Lifting equipment can be used in a vast array of industries, to fulfil a wide range of purposes. There is lifting equipment to suit all needs, from performing basic lifts to lifting enormous loads that weigh multiple tonnes in weight. All lifting equipment has one shared purpose: to make the process of performing lifts simpler and safer, and allowing larger loads to be lifted and transported without having to rely on manpower alone.

The actual definition of lifting equipment is any equipment that is used to lift and lower loads. It’s as simple as that, meaning that many different types of lifting gear and related accessories will fall under the category of lifting equipment. This can take so many different forms, from simple jacks and hoists, up to cranes, hoists and rigging equipment to lift enormous industrial loads.

Can be used by many different types of people in different situations. Most often, it will be used to aid lifting processes in industrial or commercial environments, helping with manufacturing and construction processes. However, you might also find lifting equipment that is used in smaller workshops, or in places like hospitals. There is also handheld, portable lifting equipment such as furniture movers that are used to help transport loads from place to place, often when moving house.

What kinds of lifting equipment can you find in the UK?

There are many different types and categories. These are some of the most common:

• Cranes, including goliath cranes and jib cranes.
• Furniture movers and machine movers, trolleys and hydraulic furniture movers.
• Drum handling equipment
• Jacks
• Winches
• Forklift trucks and various attachments that come with them to complete different lifting processes.

Some types are quite general and might fulfil different purposes. Others, like drum handling equipment, will feature a specialist design that makes them perfect for carrying out specific tasks, such as handling and moving awkwardly shaped loads.

What do you need to bear in mind when using lifting equipment?

When you are using something that is defined as lifting equipment, there will be certain regulations that you have to follow for your own safety and the safety of others. These are set out by the government, and there are LOLER and PUWER regulations that dictate how it should be used.

Anybody who is being trained must be under supervision at all times to protect the safety of everyone on site.