Opinion Pieces

Bernie Winter, of the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) Technical Services, explains the term ‘Working Load Limit’ and answers a frequently asked lifting capacity terminology question.  Every industry has its common terminology, and in lifting, a great deal of it will crop up in manuals, brochures, articles, reports and websites. It is, of course, the […]

Having a rigid in-person or remote working policy could see you missing the opportunities created by combining the two, as Joel Cox and Mike Sparks of Dellner Bubenzer explain. We hear a lot about the return of face-to-face interaction in business, largely because only now people responsible for budgets and forecasts have had a clear […]

Ben Dobbs, head of Global Standards and Legislation at the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA), looks at what new technologies can offer the lifting sector. Lifting and placing objects must be one of mankind’s earliest industrial activities: it was ‘old technology’ when the pyramids were built but will continue to be vital in almost any […]

A fascination with davit cranes started in 1988 — and we can learn a lot from the product’s journey since, says Steve Napieralski, president at OZ Lifting. We have to better position our solutions in the widening shop window. We’re working hard as a sector to raise our profile, as this year’s Global Lifting Awareness […]

Despite your best intentions, your business might be using non-compliant lifting chains. Ben Burgess, director at William Hackett, highlights why. The internet has transformed how businesses operate in the B2C and B2B arenas, providing increased choice and more purchasing power for consumers. We can find multiple sellers with a couple of clicks, meaning vendors must […]

Ross Moloney, CEO of Lifting Equipment Engineers Association, considers the significance of the first Lifting Technician apprentice undertakes their End Point Assessment (EPA). When the first Level 3 Lifting Equipment Technician apprentice undertakes their End Point Assessment (EPA) at the LEEA workshops in Huntingdon on 15 March 2024, it will represent another big milestone for the […]

We must continue to train-up our growing community and upkeep the lifting products it uses, says Steve Napieralski, president at Oz Lifting. When the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) launched its fifth Global Lifting Awareness Day campaign (see insert) it also pointed to skills and employment as its #GLAD2024 themes. They’re great pillars for such […]

LEEA is ready to increase its membership and spread best practice even further around the world, explains Ross Moloney, CEO of Lifting Equipment Engineers Association. Having spent the last few years consolidating our membership, so that we currently have over 1000 full members, which are committed to carrying out best practice around the world in […]

In the second of a two-part article, Doug Stitt, president and CEO at The Caldwell Group Inc., reminds industry why an educational approach must be taken from shop floor to C-suite. As I wrote in conclusion to this column in the last edition of 2023, I go to the same Company College as a new […]

AMH calls for improved safety in non-standard lifts: more work is needed to ensure that non-standard lifts are carried out safely. All Material Handling (AMH) believes that too many non-traditional lifts are still taking place using the wrong hoist rings and eyebolts, creating unnecessary safety risks. Peter Brettner, CEO of below-the-hook equipment supplier All Material […]