Leadership and learning  

Ross Moloney, CEO of the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA), on taking legislative and best practice knowhow in lifting industry sector to educate end users.

In the speech he never got to make in Dallas on 22 November 1963, US President John F Kennedy would say that leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. He would compare the ignorance and misinformation that can handicap the progress of companies to issues of world leadership.

At LEEA we believe that leadership very much benefits from learning and, in relation to activities involving lifting equipment, we see a vital need to educate company management about their responsibilities.

Ignorance in relation to lifting can result in severe consequences beyond handicapping a company’s progress: an accident, a visit from health and safety inspectors and, ultimately, punishment. This is well understood by those who are hands-on with the equipment, who are aware not only of the risks involved but of their responsibilities driven by regulations. Indeed, LEEA’s training has traditionally been aimed generally at people who actually use, or are in proximity to, the equipment.

But what about their leaders in end user markets? Lifting is a ubiquitous and essential function in many supply chains – from construction to manufacturing, offshore to energy, entertainment to defence.

It is vital that leaders responsible for procuring lifting equipment and services in any of these markets fully learn the risks, consequences and legal obligations. They should also be able to recognise what best practice looks like.

For this reason, LEEA has created a new course to educate Company Directors, Senior Managers and responsible persons where lifting equipment is used in a business. The Lifting Equipment End User Guidance course provides an essential insight to general legal responsibilities for lifting equipment for end user ‘Duty Holders’.  These can be anybody from the owner of equipment, supervisor, user, or indeed any officer of a company.

Course content includes an introduction to the legislative requirements, principles for selection of equipment and the role of the competent person conducting thorough examinations of lifting equipment.

On completion of this short course lasting 6 hours, attendees will gain an underpinning knowledge of the legislative frameworks, standards and best practices applicable to owners and end users of lifting equipment and how equipment must be managed from procurement through to discard, its thorough examination requirements and record keeping. The course is available to both members (at members rate) and to non-members either face-to-face or via Zoom.

We will be running four End User Guidance course ‘taster’ sessions during GLAD 2021, on Thursday 8 July. For further information, contact: mail@leaaint.com.

LEEA will also be reaching out to specific end user markets through a series of Zoom-based events. The first is aimed at the Maritime, ‘Wet Logistics’ and Ports end user sector. This free,  two hour ‘open house’ will provide information on sector specific issues such as one-trip slings, load restraints and relevant equipment. End users can gain an understanding of their legal obligations, best practice, and smarter procurement of third party practices. They can also put questions to experts in the kind of neutral environment that a trading association forum can offer. For more information, email: events@leeaint.com

In addition to supporting our members, LEEA takes its external vision very seriously. Reaching out to leaders in end user markets to help them learn about their lifting responsibilities and to make the lifting world a safer place is a vital part of our organisational mission. Both of these learning initiatives are about taking lifting industry legislative and best practice knowhow to the end user world. Crucially this learning will alert end user leaders to the fact that using a LEEA registered company is the simplest route to peace of mind.