Live from LiftEx 2023 Denis Hogan
In a special edition of LEEA’s YouTube channel, ‘Be my Guest…’ series, Jenny Eagle speaks to members, live from the show floor, at #LiftEx2023 in Liverpool. Here she chats to industry veteran Denis Hogan, now retired, to get his thoughts on the industry.
Denis Hogan, retired from the lifting industry three years’ ago during the Covid outbreak in October 2020. He Joined LEEA in April 2011 and was well known as LEEA’s Performance Special Projects Manager and prior to that, he worked for Bridon International, Certex and the steel industry in Sheffield.
“I started work in 1972 in the steel industry and I have 48 years in total in the industry. There are so many things that have happened since I began my career. The first important thing that happened was that legislation was brought in to govern health and safety, namely the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which didn’t exist in 1972,” said Hogan.
“The steel industry in those days was considered to be a dangerous place to work in. Lifting equipment wasn’t controlled, people’s health and safety was not the first thing management thought about, but the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act made a big impact on that to change people’s attitudes.”
Hogan said the biggest challenge today is making sure that the people who leave the industry pass on their knowledge to others.
“You have got to have some sort of succession planning. There is not enough interest and emphasis placed upon young people coming into the industry who need to be trained and need to get information so that ultimately, they can pass it on to others later on in life,” he said.
LiftEx2023 in Liverpool was the first time Hogan had been back to the show, since he retired three years’ ago.
“Unfortunately, I retired during Covid, which put paid to me saying goodbye to people properly. This is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to come back and see some old friends, and colleagues and meet some new people coming into the industry and pass on some of my knowledge to them,” he said.
“I don’t miss the work, but I really miss the people and that’s what work is all about, interacting with others, sharing ideas, learning, passing on information and even after 48 years in the industry I can still learn something new every day. I can tell you what it used to be like, I can’t tell you what the future is going to be, but I don’t think it is going to be very good unless people put more emphasis on training new people coming into the industry and putting a program in place for apprenticeships and graduates.”
Since retiring, Hogan spends time with his wife, travelling when he can and taking care of his two grandchildren. He said being away for three years means things do change.
“When I left the industry, I like to think I had a good grasp of what was happening from a legislation point of view and all the standards, but being away for three years means I am not up-to-date with any of that so I don’t believe I am in touch with that side of it, however from a practical point of view I can still tell you how to sew a webbing sling, how to make a wire rope sling with either hand splicing or with a mechanical splice, so I still have something to offer the industry,” he recalls.
“Health and Safety still needs to be a priority. It always has been and it always will be. You want to go out to work in the morning and need to know you will arrive safely back home in the evening and that applies to your colleagues as well. The Health & Safety at Work Act plays greater emphasis on making sure you are protecting yourself and others. That’s the important thing – others – you look after your workmates and they will look after you.”
To watch the video on LEEA YouTube click HERE.
More news on Denis’s retirement HERE.
Click HERE to find out more information about LiftEx2023.
