Franklin Lawson Associates celebrates #GLAD24
Courtney Franklin, MD, Franklin Lawson Associates is a chartered safety and health professional and chartered quality professional who works with organisations within the construction sector as well as civil engineering, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, mechanical, and electrical engineering to name a few.
He specialises in implementing management systems and standards for organisations and organisations looking to implement international standards such as ISO 9001 for quality management, ISO 14000, environmental management and ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety management.
He found out about Global Lifting Awareness Day #GLAD24 through social media and it also coincided around the same time, BSI (British Standards Institution) was delivering a presentation around BS 7121, the code of practise for safe use of cranes, so he quickly saw the relevance between GLAD and these organisations.
“I first became aware of lifting equipment back in the early 1990s, when I was working for SGB Youngman, which was later acquired by Harsco International, and at the time they were manufacturing light access equipment for working at height and acquired a powered access division with many different types of cranes,’ said Franklin.
“And now with the trade associations that I work with, they reference lifting equipment in their newsletters and monthly magazines, but mainly when an incident has occurred within lifting operations. So, looking at the root causes, human factors and any particular lessons learned, which then members could feedback to their clients.
“I do think more emphasis could be placed on the importance of lifting operations to ensure safety and to enhance safety protocols. So, with GLAD there's a genuine opportunity to promote that.
“Lifting accidents often result from human error, such as the improper use of equipment in the first place. It could be due to insufficient training of individuals using that equipment, or other human factors such as violations, whereby there are flagrant breaches of rules that are in place that are disregarded at that time.
“Also, I come across organisations skipping inspections or overlooking thorough examinations, not checking the paperwork correctly. And also ignoring load controls that are in place. They can also lead to quite serious accidents.
“It's critical to promote high quality lifting products, inspection and training around safety. Using certified and well-maintained equipment is going to minimise any risk of failure. Whilst regular inspection regimes are going to help avoid any potential issues that might arise as well as comprehensive training for all operators, using the equipment to ensure that they use it safely and efficiently is paramount.
“Companies can help to raise the profile of GLAD by using social media, and we could look at arranging local event, particularly within industry associations and professional bodies such as IOSH, OSHCR, and IIRSM and raise awareness with members through their monthly meetings.”
To watch the video and for more information visit https://globalliftingawarenessday.com
