Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

17.21.4 Strength and stability – Regulation 4
Lifting equipment shall be of adequate strength and 
stability for each load, having regard in particular to the 
stress induced at its mounting or fi xing point.
Every part of a load and anything attached to it and 
used in lifting it shall be of adequate strength.
Account must be taken of the combination of forces 
to which the lifting equipment will be subjected, as well 
as the weight of any lifting accessories. The equipment 
should include an appropriate factor of safety against 
failure.
Stability needs to take into account the nature, load-
bearing strength, stability, adjacent excavations and 
17.21 
Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 as amended in 2002

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Summary of the main legal requirements
363
slope of the surface. For mobile equipment, keeping rails 
free of obstruction and tyres correctly infl ated must be 
considered.
17.21.5
Lifting equipment for lifting persons – 
Regulation 5
To ensure safety of people being lifted, there are add-
itional requirements for such equipment. The use of 
equipment not specifi cally designed for raising and 
lowering people should only be used in exceptional 
circumstances.
The regulation applies to all lifting equipment used 
for raising and lowering people and requires that lifting 
equipment for lifting persons shall:
➤
prevent a person using it from being crushed, trapped 
or struck, or falling from the carrier
➤
prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, persons 
using it while carrying out work, from the carrier 
being crushed, trapped or struck or falling from the 
carrier
➤
have suitable devices to prevent the risk of the car-
rier falling. If a device cannot be fi tted, the carrier 
must have:
➤
an enhanced safety coeffi cient suspension rope 
or chain
➤
the rope or chain inspected every working day 
by a competent person
➤
be such that a person trapped in any carrier is not 
thereby exposed to any danger and can be freed.