Outdoor Power Tools

What regulation would we like to deal with first? LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998) mandates that lifting gear, task appropriate, properly labeled, and examined on a regular basis by a competent individual. 

Competent individual is LOLER’s most problematic provision. It’s not enough to have a body in chair. LOLER examinations require an individual with the right blend of training, expertise, and experience in detecting flaws and appreciation if and how their extent and seriousness matters. 

This is the usual case. However, larger companies often upskill their own staff to the appropriate standards. In either case, however, the absence of adequate paperwork is a deal breaker. This is something inspectors will look at, and the consequences of non-compliance can be serious. 

Choosing a Provider 

Of course, the price is a factor. However, the reality is that with lifting equipment, the lower price is most often the highest price. Equipment that deteriorates quickly causes downtime, or, in the worst case, an incident, costs way more than what you would have saved in the beginning. 

Your experience with suppliers is more positive when they have certifications, maintain stock, have reasonable lead times, and offer quality technical support. Technical support enables you to solve problems quickly, instead of dealing with representatives who simply read specifications and won’t help with issues outside of the standard scope.   

Some providers offer training sessions on specific equipment as well as on lifting operations in general. Compliance training is not the only reason to do this; having operators trained to a proper standard will help mitigate equipment damage and increase the likelihood of identifying problems before they escalate.   

The best equipment still needs proper oversight. Pre-inspections should be standard practice with all operators performing a visual, damage and wear examination before use. If you think something is wrong, there is a good chance something is wrong.   

Beyond daily, informal inspections, you must have LOLER examinations performed on a schedule that is appropriate to the level of risk tied to the equipment in question, though this is usually at least annually. Good organization is key with this documentation. If an event occurs, you will be asked for a history of inspections, and this will be used as a starting point for any inquiries. 

Making the Right Decision 

In the end, the selection of lifting equipment is based on understanding your needs, collaborating with knowledgeable suppliers, and ensuring proper maintenance while the equipment is in active use. No one product is “best.” Instead, it’s about having the appropriate equipment for the given job, using it properly, and maintaining it. 

Be patient in the decision-making process. The consequences of making the wrong decision, whether in terms of downtime, the need for replacement of equipment, and workplace accidents, are always more costly than the cost required to get it right the first time. 

Safe lifting is the cornerstone of working as a removal professional, a construction worker, or someone else who has to move heavy loads on a daily basis. Finding ways to lift these loads carefully and, above all, safely, is absolutely essential. Furniture movers can make a big difference and can help to move loads more safely and more efficiently. They will allow bigger loads to be moved without having to lift them manually which is a major improvement for professionals who want to protect their own physical health, as well as doing a good job for their clients.

• Furniture movers make lifting safer for the people carrying it out.
• They allow larger loads to be lifted and moved safely and more easily.
• Furniture movers come with ratchet straps for securing the load.
• Items can easily be loaded, even bulky ones, by jacking them up onto the mover and moving them into place safely.

These essential pieces of equipment are used in lifting and rigging, clamping onto a structural steel beam so that loads can be lifted, managed and moved safely. They can be used with various cranes and other lifting equipment to make lifting safer and more efficient. In turn, this also makes lifting processes simpler, more straightforward, safer, and more efficient; the benefits are far reaching and should not be underestimated by people operating in the lifting industry.

So what exactly is a beam clamp, and how does it work in a little more detail? A beam clamp might also be known as a girder clamp so don’t get confused between the two. They are used to attach a hoist to a runway, lifting beam or similar, so that the hoist can then be used to lift loads. They can be highly customisable and the right beam clamp needs to be used for the right environment. Sometimes this will involve treating the beam in a certain way, and it will certainly involve picking the correct capacity and specifications for the task in hand. The beam clamp used will always need to be fully compatible with the lifting equipment.

How can beam clamps be used? Are they really necessary?

Beam clamps are a necessary means of attaching a lifting point to a beam/girder of a crane or other lifting device. They are very important for safety on site during any lifting procedures. Failure to use the correct lifting equipment can result in damage of the equipment, damage to the load, as well a serious injury.

One of the great aspects of a beam clamp is that it is usually lightweight and easy to transport, so it can be used by mobile teams who are travelling to different sites. It also makes it easier to have the correct beam clamp to hand – because it isn’t difficult to transport them, multiple clamps can be taken from place to place.

How do beam clamps work? Some important factors to consider.

All beam clamps will have different operating mechanisms and will be suited to their own particular purposes. Some operate with a scissor action, while others have bolt fixings or screw locks. However the beam clamp works, it is very important that it is safely fixed onto the beam; a shackle can help with this. It may even be included when buying beam clamps, depending on the intended purpose of the lifting equipment.

As with any kind of lifting equipment, it is absolutely essential that any beam clamps used are of the right specification, which also include the weight capacity. 15,000kg capacity tends to be the upper limit, but check what you need as it may be possible to select a beam clamp with a 6,000kg capacity, or possibly even 3,000kg if it will not be needed for heavy duty industrial lifting. Check all specifications and compatibility in full before you go ahead with your purchase.

Jib cranes are often used more flexibly than fixed gantry cranes (though less flexibly than mobile cranes, of course). They will need to use a hoist, often attached to a sling, to lift up loads safely and make sure they are properly balanced. The perfect one will work in conjunction with your jib crane and will lift loads safely, keeping the weight well distributed and making sure they are balanced throughout the lifting process.

Wire rope hoists and chain hoists can both be used with jib cranes. Both are electric hoists rather than manual and will require little manual input from the operator. The operator will instead be there to monitor the lift and make sure it happens safely and as expected, rather than having to do any of the actual physical lifting. Jib crane specifications will dictate which type of sling is best to use, and for which kind of lift.