Workplace lifting equipment

Some form of material handling transpires in almost all workplaces. Material handling is one of the leading causes of occupational injuries, whether it is manual lifting or the use of lifting equipment. Great care must be taken to ensure safe clearance... 

In addition, ergonomic problems (unexpected accidental physical load) are typical to maintenance operations as the operations can include lifting and moving heavy objects manually. Also the surrounding structures and other workplace-related issues can prevent the use of lifting equipment. 

Equipment within the workplace which is used for lifting will vary considerably depending on the type of industry and the load which is to be lifted. For example, in the construction industry, cranes and slings are predominantly used to lift loads. Other industries often use fork-lift trucks to lift and move loads. Lifting devices should be selected to suit the job or task required. For this reason, lifting equipment has limitations on the load weight it may safely lift and the conditions in which it can be used. Enviromnental factors may play an important part in the selection of equipment. 

Once lifting equipment has been selected for the task at hand, equipment should be operated in accordance with the manufacturer s recommendations and statutory requirements. A workplace may also introduce safe operating procedures for the use of equipment, to ensure that safety rules are followed during operation. 

The latest health and safety smvey from the American Nurses Association (ANA) makes it clear that the efforts to protect nurses from occupational injuries remain a crusade-in-progress. The survey indicated that hospitals appear to be safer workplaces today than 10 years ago, when the last ANA survey was conducted. Safe needle devices and patient-lifting equipment are more available today than a decade ago. However, responses of more than 4500 RNs that participated in the ANA 2011 Health and Safety Survey indicated the same top three concerns were identified by the 2001 participants and in slightly higher percentages ... 

Basic workplace safety on 13 OSHA-required training issues. Chemical spills, fire protection, confined spaces, emergency plans, personal protective equipment, hazardous waste, lockout and tagout, safe lifting, housekeeping, labels, chemical handling, hearing protection, and respirators. 

Corporations are feeing stricter regulations regarding the workplace environment. Safety and injury prevention are key to keeping productivity optimal. In a process called ergonomic assessment, equipment and workstations are biomechanicaUy assessed, and adjustments are made that will limit acute or chronic injuries. Employees also receive instruction on the proper procedures to foUow, such as lifting techniques. Industry procedures need to be in place and diligently followed to protect both employees and the company. 

The regulations only apply to products supplied in the comse of business or tiade buf not to products used in the workplace nor to those used in the provision of a service even if to the benefit of a consumer. An example is a cleaning product used as part of a car valet service where it is deemed to be work equipment and is subject to other health and safety legislation. Products operated by a service provider on which consumers ride or travel, such as transport vehicles and devices such as escalators and lifts whether manned or not, are also excluded. Other excluded products include goods for export to non-EU countries and those on display at exhibitions or trade fairs when a notice that they do not comply should be displayed. 

Hydraulic-Lift Trucks. Flydrauhc-Uft trucks (Fig. 4.41) are used for short distance moves at the workplace. They generally range in capacity from 2500 to 8000 lb (1130 to 3625 kg). These trucks require a minimum amount of maintenance, and can last for 20 years. The trucks can be equipped with a jacklike manually operated hydraulic lift or pedal operated system to elevate a loaded pallet. Some units use an electrically driven hydraulic system to lift, often above the maximum 5 in of the manual system. These lift trucks generally use forks for lifting pallets or platforms for special containers and positioning heavy loads. 

The use of machinery and equipment to lift/ move loads does not mean that there is no effort or risk to workers. There are risks of serious injury, even death when the operator, namely is not trained or qualified to operate the requested equipment overload machines outside the limits of capacity or traffic rules in the workplace operates poorly maintained equipment not respect speeds advised, i.e., have wrong attitudes through ignorance, incompetence or negligence. 

Personal protective equipment should not be used as a substitute for engineering, work practice, or administrative controls. Personal protective equipment should be used in conjvmction with these controls to insure employee safety and health in the workplace. Personal protective equipment includes all clothing and other work accessories designed to create a barrier against workplace hazards. An example of engineering and administrative controls is the use of sound absorbing blankets in a low lift, reducing the need for ear protection. 

Risk assessment related to a profession, that is, to activities performed by operational staff for a certain technical equipment within a complex material flow, for example, crane operator, or assessment related to performing the precisely defined activities within a material flow, for example, a lifting machine s maintenance person, is based on the assnmption that the job is performed constantly and repeatedly and is connected to a single defined workplace (a cabin of a crane) or is performed at a variety of workplaces with an approximately same job description (a maintenance person performs similar activities on various types of cranes). 

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