Answering Commonly Asked Questions About Lifting Equipment Inspection

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Lifting equipment inspection is not only done to ensure your equipment is in great condition but to make sure accidents that lead to injuries or damage do not occur. Lifting equipment is expensive; the last thing you want is to incur expensive repair or replacement costs. You also do not want you or your employees getting injured. Injuries mean delayed production processes and losses in terms of hospital bills. You might have insurance, but in most cases, it does not cover the full hospital bill.

How Frequent Should Lifting Equipment Be Inspected?

All equipment comes with a manufacturer guide/manual/instruction leaflet. This is an important piece of paper or booklet. Before installing the equipment, make sure you read through the manufacturer's instructions. This also applies to when you are using an experienced lifting equipment installer. A reputable installer always checks the guidelines.

In the manual, you will find a section that clearly outlines how frequent the lifting equipment should be inspected and after or before what activities. The manual also outlines how to conduct regular maintenance. It should also indicate the areas that need an inspection. The manual should always be your starting point when it comes to concerns about your lifting equipment, followed by a specialist's experience.

Who Should Carry Out the Inspection?

It depends on various circumstances. If you own the lifting equipment, you should let an inspection specialist conduct the inspection. Why? You might not have sufficient knowledge or enough experience to thoroughly inspect the lifting experience. The manual might guide you, but specialists know what other areas are prone to damage and might catch a problem early. If you hired the lifting equipment, the company you hired the equipment from may have a specialist in place to conduct the inspection. The agreement you signed with the lifting equipment hire company also covers other aspects concerning the maintenance and use of the equipment, which you must follow.

What Are the Common Inspections Carried Out?

Operational tests are conducted to check on the functioning of the equipment. Wire rope, sheave, brake and clutch assemblies are also checked to ensure they do their job correctly. All structural load-bearing components are also inspected to ascertain if they can bear the load. Hooks and chains also need to be inspected for cracks and distortion because they can break. Safety devices must be re-inspected to ensure they are not damaged. These offer you protection and prevent severe or minor injuries.

Two inspections must be carried out: Inspection before use of the equipment and periodic inspection. The periodic inspection ensures the lifting equipment is well maintained while before use inspection ensures everything is correct and safe. If there was something that was missed during the periodic inspection, it can be caught by the before use inspection.

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