New safe lifting guidance for Singapore
28 June 2011A National Crane Safety Taskforce working group from Singapore’s Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council has this month released guidance for achieving minimum safety standards during lifting operations in Singapore.
Drawing from analysis of current practice in Singapore’s lifting industry and referring to certain best practice exemplar projects, the ‘Code of Practice for Safe Lifting Operations in the Workplace’ draft document is aimed primarily at lift planners and supervisors.
WSH’s new code of practice outlines the roles and responsibilities for all personnel involved in planning and executing lifts from the contractor to riggers, covering installation, pre-use checks and contingency planning among other areas.
It also gives outline guidance on systematically developing lifting plans as part of risk assessment provision.
Commenting on the code of practice, the WSH said, “It is not meant to be prescriptive or imply that there is only one way of doing things, nor is it intended to replace or take precedence over recommendations, policies and procedures judged as safe as or safer than those given herein.
“This CP hopes that individuals and companies will use the CP as a minimum standard and that they will find ways to exceed and improve upon the practices detailed within.”
The new code of practice for lifting operations will replace the Technical Advisory for Safe Operation of Lifting Equipment released by the WSH in May 2009.
The working group hopes it will provide guidance for lifting operations based on the same common principles regardless of the size of the load being handled.
A draft of the ‘Code of Practice for Safe Lifting Operations in the Workplace’ is now available for download, with the Singaporean Workplace Safety and Health Council welcoming comments until 10th July.
