Transport-related lifting operations can cause serious personal injury or death. This page covers lifting operations involving the use of:
- hoists fitted to refuse collection vehicles
- lifting equipment fitted to skip loaders
- lifting equipment on hookloader vehicles
- skips and other containers
Provision and maintenance of lifting machinery and the hoisted container
Under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER), hoisting mechanisms for hookloader, skip loader and refuse collection vehicles are defined as 'lifting equipment'. As such, they must be examined by a competent person at least every 12 months.
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations state that lifting attachment points and similar safety-critical parts of the load that is to be hoisted (skip lugs, bottle-bank hoist wires etc) should be adequately maintained.
The manufacturer should be able to suggest an appropriate maintenance regime which may include lubrication, inspection and testing depending on your intended use of the machinery. You should look for patent defects before using the equipment.
Safe systems of work during the lifting operation
A key aim during the whole operation (including driving, reversing, loading/unloading) is to ensure that nobody is in the immediate area as they could be struck by the moving vehicle, its container/skip or load contents. This would also help to avoid injury if, for example, the lifting hook became detached or the load-bearing part failed.
It is important to follow this advice, particularly in areas where untrained personnel (such as visitors) or members of the public (in uncontrolled environments such as highways and public car parks) are likely to be present. They may not appreciate the risks and consequences of their encroachment into the immediate working area.
Blind spots at the rear of the load
Large skips and containers can have blind spots at the rear of the load during reversing, loading and unloading operations.
Some companies use:
- reversing aids such as closed circuit television (CCTV) and radars to minimise the risk of colliding with pedestrians
- fixed mounted mirrors enabling drivers to view the rear blind spot and working area immediately around their load/vehicle are used at some facilities
If trained reversing assistants need to be used, ensure they are in a safe place and not in the driver's blind spot.
Drivers should always check the blind spot for pedestrians immediately before reversing and loading/unloading unless:
- it is unsafe to do so, or
- more effective precautions have been taken to assure the driver that the blind spot is clear during the entire operation
Jogging (shunting or braking hard) to free blocked material from containers is a high-risk activity and should be avoided as:
- jogging can cause uncontrolled release of the bin
- repeated jogging causes excessive wear on the hydraulic cylinders, load hook and bale bar
- repeated wear may result in failure of the cylinder seals or shaft components
Hookloader vehicles: applicability of LOLER
Under LOLER, ‘lifting equipment’ is defined as ‘work equipment for lifting or lowering loads and includes its attachments used for anchoring, fixing or supporting it’.
Hookloaders are within the scope of LOLER because:
- loading the skip onto the vehicle bed involves a combination of lifting and pulling or dragging
- the process of loading the skip onto the vehicle bed could not be achieved without initial lifting
- the reverse sequence involves an initial lifting of the end of the skip to facilitate its lowering to the ground
Example of failure
HSE investigated an accident in which failure of a lifting arm on a hookloader vehicle led to disconnection and ejection of the skip, fatally injuring a worker.
The mechanism failed when the driver was attempting to ‘jog’ the vehicle to dislodge material by repeated sharp braking and forward/reverse motions with the skip in the raised position.
During the ‘jogging’ process the seals on the hydraulic cylinder failed, leading to the unhooking and dropping of the skip onto the worker who was nearby.
What is required
The lifting components should be regarded as safety critical (this includes the lifting hook, hydraulic cylinders and associated pipework and fittings). A failure of this system could lead directly to loss of controlled movement of the container skip. Employers using this equipment should ensure:
- LOLER thorough examination is carried out on the lifting equipment so deterioration can be detected in sufficient time to allow remedial action to be taken
- maintenance is carried out on the lifting equipment to ensure it remains available for use at work in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair
Container skips can be filled with a variety of materials resulting in a wide range of load weights. The operator should therefore be able to assess the weight using a range of indicators. This can include visual indicators of overload of the vehicle chassis or stabilisers or, in extreme circumstances, activating the hydraulic pressure relief valve which should be set and calibrated.
Emphasis is therefore required on maintenance and thorough examination of the hookloader mechanism. There is high reliance on the competent person carrying out the thorough examination to target their inspection and detect deterioration.
Thorough examination (LOLER)
Regulation 9 of LOLER requires the employer to have items and accessories directly used for lifting to be subject to thorough examination at regular intervals. Thorough examination of lifting equipment must be carried out:
- within mandatory 6 and 12 months intervals, or
- at shorter periods if stipulated by the competent person within the written scheme of examination
All equipment deteriorates depending on the environment it is used in, the work it is used for and the amount of work it performs. The purpose of the thorough examination is to detect such deterioration in sufficient time, to allow remedial action to be taken.
The person carrying out a thorough examination must have appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the particular lifting equipment.
This knowledge and experience will enable them to detect defects or weaknesses and to assess their importance in relation to the safety and continued use of the equipment.
It is essential that the competent person is sufficiently independent and impartial to allow objective decisions to be made. Competent people may be 'in-house' but the employer must ensure:
- they have sufficient authority and independence to ensure examinations are properly carried out
- necessary recommendations are properly implemented
The competent person provides expert guidance on the extent of the examination required to ensure health and safety conditions of the lifting equipment are maintained and that any deterioration can be detected and remedied in good time. The competent person has to make a professional judgement about the level and extent of examination on a particular installation, including what tests, if any, are necessary.
The competent person completing an examination scheme may need to draw on others for assistance on specific issues, such as testing (proof, non-destructive testing, etc) as part of the examination regime.
A simple test to indicate creep within the lifting and tipping mechanism is referenced in HSE publication Recover paper safely by using a fully loaded test skip (this must only be carried out in a safe area) to check for ram creep, fluid leakage from the hydraulic hose and fittings, and other defects.
Thorough examination report
Regulation 10 of LOLER requires a report of thorough examination to be made which contains specific information, detailed in Schedule 1 of the Approved Code of Practice for the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations. This includes a list of what was inspected and what conclusions were made about the lifting item.
Thorough examination reports should include essential information relating to the equipment studied and follow the main headings included in Schedule 1 of the HSE Approved Code of Practice, specifically:
- statement of the Regulations for which the examination is carried out (LOLER)
- identification of significant defects which are or could become a danger to people
- description of the particular fault or defect for each item of lifting equipment
- date of next examination
- name/signature of the person who carried out the examination
Established best practice typically lists defect categories marked either category (a), (b) or (c):
- category (a) - defects which are, or could become, a danger to people
- category (b) - identification of any other part found to be deteriorating and which needs to be rectified
- category (c) - observations and recommendations
Regulation 11 of LOLER requires the company to keep reports of examination, so they are available for inspection. Where there is opinion that lifting equipment has a defect likely to cause risk of serious personal injury, the competent person is required to send the report of examination to the enforcing authority.
Find out more
There is more HSE advice on how LOLER applies to waste and recycling machinery.