Lifting equipment includes all the gear that enables a load to be hoisted without the need for the lifting to be done manually. This sounds straightforward, but the variety of devices that lift a load from a simple chain block off a beam to a beam with a forklift that tips a full skip of swarf into a waste container is limitless. Most sites have to make use of different equipment because lifting equipment is typically purchased a piece at a time to complete a task. A proper review is rarely done to determine whether equipment from different manufacturers is compatible.
This site provides information on equipment that is commonly found at industrial sites and the purpose of the equipment. Furthermore, it provides information on regulations that apply to lifting equipment and the lifting equipment that is found on industrial sites. You will find the detailed guides beneath this overview.
Safety and productivity are the two driving factors behind most lifting equipment sales. Manual handling is a leading cause of injury in the workplace in the UK. Those injuries can be the result of a single incident, but more often, they are the result of injury “creep,” or the repeated stress of lifting that should be handled by equipment. Lifting equipment is about safety, but often lifts are about efficiency. The right equipment can easily save time. For example, lifting a full drum on to a pallet can be a ten minute job for two people. With the right attachment, it can be done in thirty seconds by one person.
Jib cranes
Jib cranes can be thought of as a hoist on a horizontal crane arm that swings on a vertical pivot. Because of the space saving designs of these cranes, they can be used in workshops that are too small to fit a full overhead crane.
These cranes are designed to take a load, but it is the hoist that lifts the load. You must consider the hoist when determining the overall design of your jib crane. Some factors to consider are load capacity, length of travel, and the height available. These factors, and more, are discussed in our guide to free standing jib cranes.
Chain hoists and chain blocks
Near the top of the list of most common pieces of lifting equipment are chain blocks. They haven’t changed much over the last century; they haven’t had to. The manual variant is a hand chain block with gears and can lift loads too heavy for a couple of people to lift. They are tough, inexpensive, and versatile which is why they are ubiquitous on the sites, workshops, and even in the back of trucks.
Electric hoists have the same function as chain blocks, but do the job at a much higher speed with absolutely no effort from the operator. This makes them much more effective for operations where the hoist is used frequently. The most common factors affecting the choice of a chain hoist is how frequent is the lifting, the lifting height, and most importantly, is there electricity at the operation point.
There is more that will affect your decision apart from the hoist itself, such as the chain hoist and the jib crane, and the runway beam.
[→ Full guide: Chain Hoists & Chain Blocks]
Forklift attachments
Standalone, forklifts are only capable of moving pallets. Attach a jib and it can act as a mini crane. Attach a tipper and it can tip skips. Forklift attachments are the cheapest method for maximizing the versatility of a piece of equipment on site. The variety of attachments is more extensive than most people know, including, but not limited to tips skips, push tips, jibs, skips, scoops, wheelie bin tipper, and brushes for sweeping the yard. The same principle applies to telehandler attachments.
Man-lift baskets have specific concerns. Lift regulations treat people and loads differently. Fork trucks can only accommodate baskets in specialized situations. Just because something attaches doesn’t mean it’s safe or compliant. The rest of the guide covers this in detail.
[→ Full guide: Fork Lift Attachments]
Handling drums is tricky. A full 205-liter (55-gallon) drum can weigh up to 250 kg (550 lbs), depending on the contents. Drums have no natural hand-hold and can roll away. Drum handling sincerely addresses all three of the awkwardness of drums: dollies and trolleys for moving drums at floor level, lifters, and rotators for raising and pouring, and fork lift drum grabs that let a standard truck lift drums safely instead of someone improvising something to pick drums with the forks — which is frowned upon.
Moving drums is only one part of the solution. Sump pallets and spill containment for storing drums is a whole other topic with its own regulations.
[→ Full guide: Drum Handling Equipment]
Lifting slings
Slings connect the load and the lifting device. Slings are the most common component in equipment that fails, but not because slings are dangerous. Slings may be damaged or may be the wrong type for the load. Chain, wire rope, webbing and round slings have their respective places in lifting, and the working load limit is dependent on the lifting angle, and this is often misunderstood. More information can be found in our guide to lifting slings.
The rules: LOLER and PUWER
Two main regulations have to be considered for all lifting equipment in the UK workplace. LOLER governs the lifting side and covers the planning of lifts, marking the safe working loads, and thorough examinations at defined intervals. PUWER covers work equipment and encompasses the overall suitability, maintenance, and training of the equipment.
This means that, in the practical sense, lifting equipment has to be thoroughly examined every 12 months, or every 6 months for equipment that lifts people; a visual examination has to be conducted every time the equipment is used; and the operators have to be trained on the specific piece of equipment. The starting place for the HSE’s LOLER guidance is more interpretable than most of the guidance, and the regulations provide a reasonable bottom line to the safety of a practice. Equipment that works outdoors or that is used frequently should be examined often.
Buying it right
Calculate capacity correctly, including attachments and rigging. How often will it be used? More frequent use = different tools, and perhaps even the need to hire. Inadequate headroom is far more common than inadequate capacity when it comes to lifting gear.
Buy from suppliers who can show test certificates; proper documents matter when the examiner comes around.
The guides above provide more information and detail for each type. They’re designed for people who choose, buy and maintain this equipment at a workplace— not lifting engineers, who know all of this.