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Posted By Sarah O'Brien
I am seeking others views on planning a lifting operation involving a MEWP - I recently read that there was a prosecution for failing to properly plan a lifting operation by a competent person. Does this mean that if we need an opertive to use the MEWP to gain access and use as a safe working platform then we have to have the whole operation planned, even for short duration work? All our operatives are fully experiences in using MEWP's due to their length of service, but should we now train them in planning lifting operations as competent persons.
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Posted By JAMES MM
Sarah,
ALL lifting operations must be planned. A method statement outlining the works with a risk assessment should be produced and relayed to the operatives prior to the task. The equipment should be 'in date' in accordance with LOLER 98. The MEWP operators should be trained and able to carry out the task in a safe and controlled manner.
Hope this helps.
Jim
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Posted By Peter MacDonald
Sara
What exactly are you going to be lifting. MEWP's are generally used for lifting people as a form of access. I'm assuming you might be using them for access to rig or sling the weight you are lifting. In any case, your MEWP operators should be trained and competent. Unfortunately length of service does not prove competency, have they been given proper and adequate training by a recognised trainer and do you have records of this training (such as cards). Most lifting operation with very few exceptions require a lifting study carried out by a competent person (usually identified as an appointed person ) a lift supervisor and a slinger/banksman. The Appointed person does not have to be at the lift but his lifting study paperwork does and the lift supervisor should be too. If it's not a complex lift then a generic study can be done and one person can fill all the roles. Anyway, don't take any risks. If you have an accident with MEWP alone you will have to prove you had a safe woking plan and competent people to carry it out. Remember the lifting equipment alone is subject to PUWER as well as LOLER.
Can you expand on the lift to be acrried out.
peter
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Posted By Alexandra Mackie
Sarah,
Lifting plans and working with MEWPs are quite different. When working with MEWPs you will quite rightly need trained experienced operators, a risk assessment (including ground conditions etc) and a method statement / procedure.
A lifting plan for something like a crane is somewhat different. The lift plan should include a calculation of the size of crane required to perform the lift (taking weight of load, height and radius of lift into consideration). The position of the crane needs to be specified and the sequence of lifts must be planned. The other important factor which must be done is an assessment of the ground bearing pressure of the ground where the crane is going to be sited. From this the size of mat used on the outriggers can be calculated to spread the load of the crane.
So in answer to your question - for work with MEWPs a 'lifting plan' is not required. A risk assessment, method statement and competent operators are all that is required.
Hope that helps.
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Posted By Sarah O'Brien
Many thanks for the replies so far, the item that has got me wondering is an article in the ROSPA Ocupational Safety & Health Journal June 2004 headed: MEWP failure: no proper planning it states that a company was fined £17,000 for failing to properly plan a lifting operation using a MEWP - my engineering manager has requested whether he now needs to ensure that everytime an employee uses a MEWP does he need to produce a lifting plan, he has risk assessments, safe systems of work and the employees have attended a course on using MEWP, but not to produce lifting plans. Should we train them in this as well?
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