4.8.2 Installation Pre-use Inspection/Thorough Examination

The degree of pre-use inspection or thorough examination required will to some degree depend on the installation conditions. Hand operated chain lever hoists are commonly used as a portable tool for temporary installations in order to effect a limited lifting or moving operation, e.g. in maintenance and plant installation applications. They are designed and intended for the user to erect onto a suitable suspension point or trolley for use in such applications. It is therefore the user’s responsibility to ensure the adequacy and suitability of such suspension arrangements. It will usually be sufficient for a suitably qualified and experienced person to inspect the installation without the need for thorough examination prior to use to ensure the correct attachment of the hoist, in many cases this may be the user of the equipment. That is providing that the hoist has a current report of thorough examination and the supporting structure has been verified. Occasionally hand operated chain lever hoists may be used in more complex installations which may call for a higher degree of examination to be made by a Competent Person (See 4.7 LEGAL REQUIREMENTS)

Where the Competent Person deems a proof test is necessary as a part of the thorough examination, the test load applied will be governed by the standard to which the hoist was manufactured and by the requirements for the overall installation, e.g. runway, which form a part of the thorough examination and which may differ from those of the hoist. The proof load for hand operated chain lever hoists will usually be 150% of the working load limit, unless the standard to which the hoist was manufactured states otherwise. (Note some standards only require a dynamic test of 1.1 times the rated capacity) Functional testing at the rated capacity and a light load test to ensure the integrity of the brake may also form a part of the examination. Test loads should be applied by operating the machine through such a distance as to ensure that all load bearing parts are stressed at least once.