Pallet lifter Loler or Puwer

[Jacko101]

Thanks for all replies. Grim 72 I will pm you details later. A little update on this question, is thorough examination mandatory or would rule of cost over benefit apply. I have raised this with boss who says cost excessive for occasional rule. We also have old battery operated mewp wich I am convinced ought to be tested regardless.

[The Instructor]

Hi Jacko101,

inhouse if someone is reasonably qualified or a quick 1day at a local training company who can do that - not a legal requirement

Hope it helps some

uuummm not sure about the quick 1 day training.... thing...... sounds very dodgy to me....if any company is found to have provided inadequate training, they will most likely be liable should something go wrong.

Use a registered instructor, at the very least. "Reasonably" qualified is not good enough..... you are either qualified or not....

And yes it will fall under LOLER so will need a loler inspection every year or.... if something changes such as the working environment.

Hope this helps.....

[The Instructor]

Thanks for all replies. Grim 72 I will pm you details later. A little update on this question, is thorough examination mandatory or would rule of cost over benefit apply. I have raised this with boss who says cost excessive for occasional rule. We also have old battery operated mewp wich I am convinced ought to be tested regardless.

Yes the MEWP needs to have a LOLER inspection every 12 month or 6 month when used for lifting people........ x

[sharprc]

A Pallet Truck, that only elevates a few centimetres off the ground, is designed for moving from A to B, not lifting up onto racks, so therefore is not LOLER.

Interesting, our Insurance Provider is convinced that these require a 12 month thorough examination

Jacko, LOLER thorough examinations are a statutory requirement. As your MEWP should ONLY be used for the lifting of persons (and not equipment), it should receive one every 6 months, rather than the 12 months for non man riding equipment.

If you're in doubt about the quality of your training provider you can check with the industry boards to see if they're registered.

Look at RTITB for Forklifts & Manual Handling Equipment & IPAF for MEWPs.

I hope this helps!

[grim72]

If you are referring to standard pallet trucks then they wouldnt fall under LOLER as per http://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-ma ... ipment.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"LOLER is wide in its scope and some equipment might appear to be 'lifting' and therefore thought to be covered by LOLER. However, there are some notable exceptions that are not covered by LOLER, including :
:pallet trucks, where the consequence of the load falling off is very low"

"However, where this equipment is used at work, it will need to be maintained for safety and may (in some cases) be subject to inspection under PUWER"

[sharprc]

If you are referring to standard pallet trucks then they wouldnt fall under LOLER as per http://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-ma ... ipment.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"LOLER is wide in its scope and some equipment might appear to be 'lifting' and therefore thought to be covered by LOLER. However, there are some notable exceptions that are not covered by LOLER, including :
:pallet trucks, where the consequence of the load falling off is very low"

"However, where this equipment is used at work, it will need to be maintained for safety and may (in some cases) be subject to inspection under PUWER"

Smashing! We've got 40 of these bad boys, save us time on the Examinations!

[Alexis]

....and just to keep us all guessing...................

Hello all. I have been trying for some time to find the answer to this question, any help really appreciated.
We have a pallet lifter, it is battery operated hydraulic lift that lifts upto about 2 meter. It is only moveable by manual means( pushing/pulling). I have read some discussions that suggest "pallet truck" is subject to Puwer, however as this is designed to lift and move pallets to and from place to place, does it come under Loler?

A pallet truck that is a hydraulic one does come under LOLER.

This quote is taken from a past post that otto replied to, which also mentions Berni's reply about the small height and short distances.

The HSE think pallet trucks come under LOLER.

L113 para 29 includes examples of machinery, eg the roll hoisting mechanism on a paper making machine, which are now covered by LOLER, as is the paper lifting mechanism on a photocopier. However, the measures that need to be taken under LOLER will depend upon the 'risk'. While LOLER applies to most work equipment used for lifting, in practice the risk assessment may result in there being few (if any) measures necessary to comply with the Regulations. Examples include a pallet truck (which raises the load a small distance) and small storage and retrieval systems with trays on a continuous chain.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/lau/lacs/90-4.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Admitedly they class them as low risk, but the legislation is still applicable.
Having said that, the liklihood of one being involved in a serious accident is low, however someone did break my ankle with one once.... (but that's another story...)
Anyway to get back to the original question, if the truck isn't hydraulic, then LOLER doesn't apply.
Otto

[grim72]

PUWER may still recommend an annual examination. We got asked a lot for checklist systems for the pallet trucks which is why we developed one last year, as with most workplace equipment a risk assessment will help identify how often you should carry out a check. If you are using them all day across uneven surfaces, open to the elements, in hazardous areas etc then you will want to check them more often than a company that uses them once a week to move a pallet in stores.

