Manual handling can be a dangerous profession if not done correctly, so it is important your lifting equipment is regularly inspected. But who can inspect lifting equipment?
Under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), lifting equipment inspections should be carried out by competent persons. A competent person is someone who has the right experience and knowledge to thoroughly understand what they are looking for. They should be able to spot any signs of weakness or damage that could be a potential hazard. This could be a member of your team with relevant knowledge or could be someone from another organisation.
The person who carries our the lifting equipment inspection must then complete a written report. This report should detail everything about the inspection, such as:
If any defects or damage are found during the inspection, they should be reported immediately so the person in charge can get these sorted as soon as possible.
Though this is typically at the jurisdiction of the person carrying out the inspection, there are a few things which should always be checked. Often, there is a criterion which can be followed and checked off by the competent person. This will include:
This inspection will test if the lifting equipment is safe to use and will not cause harm to those who need it.
As a rule, examinations should be carried out every 6 months for lifting equipment which carries people as this poses the highest safety risk. Lifting accessories should also be inspected every half a year as they can be fatal if damaged. Other types of standard lifting equipment can be inspected yearly if necessary.
At SafetyLiftinGear we offer a professional lifting gear inspection service to help you maintain safe and functional equipment. Get in touch if your equipment is in need of an inspection!
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If you've recently carried out an inspection of your lifting equipment and found it's not fit for purpose, we supply plenty of lifting equipment to fit all your needs here at SafetyLiftingGear.
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Generally, the average life of a safety harness is around 5 years. However, how long a safety harness is good for will differ between makes and models of safety harnesses, with others coming with varying levels of warranties and recommended life-spans that can be much longer than average. For instance, our range of G-force harnesses are approved for up to 10 years.
Of course, with something as important as a safety harness it's important that you check its in good condition before use. You must remain diligent when deciding if a safety harness is safe to use. Despite the recommended life-span, only the owner of the safety harness is aware what conditions it has been used in and whether this has affected its quality. If you begin to question how safe your harness is you should invest in one that can withhold the weight required.
With that being said, we provide a huge selection of safety harnesses that are all made with the highest-quality materials. The last thing you want to do is doubt the safety of your safety harness when you're working at height which is why we supply high-quality products. To see our full range of safety harnesses you can click here, or for a look at some of the ones we supply, look below.
(G-Force 2 Point Safety Harness)
(High Viz Multi-purpose Harness)
(Petzl VOLT Harness)
If you have any questions about how long safety harnesses are good for, or about any of our products feel free to get in touch. Our friendly team is always happy to help whatever the problem, so contact us today.
PPE is short for Personal Protective Equipment. This is the equipment worn by workers that offers extra protection against hazards that may occur in the workplace. PPE comes in plenty of forms, and those who work jobs that require manual labour often need a range of different PPE to stay fully protected on the job.
But with so many to choose from sometimes it can be difficult to work out what you need, so we've put a Guide to PPE together to help! Here's a look at some of the PPE equipment we supply and how it can help you.
Head Protection
Protecting your head is often one of the most important things to remember, particularly on a construction site. In fact, many have a 'hard-hat policy' that means you can not carry out work unless your head is protected. We supply a range of helmets, hard hats and thermal liners that all help keep your head protected from falling/low-hanging objects and safe from the cold.
Eye Protection
Eyes are both amazing and fragile. Too often an eye injury can lead to someone losing their sight when it could have been easily avoided with the right PPE. Debris and chemicals can easily cause problems for eyes, which is why we supply a range of safety goggles and safety glasses that protect you without impairing your vision.
Ear Protection
Working in loud environments such as concerts or construction can take its toll on your ears. Over time, loud music or power tools can damage your hearing. Ear defenders and earplugs can make a huge difference to how much loud volumes affect your ears.
Protective Clothing
PPE clothing can keep you safe from the wet and wind or make sure that you are easily seen, in some cases it does both! High visibility clothing allows others to see you from a greater distance, this is particularly useful in busy working environments where drivers and workers are more distracted.
Breathing Equipment
Some work environments will expose you to airborne debris or fumes that shouldn't be breathed in. Working in these conditions is sometimes unavoidable which is why Dust Masks and Respirators are used. These are vital to protect against hazards that may affect your breathing.
