Guidance on lifting suspended loads with excavators is set to undergo revision, it has emerged…
The Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) is to update guidance on lifting with excavators. A short guidance was produced in 2008 as a result of the combined work of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Construction Equipment Association (CEA), and the Construction Confederation. This guide ‘Lifting Operations in Construction when Using Excavators’ was again revised in 2009, when growth in lifting suspended loads with excavators grew.
The CPA said a revision of the document is again needed because of changes in standards and the expectations of users.
The project to develop the guidance is being headed by the Strategic Forum for Construction, Plant Safety Group. This is funded and administered by the CPA.
An industry-wide working group has been set up to develop the guidance, working under Kevin Minton. The group comprises of excavator firms, manufacturers, training organisations, and contractors. The CEA and HSE will also be heavily involved. It is also expected a public consultation will take place before the final draft is prepared.
The revised guidance will cover topics such as:
- Lifting with backhoes
- 360° excavators
- Planning and supervision of lifting operations
- Selection of excavators used for lifting
- Planning, supervisory and operating personnel
- Lifting people
- Use for entertainment purposes
- Use of attachments
- Maintenance and inspection
It will “cover the questions that anyone contemplating lifting suspended loads with excavators should ask themselves.”
Publication of the guidance is expected to occur in the first half of 2017.