You might find the blog we posted last year of interest at http://goodtogosafety.blogspot.co.uk/20 ... rucks.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; which may give you some some food for thought?

[sharprc]

Alexis

So a hydraulic manual pallet truck WOULD come under LOLER?

Rob

[bernicarey]

I give in on this one.

The quote from Otto that Alexis provided is out of date, however....

The HSE are being very contrary. The guidance pages used to specifically mention Pallet Trucks as not being LOLER as their main purpose was to move a load not lift it.

Now I've just managed to get access to the latest version of L113 (the HSE website was playing up most of the afternoon) http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l113.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and at para 28 it states:

28
The following examples illustrate the type of equipment which can raise or
lower loads and the broad range of lifting operations, which should be assessed for
the application of LOLER. These are examples and the Regulations may be relevant
to other equipment used for similar activities or where the equipment listed is used
for different lifting operations:
(a) cranes;
(b) lift trucks and telescopic handlers;
(c) hand pallet trucks, specifically those that have the ability to raise the forks;
(d) goods lifts or passenger lifts, for example in an office block, hospital etc which
are provided for those at work;
(e) simple systems such as a rope and pulley used to raise a bucket of cement
on a building site, a construction site hoist, a gin wheel, or a dumb waiter in a
restaurant or hotel;
(f) pull-lifts;
(g) vacuum lifting equipment;
(h) a vehicle inspection hoist;
(i) a scissor lift or a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP);
(j) ropes used for climbing or work positioning during arboriculture, climbing
telecommunication towers and structural examination of a rock face or
external structure of a building;
(k) a paper roll hoist on a printing machine;
(l) an automated storage and retrieval system;
(m) a front-end loader on a tractor used for raising and lowering loads such as a
bale of hay;
(n) an excavator (or other earth-moving machinery) adapted to be used for lifting
using lifting attachments (eg forks, grabs, lifting magnets), but not when used
for normal earth-moving operations;
(o) a hoist or sling used for lifting people from, for example, a bed or a bath;
(p) a loader crane fitted to a lorry, eg used to raise bins for delivery duties;
(q) a refuse vehicle loading arm, eg used to raise bins for tipping;
(r) an air cargo elevating transfer vehicle;
(s) a car transporter or vehicle recovery equipment;
(t) a skip collection vehicle; and
(u) vehicle tail lifts.

My use of BOLD there, but you'll note it doesn't state any of this is LOLER, only that it has to "be assessed for the application of..." The old L113 basically said 'These are examples of LOLER'...

And Yet....

This page http://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-ma ... ipment.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; still states:

Equipment not covered by LOLER

LOLER is wide in its scope and some equipment might appear to be 'lifting' and therefore thought to be covered by LOLER. However, there are some notable exceptions that are not covered by LOLER, including :

pallet trucks, where the consequence of the load falling off is very low
roller shutter doors
escalators
fall arrest ropes
tipper trucks
dentist chairs

However, where this equipment is used at work, it will need to be maintained for safety and may (in some cases) be subject to inspection under PUWER.

So What the ......!!!!!

[Jacko101]

Thanks folks, the issue I have is that I think these come under Loler, and definitely Puwer. I spoke briefly with my boss on Monday and his attitude was "that we don't use them frequently enough justify cost". I personally don't think this is a good enough response. I recently sat and passed SSSTS course, and have a strong interest in health and safety ( in fact I would like to pursue it as a career change). It seems to me that if someone were to have an accident with one of these machines we would all be guilty of neglect of duty for knowingly using equipment not properly maintained.
I will try to post some pictures of said items..

Thanks again for everyone's help and Happy New Year to one and all.

Jacko

[sharprc]

Jacko,

Hit the nail right on the head there!

Ask him how much the cost of an examination is vs the cost of an accident!

Rob