LIFTING AND MECHANICAL HANDLING WORKGROUP

Step Change in Safety’s Lifting and Mechanical Handling Guidelines document provides a structured approach to ensuring operations are systematically planned and carried out in a safe manner. It is designed to be the minimum standard that member companies work to in respect of the matters they cover.

The new edition of the Step Change in Safety Lifting and Mechanical Handling Guidelines went live in September 2019. These guidelines have been in use for over 10 years; they provide invaluable information on safe lifting operations.

As has already been stated there is a representative of the HSE on the committee who review this document so this is fully compliant with their requirements. They have publicly stated that this is the document they wish to see you working to when they visit your installation. The Lift Plan format and Risk Assessment format contained within this document is the one they would like to see the whole industry adopt as standard.

These formats were derived from the content and findings of HSE investigations; their adoption and use has dramatically reduced the number of lifting incidents since their introduction. Many Duty Holders, Construction Companies, Drilling Companies, Maintenance Contractors and Well Service companies are now using these formats which are easy to follow and populate.

Regularly reviewed and updated, the document features a lift planning flowchart, a lifting and mechanical handling checklist, guidance on lift planning and risk assessment, toolbox talk cards for lifting operations and Human Factors checklists.

Each year, the Lifting Forum is held on a quarterly basis to share best practice, communicate lessons learnt from incidents and discuss ongoing projects. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) also provides a detailed update on recent incidents at these meetings. These forums are ideal events for attendees to gain valuable insight and knowledge.

The Step Change in Safety Lifting Forum is comprised of Step Change in Safety member companies who send along their lifting and hoisting orientated employees so they can inform and discuss any new ideas their companies may be considering; hear firsthand and share any new industry best practice; hear the latest news and alerts from the Health and Safety Executive who have a representative at every meeting; and generally network with like-minded people from across the industry.

The forum often has guest speakers who deliver relevant presentations and information on lifting and hoisting ranging from Human Factors to large decommissioning projects. From the member companies, there are a selection of Lifting Technical Authorities along with the HSE representative who review the Step Change in Safety Lifting and Mechanical Handling Guidance on a regular basis to ensure it is still relevant to the industry. All member companies can have a representative on this review panel.

We encourage more involvement from the offshore community, the people at the sharp end. We feel their contributions would be invaluable to the onshore lifting community to let us see if we are dealing with the correct subjects; be they best practice or problems. We would like to encourage any offshore LOLER personnel, Safety Reps, OIMs to attend and give their views on lifting and hoisting offshore. Let us know what concerns you, what pleases you, how we can help you; after all you are the people in the firing line you are the people we need keep safe.

Visit our events page for a list of dates for future Lifting Forums.