Any form of lifting equipment, including cranes, requires regular load testing to ensure it can continue to be operated safely. Whilst cranes can hold extremely large and heavy loads with ease, it’s important that their abilities are retested at various intervals over time both as a safety precaution and to comply with regulations - specifically the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER).
In this blog, we’ll discuss why this is important, along with how load testing is carried out. Keep reading as we delve right in.
The Importance of Proof Load Testing
Proof load testing is used to verify the strength of a piece of load equipment - in this case, a crane. Despite their ability to carry such large loads, over time their abilities may change after such regular use.
As such, it’s important that their load-bearing abilities are retested at regular intervals over time to determine whether they can still hold such weights and for how long, or whether their limits have changed. Doing this is important as it then allows you to change how you use your crane accordingly, so that you don’t overload it or use it past its limits, which could result in either equipment failure or serious accidents.
Testing the WLL
When testing the load of a crane, its working load limit (WLL) will be tested. This refers to the maximum weight that a piece of equipment is designed to handle during normal operation.
A proof load, then, refers to this weight (which is specified by the manufacturer) plus an additional 25%. This ultimately helps determine whether or not all the components of the crane are able to function properly.
How is Load Testing Carried Out?
When load testing a crane, the proof load will be attached to the crane and lifted to approximately 100-200mm, then held in place for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes are up, the load is then lowered and all components of the crane inspected to check for defects.
If there are any issues or weaknesses identified, then all operations of the crane will be suspended whilst further inspections are carried out in order to identify the reasons for any deformations, how they can be rectified and whether or not the crane can be operated in the future.
Load Testing Services
If you require load testing for your crane, then we can assist you here at Crane and Lifting Services Ltd.
We can provide load testing services for a range of lifting equipment and cranes, all of which is carried out according to LOLER requirements. To arrange for your load testing, get in touch with us today.
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