History of LEEA | Celebrating 75 years

Read on for a timeline of major milestones in the Association's history...

1944

The idea to form an association to take on the might of government was conceived and the London Chain Testers Association was founded. The Association made quick progress on negotiations with the government and soon turned their attention to other areas where cooperative action would be mutually beneficial.

1946

As the Association’s geographical boundaries expanded across the UK, there was a name change to the Chain Testers Association of Great Britain.

1953

The Chain Testers’ Handbook was published, which brought together for the first time all the essential information required by the ‘man at the bench’ – the chain tester.

1959

An examination scheme for lifting equipment engineers was introduced.

1981

The Code of Practice for the Safe Use of Lifting Equipment (COPSULE) was launched.

1983

Training courses were introduced to prepare students for exams that are today sat by more than a thousand candidates around the world each year

1988

The Association’s named changed for a third time to the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association. This reflected the far wider range of activities our member companies were involved in.

1998

A new piece of legislation, the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER), had a huge impact and meant LEEA’s training, qualifications and publications had to be fundamentally reworked. LEEA’s support and guidance became even more important to members obliged to comply with the new requirements. In the absence of sector-specific health and safety legislation, many companies operating in other parts of the world began to adopt LOLER as best practice, further enhancing the appeal of LEEA membership.

2006

The LiftEx trade show was launched.

2007

LEEA moved into new headquarters with a purpose built training centre

2009

TEAM Card registration and identity scheme for qualified engineers and technicians was introduced.

2010s

Perhaps the most striking is LEEA’s transformation into a truly international body. Regardless of where they are based, there is now no distinction between members – all are subject to the same technical audits prior to being granted full membership, with regular follow-up visits as long as they wish to remain part of the association. We have dedicated local groups operating in the Middle East and Australia. LEEA staff have become globetrotters as we regularly meet existing and potential members, as well as a host of other stakeholders, right across the world.