With health and safety regulations getting tighter each and every day we are forced to pay attention to new legislation. It is essential by law that all cranes and above hook equipment is inspected by a qualified body every 12 months, with under the hook equipment requiring 6 monthly inspections (this is most likely because there is more chance that under the hook equipment gets damaged or worn out). With hoists or cranes in a more intense environment such as a nuclear facility or wet room it is recommended by experts that equipment be inspected every 3 months by a qualified body and of course a visual inspection by the operator before each use as standard.
Preventative maintenance not only helps reduce the risk of equipment down-time and expensive repair bills but also ensures that your team remain as far away from danger as you can help, the last thing you want on your hands is a fatal accident and years of court dates with potentially the responsible persons looking at serious jail terms for not abiding by the law.
When searching for the ideal company to carry out an maintenance plan for you the best thing to do is a quick internet search for your nearest lifting equipment or crane company that offers servicing and inspection. Many think that these two things are the same; they are not. Often people believe that the inspection their insurance company provides is sufficient, in terms of law abiding it is, however a visual inspection of the crane and load rope will not help prevent in depth issues, visual inspections do not open up the gearbox and check the whole crane, a service will provide you with an inspection but at the same time a full service of mechanical parts as well as an oil level check and much more. The service is a more physical look in to detailed components of the crane or hoist as opposed to a tick sheet of visual conformities.
