Putting safety first – exclusive interview with LGH UK’s Colin Naylor

UK Construction Online’s Matt Brown speaks with Colin Naylor, Managing Director of LGH (Lifting Gear Hire) UK, about the advantages of hiring lifting gear and the consequences of failing to employ the proper equipment.

LGH is the single largest organisation devoted exclusively to the hire and sale of lifting and moving equipment and last year saw the relaunch of the Company’s UK operations.

 

As a starting point for our readers what does lifting equipment consist of?

In a hire context – anything that hangs off a hook. It’s an old term but it’s true! Traditionally that would be lifting tackle, shackles, slings and the various denominations of them.

Also lifting machines and handling equipment – things like chain hoists whether they be manual or powered; lever hoists; traditional products like tirfor machines, and the means of suspension for those hoists with things such as slings, clamps and trolleys.

You then have a whole magnitude of products we loosely class as material handling equipment such as pallet trucks, Genie Superlifts and bogie trolleys.

 

What are the dangers associated with Lifting Equipment and Lifting Operation?

By its very nature, lifting equipment is dangerous if used incorrectly. To assist, users must be trained in the safe use of the equipment and draw up lift plans, backed by risk assessments and method statements to ensure a safe lift. Failing to plan correctly will without doubt result in the wrong equipment being used and the potential for an accident to be high.

Generally, in such applications, a lift needs to be conducted with certainty. This means knowing the weight of the product, the centre of gravity where appropriate and the distance/height it is being moved.

If you don’t know the criteria, its going to be a difficult and ill-informed lifting operation because there will be a large degree of guesswork involved, promoting the chance of an issue or accident.

 

How important is it that companies receive the guidance when selecting their lifting gear equipment?

It’s critical. Many hire companies would look to its clients to provide the certainty. Hire companies would always look to hire to existing competent people who know what they are doing. If you took the example of a car hire company, they wouldn’t hire a car to a person who hadn’t passed their driving test.

You would expect they know what they are looking for. However, if a client asks for guidance and is uncomfortable with how to conduct the lift , then absolutely we can help.

Our experience and knowledge of a braod range of applications coupled with the technical capabilities of the equipment will ensure the hiring customer receives the correct equipment.

 

What regulations cover the use of lifting gear on site?

Principally, the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) cover the use in all areas where these products are used.

 

With the option to hire products, presumably a lot of the costs associated with ownership are reduced?

The hire company should have a wide range of products and variables thereof to meet the specific requirements of the customer. If you were a regular user of lifting equipment, you might choose to buy a product that is for use of up to say three tonne but next week you might undertake a job that requires a ten tonne lift.

Knowing that you can tap into the resources and broad range offering of a hire company means a business doesn’t need to invest heavily in something they may only need occasionally.

A proficient and/or specialist lifting equipment hire company can provide a much wider range and more modern fleet. Hiring is invariably a cost effective solution to the user given the easy in, easy out process  – if you only need it for two or three days that ‘s all you should pay for.

 

Presumably, it is very important that lifting gear equipment and accessories are regularly checked to make sure they conform to the required standards?

Owning lifting equipment is an onerous task in terms of compliance, especially with LOLER.

This requires the provision of an extensive lifting equipment register and coordinating inspections at 6 or 12 monthly intervals dependant on what the equipment is, either a machine or accessory.

Again, by hiring equipment you negate the need to take on these responsibilities.

 

A recent survey revealed that working at height is still the biggest cause of fatalities in the UK construction industry – is it frustrating as a provider of safety wear to hear these statistics?

 It’s frustrating and extremely disappointing. I’ve been involved in the industry for the best part of 25 years and year in, year out we hear stories of people falling from height.

The market is diverse with fantastic solutions to reduce and in most instances negate the risk, however we often see chances being taken or corners being cut. We can only assume it’s to save cost but you can’t put a price on a life or serious injury.

 

We’ve seen recently in the news a company being found guilty of manslaughter after the death of two workers while attempting to hoist a sofa over a balcony in London – do you think there is enough education around the industry, particularly among the smaller firms, about the dangers involved?

The statistics tell us there is simply not enough awareness around these issues. The Health and Safety Executive have done a wonderful job in bringing about such court cases and such tolerance of the areas. However, these events are always after the horse has bolted.

Some of the larger hire companies have historically carried out local and regional safety talks delivered in a client’s workplace to demonstrate the latest range of equipment, advise on the correct methods and know-how but of course it’s the old adage; you can take a horse to water but can’t make it drink.

You can have provide all of these awareness events but still read an article the following week about some preventable horrible workplace accident.

This is certainly an area that LGH would like to do but our current scale is relatively small at the moment and we have only been in operation for less than a year. We can only do so much.

We have, however, produced the Lifting Gear Hire Technical User Guide. It’s around 150 pages in length, providing comprehensive product details and specifications, coupled with at least a dozen or so pages on such things as how to use the equipment; making the right selection and why one product is more suitable than another.

We try our best to present the information to the audience in an easily understandable format but like the car hire analogy, you can hire a car to somebody but you can’t prevent them from driving it erratically or pushing its beyond its limits.

 

Is it the smaller companies who tend to take the bigger risks when it comes to breaching health and safety?

A look across the media tells us that the big companies are certainly not immune from this issue. We have seen some major players hauled over the coals and fined heavily for bad practices in recent times.

Unfortunately, it’s an industry-wide problem and certainly much bigger than a number of small firms cutting corners.

I’ve been aware of instances in the past where a small company working as a sub- contractor on behalf of one of the majors carries out an application with correctly skilled employees, the correct equipment, method statement, rigging plans and risk assessments but an individual chooses to do something out of character or out of sync with the application and ultimately pays the penalty.

In this instance, all the necessary precautions have been taken but you then look at the individual and wonder why they acted in such a way.

You hear stories of workers failing to attach their safety harness to anything that could arrest their fall because they felt the height they were operating at posed no significant danger and suffered the consequences.

Eradicating human error is a difficult obstacle to overcome.

 

Is the lifting gear industry one that continues to see innovation in the service and products on offer?

Certain products are of course free of innovation due to the simplicity of their design but the envelope is constantly being pushed in lifting and handling equipment with higher grade materials utilised to improve performance and/or reduce weight

For example, many years ago the method of installing a piece of glass in a shop fitting application was a crane or hook hanging from a hoist with the glass held by soft slings These days we have much more innovative solutions such as remote control mini cranes with robotic elements equipped with complex swivelling and rotating suction pad lifters. You can pick up glass in the horizontal plane and traverse it 90° and then offer it up precisely to the position where the glass is to be fitted.

In personal protective equipment (PPE), you see lightweight harnesses with gas monitors, escape sets, safety lights and distress whistles.

As companies develop their ranges and more capital is spent, products need to offer something different and we are required to innovate to ultimately make things easier and safer for the user.

 

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