A busy week at ADIPEC 2024
LEEA enjoyed a busy ADIPEC 2024 in Abu Dhabi, held in November. Joining LEEA Regional Manager for the Middle East Amro Hassan on the Association’s stand was Director of Membership Matt Barber and CEO Ross Moloney. Together they discussed with event attendees LEEA’s industry leading training, expert guidance on compliance, safety and best practices in addition to how the Association is championing its members to shape the future of lifting.
“We are delighted to be exhibiting at ADIPEC because it’s the world’s biggest energy event, said Ross Moloney at the event. “Just being here and seeing the scale of it is impressive. In one week we get to meet with everybody we want to meet with.”
Moloney spoke with Energy Connects, the event organiser’s news service, about how LEEA’s global footprint is supporting members in the Middle East.
He explained that LEEA is the global trade association for everybody who uses lifting equipment. While it has its headquarters in the UK, the Association is a truly global organisation with more members outside of the country and staff based across the globe – including Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Sydney.
It is important for LEEA to attend ADPEC because lifting happens wherever there is energy or oil and gas. Moloney said: “Safety is a key priority when it comes to lifting operations in the energy and construction sectors, especially in the Middle East. The crucial thing to think about is that LEEA and its members fight gravity. Everything we do is about overcoming the physics of gravity whenever we go higher or further or work in more inclement weather conditions. What we do really matters.”
He explained the three core parts to LEEA. “All members go through a stringent audit, so when engaging with a LEEA member, you know that you can trust them. Secondly, LEEA supports members with training, and as every industry changes so do the requirements for training. Thirdly, LEEA supports members with technical standards-based advice and guidance, and as new standards are developed, they are disseminated.”
The audit being specifically about lifting gives reassurance when interacting with a LEEA member. Moloney explained: “It’s technically compliant to assess whether the member knows what they are talking about when it comes to lifting and fighting gravity. We are the only trade association in the world that does that. Some of the biggest companies exhibiting at ADIPEC 2024 are LEEA members because they value the technical competence that we bring and they know that it is a simple way to show their customers that they care about their lifting operations.”
LEEA’s membership role in the Middle East continues to evolve. Of the Association’s 1200 members across the world, some 400 are in the Middle East. To share information, LEEA must first receive input, which means taking the time to consult with members in the region. “We want to find out what is worrying them and then figure out the best solutions,” said Moloney. “By researching, speaking to other members as well as consultants and experts, we can give truly global feedback that helps all of our members to be safer.”
Speaking about key themes developing in lifting, Moloney said: “There is a broader recognition that lifting is actually a ‘thing’. When we speak to some of the big firms that are here at ADIPEC and talk about their lifting, it’s often in the background. Lifting is one of those things that people only think about when something fails. What we are trying to do is make sure that people recognise lifting before something fails. If you recognise that something exists, then you can put measures in place that will mean failure is not going to happen. Failure in lifting is catastrophic – it’s something we all want to avoid.”
Asked about how LEEA’s role is evolving in the Middle East and about new initiatives and opportunities, Moloney said: “The really big thing we are looking at is how we can make our audit even harder – more technically challenging. We are also getting more training and looking at how to increase our training capacity in the Middle East. In terms of technical work, we have just brought in a new Director of Compliance who will make sure members in the Middle East get standards advice pertaining to their local area, rather than just global information. So there are really focussed solutions for LEEA members in the Middle East.”
Watch the interview HERE.
