What is a suspended load?

Loads may be suspended by forklifts; wheel loaders, and overhead, boom, and jib cranes. Essentially, anything that is lifted above ground is considered a suspended load. You’ll find such loads on riggings, slings, pallets, and various pieces of mobile equipment. The quality and certification of the associated lifting jigs and attachments are also especially important when engaging in a suspended load scenario. The larger weight and size of the material lifted, the more hazardous the job and its surrounding areas become.

The dangers of working under a suspended load

The most obvious danger is that what goes up usually comes down and not always in the way it was planned. The nature of suspended loads is usually that the the material or piece of equipment is heavy, which means that if an unforeseen or unsafe scenario occurs the consequences can serious or worse, lethal.

If a load falls, it can quickly break and split, becoming a series of injurious and deadly projectiles. Harmful splashes, flooding, shattered bones, and injuries to the eyes, head, and soft tissues can occur. Between 2016-2018 there were 52 notable suspended load incidents on mine sites, 21% of these were classified and serious and most notably 48% of them occurred during mine site maintenance, when speed is often of the essence to get production back up and running on schedule.

Reducing the risk

  • Never walk or work under a suspended load
  • Thoroughly check all rigging parts and components
  • Think safety and only complete jobs which meet the safety criteria
  • Understand line of fire scenarios and plan accordingly
  • Understand the stored energy hazards associated with the work being conducted
  • Always ensure equipment and processes are certified and compliant with Australian Standards

Certification and compliance with Australian Standards

The environment, procedures conducted, and inherent risks means the products and equipment being used must be compliant with Australian Standards®. Compliant products are put to the test before the operator has too, ensuring they will outperform the intended use and provide the safety outcomes required. Compliant products are simply higher quality; designed, engineered and constructed for safe, long lasting, hard wearing and productive application.

Bend-tech certified and compliant lifting equipment

All of our maintenance tooling and lifting equipment is certified and compliant with Australian Standards to ensure it is safe and engineered for purpose. Our high-performance equipment minimises the risk of catastrophe during suspended load maintenance. If you would like to take a look at our range of tooling and lifting equipment follow the links. If there is a product or solution you would like that you don’t see available we can engineer and fabricate this for you and make your maintenance safer! Get in contact with the Bend-tech team today!

Tags: , ,