"Never use MEWP as a crane"

[adam2]

MEWP has has a SWL of 250 KG (three men plus hand tools)

I need to lift into place a ceiling mounted air conditioning unit that weights about 110KG. The ceiling is about 3M high and easily reached with a modest sized pair of steps.

The proposed way of doing this is to use a MEWP as a crane or hoist to lift the equipment into place and hold it there whilst two men do up the fixings (M10 nuts and locknuts onto existing studding)

 

The A/C unit would be placed on a large wooden box placed on the platform, so as to be just clear of the handrails.

The AC unit is easily lifted onto the MEWP by hand, but cant be safely/readily lifted to ceiling level and held manualy whilst doing up fixings.

 

The work has been done like this for years without incident or accident, and seems safe enough with proper care. BUT I dont like ignoring the instructions on the MEWP that clearly say "never use as a crane or hoist"

 

What do others think ?

[Brian]

(2 men @ 90kg) + (wooden box @ 20kg) + (AC unit @ 110kg) = 310kg

[alistermorton]

(2 men @ 90kg) + (wooden box @ 20kg) + (AC unit @ 110kg) = 310kg

 

The OP says "The ceiling is about 3M high and easily reached with a modest sized pair of steps." so presumably only the a/c would be on the MEWP. With the men out of the equation the weight is in limit. That doesn't make it safe, but it does remove that particular objection.

The question is, does lifting the weight on the platform count as a crane or hoist, as opposed to a lift or jack.Without being trained on the use of these platforms, I'd have thought the objection to using it as a crane or hoist is that it alludes to the load being outside the footprint of the platform and hence is liable to cause it to tip.

[adam2]

(2 men @ 90kg) + (wooden box @ 20kg) + (AC unit @ 110kg) = 310kg

 

Ah sorry, my explanation was not clear.

The proposal is to lift the AC unit supported on a wooden box, on the MEWP, once it is correctly placed then one man each end will ascend a small pair of steps placed on the floor and do up the fixings.

No person will be on the MEWP (it can be operated from floor level)

[indyld]

Without being trained on the use of these platforms, I'd have thought the objection to using it as a crane or hoist is that it alludes to the load being outside the footprint of the platform and hence is liable to cause it to tip.

 

Footprint is irrelevant here. According to the training and ACOPs, the lifting of anything other than personnel and 'tools' is outside the remit of a MEWP. Also, using a MEWP as a means of ingress/egress between two levels like a passenger lift and also for the purpose of mass transportation of materials between levels.

 

This is, of course, a bit at odds with all those riggery things that happen such as hoiking up motor chains strapped off to the basket, using a picker with a mule gripping the stinger to take the weight of a hanging hoist to move a point slightly etc. And also, using a picker to get a lift to the truss......

 

The kind of operation that the OP mentions is what Superlifts are usually for. While it might seem daft when you have a perfectly useful hydraulic device that is within capacity, it is nevertheless outside of the brief. Therefore, you make your choice alone....

 

E2A: A case in point from a good while ago was a colleague and myself taking a trip to a truss in Olympia in a picker, and transporting a busted GoldenScan back down with it strapped across the basket. In that instance, it could be argued that it was being used as a hoist. Perhaps in this more modern age, others on the deck would rope the GS off the truss using LOLER compliant gear and we would just facilitate that by undoing stuff. Of course, the GS had to go back up again too.

[alistermorton]

I did qualify my comments that I hadn't been trained in their use. I'm more trying to demonstrate how the untrained thought process goes, IYSWIM.

 

I take the point that using a piece of equipment for a purpose which is outside its brief but nonetheless appears perfectly safe is a "private matter".

[Simon Lewis]

I take the point that using a piece of equipment for a purpose which is outside its brief but nonetheless appears perfectly safe is a "private matter".

 

Until anything goes wrong, or you get spotted doing it!

[alistermorton]

Until anything goes wrong, or you get spotted doing it!

 

Quite. Hence the inverted commas.

 

 

 

[kerry davies]

It is not so much if you get "caught" Simon. If MI's say do not use as a hoist or crane anyone doing a paper chase has written evidence of a breach of HASAWA in the Risk Assessment.

 

There is no way that if the RA exists it can be described as "adequate", the MEWP manufacturer tells you it is not and you are guilty, end of.

[paulears]

Is a 'work platform' a designation designed to put the device outside of LOLER, whereas a device meant to lift plant, like a Genie lift, is a piece of lifting equipment? Why not hire in the right bit of kit? HVAC installers usually lift the ceiling cassettes on a proper lift, that's often less expensive than a powered work platform.

 

Surely it's just the right tool for the job? Look at the fuss with Tallescopes where the manufacturer's idea of correct use disagreed with the typical user's. People do wrong things all the time, but these should never be promoted or recommended - that's just not how it should be.

[adam2]

The work has now been done without problem, and whilst I feel that it was done safely, I still feel a little uneasy about ignoring the instructions.

[bigclive]

A lot of it is down to common sense. If you don't do anything really stupid then it should be OK.

 

Sadly modern blanket regulations are aimed at the lowest common denominator. The self righteous labourer who wants to prove himself. Even worse, the regulations tend to get enforced by people with no actual trade themselves, and certainly no real understanding of the work being done. That's why I don't work in construction any more. It's just too frustrating when you are targetted by "safety officers" with small person syndrome.

[Bryson]

It's an interesting one. I mean, using the MEWP to do the job that a superlift should do is a bad idea, but there are greyer areas. Who here would de-rig a source 4 and then rope it down when you could just put in the basket of your scissor lift? I'd assess that the rope is less safe than putting it in the lift, but technically it's the wrong thing to do. Where does one draw the line between a "tool" and a "material" in this business?

[Roderick]

I would argue that for a lighting person a Source 4 is a tool.... B-)

 

But as with all things health and safety it comes down to a thorough assessment before doing a job.

Sometimes 'bending' the rules may be the safest way to do the job. It is about considering your options and selecting the least dangerous.

For me, I don't have a problem with anything that fits within the bucket or platform and is within the weight limitations.

[BlueShift]

I have to agree with bigclive.

 

I did a job recently, where at the end of the event, a few small speakers needed to come down off a truss. Riggers were having issues getting the grid in, so while they were working on other things, I got in a scissor, went up to the truss, grabbed the 4 * 15kg speakers, popped them in the basket, and brought them down to my colleague.

Technically, this is outside the scope of the MEWP, but as a competent person who has been trained in many aspects of MEWP operation and entertainment rigging, and has supplemented that training with significant on-the-job experience, I know that what I did was completely safe.

 

Mostly, the notice about not using a MEWP as a crane is often about a few key issues:

 

1) MEWPs should not really be operated from the ground. Those controls are there to assist someone in the basket, or aid in parking the unit. This is simply because from a ground perspective you can't often see the hazards up top. Whats stopping some muppet loading his scissor up with 250kg of kit, hoisting it from the ground, and then hitting something on the way up and knocking some stuff out?

 

2) The don't use as a crane thing is also about loads outside of the basket. When a typical picker is at full height, it can take as little as 1kN of sideways force applied to the basket to unbalance it, and potentially cause it to tip. If you start picking up things with it, it would be quite easy to start applying forces like that to the basket, which it wasn't designed for.

 

3) Its about legal liability cover for the manufacturer!

 

Competency is the key at the end of the day. And competency isn't just about the right certificate, its about demonstrating a track record of training and relevant experience.