Axiom NDT and Offshore Services

Lifting Gear Examination and the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA)

LEEA is established across the globe as being the leading representative body for all those involved in the lifting industry worldwide.

LEEA offers support and training to its members in the fields of lifting gear examination, maintenance, use, repair and design. It is a powerful lobby group and is influential in raising safety standards across the industry.

Axiom lifting equipment examiners are enrolled on the LEEA training scheme and when recruiting new personnel we look for evidence of a similar degree of competency when considering their application.

You can find out more about the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association here: http://www.leea.co.uk/

Lifting Gear Examination and the Law

The examination of lifting equipment is governed by a piece of legislation known as the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 or LOLER 1998.

This law applies everywhere in the UK to which the Health and Safety at Work Act also applies and in essence requires that:

‘lifting appliances’ and ‘accessories’ are ‘thoroughly inspected’ by a ‘Competent Person’ at intervals either specified by the owner / user of the equipment in a ‘written scheme’ or in accordance with intervals described within the regulations.

Lifting appliances are items that perform a lift (e.g. cranes), whilst lifting accessories are items that connect the load to the lifting appliance (e.g. shackles, slings).

A thorough inspection of an item of lifting equipment is considered to be an in-depth examination of the items fitness for purpose and of its supporting documentation. It includes any testing required to establish fitness for purpose (e.g. function testing / NDT) and will highlight any repairs or alterations that are required to ensure that the item remains in a safe condition.

A Competent Person is someone who by virtue of qualification or experience is able to undertake the above type of inspection. They must have sufficient autonomy to allow them to make an impartial decision as to the condition of lifting equipment and be able to act upon it.

The interval at which a periodic thorough inspection of in-service lifting equipment should be carried out under LOLER is:

• Twelve monthly for lifting appliances
• Six monthly for lifting accessories
• Six monthly for appliances and accessories that are used to lift people (this includes rope access equipment)
• After installation / assembly and prior to first use or first use at a new location (lifting appliances)
• Each time that exceptional circumstances which are likely to affect the safe use of the equipment have occurred

Lifting equipment may instead be examined at intervals prescribed by the owner / operator in a written scheme. This should take into account the level of usage of items covered by the scheme and the conditions in which they are used and should not exceed an interval of twelve months.

You can find out more about LOLER 1998 here: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg290.pdf

and how the regulations relate to rope access equipment here:

http://www.irata.org/pdf_word/HSE%20Guidance%20on%20Loler%2013V2%20June%202007.pdf