scope:

This guidance will act as an overarching document regarding lifting operations and the use lifting equipment within London Underground. This guide applies to all staff, contractors, visitors, users and tenants using lifting equipment and accessories on London Underground sites. It will outline the key responsibilities of those involved in this type of work and offer guidance for the organisation, assessment, planning and the development of safe systems of work for lifting operations. It will not be described in any detail the individual requirements of a particular lifting operation or piece of lifting equipment.

Managers who use or hire in lifting equipment within London Underground must ensure their service specific procedures regarding lifting operations and lifting equipment links to and follows the requirements as outlined in this guidance document.

This document should be used as a reference, to aide managers, those responsible for lifting operations and lifting equipment and employees to consider the safety factors when they assess, plan, supervise and carry out lifting activities.

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to set out London Undergrounds responsibilities and to offer guidance for the control of hazards arising out of lifting operations and the use of lifting equipment. This guide applies to the design, purchase, registration, user inspection, thorough examination, use and maintenance of all lifting equipment and accessories at London Undergrounds sites Lifting equipment and lifting accessories introduced by visitors, facility users, tenants and contractors to London Underground sites are also within the scope of this guide. This guide also addresses the registration, inspection and testing of Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs), lifts and Fork Lift Trucks, however their safe use is addressed by other specific guides.

Its aim is to comply with the requirements of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER)

In particular, Regulation 8 - Organisation of Lifting Operations

(1) Every employer shall ensure that every lifting operation involving lifting equipment is:

(a) Properly planned by a competent person

(b) Appropriately supervised

(c) Carried out in a safe manner

(2) In this regulation "lifting operation" means an operation concerned with the lifting or lowering of a load.

The Safe Use of Lifting Equipment, Approved Code of Practice (ACOP), as well as other relevant current health and safety legislation.

This guidance requires that all lifting equipment owned, hired or used by London Underground must be properly serviced and inspected to meet legislative requirements and to ensure that the lift/s operations it is used for can be performed in a safe and satisfactory manner.

London Underground seeks to continually improve the health safety and welfare of its employees by the safe use of appropriate lifting equipment, reducing the level physical effort employees are required to perform during lifting tasks or while working at height.