Crane Inspections

CRANE INSPECTION SERVICES

Recognising that service life and safety of wire rope, cranes and lifting equipment depends on installation, maintenance, Inspection and training Biglift Inspections Services Division provides the reassurance of premium support services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.


Our Worldwide rapid response services, which very much depend on individual customer requirements, include:

• On-site installation, repair and maintenance
• Lifting product hire and supply
• Inspection, certification and retesting
• Specialised product training

Biglift and LOLER (The LAW)
LOLER stands for the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations- and its associated Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) The Regulations aim to reduce risks to people's health and safety from lifting equipment provided for use at work. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 apply to all work equipment including lifting equipment but LOLER applies over and above the general requirements of PUWER in respect of all lifting equipment.

Failure to comply with the requirements of LOLER is a criminal offence and liable to lead to enforcement action or prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive.

Definition of Lifting Equipment
LOLER defines lifting equipment as "work equipment used at work for lifting and lowering loads and includes attachments used for anchoring, fixing or supporting the load." Such a definition covers a wide range of equipment including; cranes, vacuum lifting cranes, hoists, scissors lifts, fork lift trucks, passenger lifts, mobile elevating work platforms, vehicle inspection platform hoists, vehicle tail lifts, garage jacks, bath hoists, dumb waiters, pallet trucks, agricultural lifting equipment such as front-end loaders, etc.

Attachments include chains, ropes, slings, pulleys, eyebolts, shackles, anchor points, karabiners, harnesses and strops; examples of situations include rope and pulley systems on building sites and ropes used for climbing or work positioning in arboriculture.

Thorough Examination and Inspection
Regulation 9 of LOLER requires that lifting equipment is thoroughly examined and inspected by a competent person, who should be someone with appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the particular lifting equipment and have an element of independence and impartiality. The risks arising from failure will determine how thorough the examination needs to be. Thorough examination may be needed at several points in the life of lifting equipment.

Prior to first use
Before lifting equipment is used for the first time, a thorough examination must be carried out by a competent person unless there is physical evidence available to show that it is safe to use. This would include if the equipment:

(a) has not been used before and there is documentation drawn up within the 12 months prior to its first use, an initial test certificate in the form of an "EC Declaration of Conformity" or

(b) has been obtained from another organisation (e.g. hired or borrowed) and is accompanied by evidence that the necessary thorough examination has been carried out, (e.g. a copy of the latest test certificate is available).

Additionally a thorough examination is required after substantial or significant modification or repair. This covers installation in a new location or a reconfiguration.

Periodic examinations once equipment is in service
Lifting equipment must also be thoroughly examined at intervals specified within LOLER or shorter intervals if the competent person considers this appropriate, or in accordance with the intervals specified in the examination scheme for the equipment.

a) Lifting equipment in use must be thoroughly examined at least every 12 months;

b) Accessories (chains, slings, ropes, etc.) must be thoroughly examined at least every 6 months;

c) Equipment used for lifting people must be thoroughly examined at least every 6 months;

d) For the above, the examination is in accordance with a written examination scheme and is to identify any remedial action in good time before deterioration affects safety.

After adverse incidents
Lifting equipment must also be inspected by a competent person after any incident or circumstances which may have adversely affected the safety or integrity of the equipment, e.g. involvement in an accident or dangerous occurrence or after long periods out of use.