To see our full range of PPE equipment, click here. We supply a vast collection of PPE that should help prepare you for anything! If you have any further questions about any our products feel free to get in touch. Our team of friendly experts are always happy to help so contact us today.
Falls while working at a height are responsible for a huge amount of workplace injuries and fatalities every year. In Great Britain, falls from a height were the biggest cause of workplace fatalities in 2017.
Safety precautions are incredibly important for anyone who works at height. To help improve height safety knowledge today, we've put together a few of the most common working at height safety question and answers.
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If you work in a material handling occupation, it is important that you know the principles of material handling. Material handling comes with a set rule of principles to ensure all material handling is executed deliberately and efficiently.
All material handling workers abide by the following principles, so ensure you revise and understand the importance of these ten points.
The planning principle states that all material handling operations should be the results of a deliberate plan. The performance objectives, the need of the operation and the functional specification should be defined from the very beginning.
The standardisation principle of material handling believes that all methods, equipment, controls, and software should be standardised within the limits of achieving the performance objectives. This should not sacrifice the needed flexibility, modularity or throughput.
The work principle of material handling believes that material handling work should be minimised without hindering productivity or the service level requires for the operation.
The capability of humans and limitations should be recognised and respected. This should be considered when designing the material handling tasks and equipment in order to ensure a safe and effective operation.
This principle of material handling requires all unit loads to be appropriately sized. They should also be configured to achieve the material for and the objectives at each stage in the supply chain.
Space Utilisation requires all available space is used effectively and efficiently.
The system principle states that all material movement and storage activities should be integrated to form a coordinated operational system. This should include the following things.
Wherever possible, all material handling operations should be mechanised or automated. This improves operational efficiency, increased responsiveness, improved consistency, predictability and decreases operational costs and/or potentially unsafe manual labor.
The environmental principle of material handling believes that all environmental impact and energy consumption should be considered when designing or selecting alternative equipment and material handling systems.
Finally, a thorough economic analysis should account for the entire lifecycle of all material handling equipment and resulting systems.
We specialise in material handling here at SafetyLiftinGear, so if you're in need of any material handling equipment, click the button below to browse our extensive product range. We understand the principles of material handling so if you have any questions about your project or any of our products do not hesitate to ask.
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Working in a confined space can put you at a high-risk of workplace accidents. As confined spaces are fully enclosed or partially enclosed, they provide a high-risk of fire, explosions, drowning, asphyxiation, and loss of consciousness.
This is why you need a confined space risk assessment when working in this type of working environment. A confined space risk assessment will ensure your safety in these small and restricted areas.
Here's a look at the types of scenarios you should be prepared for when creating a confined space risk assessment for your workplace.
After completing your confined space risk assessment, it is important to acquire the necessary equipment for the job. A confined space rescue kit is a good place to start with these types of operations.
Here at SafetyLiftinGear, we provide a full confined space rescue kit which contains:
You can check out the specifications of this confined space rescue kit here. To stay safe in confined spaces make sure to check out our full range of confined space safety equipment here and be sure to complete your confined space risk assessment thoroughly.
It’s important to stay vigilant when working in hazardous environments, and this is particularly important when working in confined spaces. Confined space safety is vital as a confined environment is usually associated with dangerous chemicals and gases, as well as other hazards.
That’s why it’s important to not only have the right equipment but to make sure that equipment is completely reliable. Here at SafetyLiftinGear, we sell high-quality, reliable confined space safety gear that you can rely on time after time. To see our full collection of confined space safety gear, click here.
Here’s a closer look at some of the products we supply:
Confined Space Kits
Whether you need to retrieve something using a tripod/winch combination, or a full-scale rescue kit with an included safety harness, we have something for you. Have a browse through our selection of confined space kits and find the one that is right for your project.
Multi-Gas Detectors
Within a confined space, you’ll want to be aware of any potentially dangerous gases in that area. Our multi-gas detector can detect any H2S, CO, 02, LEL in the atmosphere so that you can evacuate to space if a harmful gas is present.
Safety Barriers
When working in a confined space the last thing you want to worry about is someone accidentally joining you! This not only risks pedestrian's safety but your own so it’s important you have something that lets people know where you are. Our high-visibility safety barriers are perfect to make people aware of the hazard.
If you need any advice on what confined space safety equipment best suits your project then feel free to get in touch. For that, or any query about our products give us a call on 0808 123 69 69.
0117 9381 600
