[RIGGER’S CORNER] How Should We Defi ne
JOHN WILLIAMS, OPERATIONS MANAGER, LEEA (LIFTING EQUIPMENT ENGINEERS ASSOCIATION)
Ensuring that equipment is properly specifi ed and fi t for purpose is clearly critical to any safe lifting program. However, the fact remains that most accidents are the result of human error. Straightforward equipment failure is relatively rare as a cause of serious problems.
So when things go wrong, the roots can usually be traced back to a basic lack of planning, compounded by the use of inadequately trained staff . As a result, the latest generation of health and safety legislation tends to emphasize the key role played by the ‘human factor’ in overhead lifting operations. In the UK, for example, LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations) adopts a modern, risk- based approach. Rather than being unduly prescriptive, it requires that ‘competent’ staff are used for all aspects of load lifting operations, including test and examination of the equipment. T is certainly allows employers a welcome degree of fl exibility, and recognizes the fact that the skills and experience needed to assess a sling or shackle are signifi cantly diff erent than those required for, say, a fully automated overhead travelling crane. However, such freedom is clearly not without pitfalls and
dangers. In particular, how exactly should ‘competence’ be defi ned? After all, one of the biggest challenges faced by the industry is the fact that too many employers simply fail to recognize overhead lifting as a specialist discipline that requires specialist skills. As a result, there’s an unwelcome tendency to let ‘generalists’ undertake safety-critical tasks. Unfortunately, the results of this attitude are often refl ected in lifting-related accidents, which remain a signifi cant cause of death and serious injury in workplaces around the world. But even employers that recognize the need for a properly focused approach to overhead lifting can struggle to identify what competence actually means in practice. T ere will always be a range of views on this subject. For the purposes of thorough examination of lifting equipment, LEEA’s Code of Practice defi nes competence as a combination of both theoretical knowledge and practical experience of the equipment concerned. Furthermore, the Association’s long-established Diploma qualifi cation is widely recognized as demonstrating the fi rst part of these requirements. To reinforce this message, ‘TEAM’ identity cards are now issued to employees of member companies that have passed the Diploma, and these
80 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014 WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE
are accompanied by logbooks in which the holder can record his or her practical work experience in the overhead lifting sector. T e aim is quite simply to provide detailed and independent evidence of the holder’s competence as regards the test, examination and maintenance of overhead lifting equipment. T is approach has been widely adopted around the globe.
Originally established as the T e London Chain Testers and Manufacturers Association nearly 70 years ago, today the LEEA is a truly international organization, with approximately half of its 650-plus members based outside the UK. As a result, much of the Association’s work currently involves the re-shaping of training, qualifi cation and accreditation services to suit the requirements of members in diff erent regions of the world. While this is very much a two-way process, it is clear that the fundamentals of the LEEA philosophy already enjoy widespread support. It is encouraging to see an increasing demand for high quality training and qualifi cations; however, there is still a huge amount of work to be done to raise the status of engineers working in the overhead lifting sector as well as to ensure the welcome fl exibility provided by modern health and safety legislation does not simply provide a loophole through which employers can escape their responsibilities. Organizations such as LEEA have a key role to play in providing a forum for debate, and a voice for those who believe in the importance of specialist training and qualifi cations for the overhead lifting sector. However, we will only ever be as strong as the commitment of our members to raising standards of professionalism. John Williams joined LEEA as Operations Manager in May
2013. John has trained in mechanical engineering and is registered as an Incorporated Engineer wit the Society of Operations Engineers. John is also a fellow of the Society of Operations Engineers and the Bureau of Engineer Surveyors as well as a corporate member of the Institute of Association Management. For more information about the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association, please visit:
www.leea.co.uk. ❙
COMPETENCE?
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