11.5.3 Selection of Lifting Appliance

The choice of lifting appliance, e.g. hand chain hoist or power operated hoist, will depend on the frequency of use, nature of the load and working environment. Guidance on the selection of hand chain hoists can be found in section x-svn:///svn/leea/dita/xml/topics/TOP_00000000/TOP_00000048.html of this code; power operated hoists in section x-svn:///svn/leea/dita/xml/topics/TOP_00000000/TOP_00000157.html and trolleys in section x-svn:///svn/leea/dita/xml/topics/TOP_00000000/TOP_00000323.html. The design of the runway will be affected by the lifting appliance chosen.

Careful consideration must be given to the capacity both of the lifting appliance, complete with its connecting device, and of the runway. The marked capacity of the lifting appliance must not exceed that of the runway so as to avoid confusion from differently marked SWLs. In the case of multi-point lifting using two or more appliances, the marked capacity of the runway is the maximum capacity and the total capacity of the appliances must not exceed this. For example, a runway marked 2t SWL may be fitted with 1 x 2t SWL hoist OR 2 x 1t SWL hoists.

Further consideration is necessary in the case of multi-point lifting. Steps must be taken to ensure that no one appliance carries more than its share of the total load and that the load imposed on the runway does not exceed that stated for any single span or given load centre.

In the case of power operated lifting appliances, consideration must also be given to the availability of a suitable power source and the type of power feed system to be employed. Provision must be made for isolating the runway conductor system and lifting appliance from the power source.