Moving forward

Ross Moloney, CEO at the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA), looks forward to the Association’s 80th year in 2024, which heralds the start of an exciting new era.

An immensely successful LiftEx and the LEEA Awards in Liverpool came towards the end of a busy 2023. As LEEA enters into its 80th year in 2024, the Association will continue its forward momentum, having transformed over the past half decade. Importantly, consigning ‘development status’ to the past consolidates membership by ensuring that every member is audited and fully aligned with upholding our gold standard. The technical audit will be sharper and better focused, and it is not a ‘one-off’ measure – there will be a risk-based approach underpinning short notice follow up visits.

We are now in a great position to grow our membership, knowing that each new member will add strength to our campaigns and spread the message of best practice further afield. We want more end users to look for the LEEA logo as a representation of our gold standard for lifting equipment and service providers. So we will be encouraging more lifting equipment providers, service companies and individuals to become members and earn the audited excellence of the LEEA badge. A bigger membership will normalise best practice among more people, companies and organisations, and will further substantiate LEEA’s growing influence when making the argument for safe practice around the world. We aim to continue to engage with legislators and regulators and have a positive influence on developing safety and best practice through becoming their ‘technical advisor’.

We are already providing technical advice to our members and the lifting industry globally. LEEA has curated a remarkable resource of information. For a start, anybody can directly access LEEA’s Code of Practice (COPSULE).  This is a recommended Code of Practice, providing expert guidance on safe lifting practice. It offers authoritative information written by impartial industry experts, up to date industry practice and globally applicable guidance. Plans are afoot to make it even easier to use. Currently available to download at leeaint.com, it can also be accessed via the LEEA Connect App 2.0, which is available not only to LEEA members but also to non-members free of charge.

Through our Technical Triage service members can put their technical questions to our team. The advice provided is global best practice, rather than national only, which makes it truly appropriate for all members across the world. The launch of the new Chatbot on leeaint.com introduces a new channel allowing not only members, but also non-members, wherever they are involved in lifting across the globe, to ask technical questions – and we have a team ready to help if the Chatbot answer is not satisfactory. I would strongly encourage the use of this service, irrespective of where you are in the world, to enhance best practice and improve safety.

Also in 2024, LEEA will be raising its profile and awareness like never before, while proactive policy work will be at unprecedented levels, and we will directly target end users. We will have more capacity, allowing us to have a greater impact on the industry we serve.