lifting products! Elephant is a very well-respected brand within our industry, and their assorted products - all of which are made in Japan - are known for their exceptional strength and outstanding technical specs.

Elephant specialise in heavy-duty hoisting products: chain blocks, lever hoists, and so forth. When you're lifting and transporting multi-tonne loads, it's reassuring to know that the equipment you're using is built to endure, and that's exactly what Elephant products promise - they're just as strong as the animal they're named for!

Click here to see our full range of Elephant lifting equipment.