LEEA Accreditation Scheme
LEEA withdraws courses covering in-service inspection of lifting equipment from its Accredited Training Scheme
LEEA (Lifting Equipment Engineers Association) has announced the immediate withdrawal of courses covering in-service inspection of lifting equipment from its Accredited Training Scheme. Even though it is recognised that these courses are excellent within the parameters of what they are intended to deliver, the decision has been taken to avoid the risk that they are confused with LEEA’s Diploma, widely recognised as the industry’s leading qualification for engineers undertaking thorough examination of overhead lifting equipment, which is supported by the association’s in-house training and examination programme. In the UK, periodic thorough examination of all lifting equipment by a competent person is a legal requirement defined by LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations), and is distinct from the regular in-service inspections that should be undertaken by users of lifting equipment.
LEEA Accredited Training courses are designed specifically for end users of lifting equipment and are delivered via member companies that have passed a rigorous audit by the association’s team of technical officers. The decision to withdraw courses covering in-service inspection of lifting equipment follows feedback from a number of participants under the erroneous impression that they would lead to the award of a LEEA Diploma. The courses removed from the Accredited Training Scheme are:
- Lifting Equipment (Refresher) 1 day
- Lifting Equipment Inspection 2 days
- Lifting Gear Inspection 3 days
All other courses in the Accredited Training Scheme are unaffected.
“In-service inspection is an important procedure to check that equipment is safe to use, but should not be confused with thorough examination, which is a far more rigorous process requiring a range of specialist skills,” said Geoff Holden, chief executive of LEEA. “The Accredited Training Scheme is proving extremely successful in delivering high quality training for end users of lifting equipment. However, we want to ensure that all participants are clear on the aim of the courses, and to maintain the integrity of the Diploma in providing the underpinning knowledge from which an individual can, with experience, become competent to undertake thorough examinations.”
A full list of Accredited Training Scheme courses and providers can be found at: http://leeaint.com/uk/Accredited-User-Training
Details of training courses leading to LEEA’s Diploma qualification can be found at: http://leeaint.com/uk/LEEA-Academy
