A complete guide to lifting equipment
A comprehensive guide to lifting equipment including types, uses, regulatory requirements and safety considerations.
Hearing about people being injured in workplace accidents in the news is sadly common. Falls, being caught in machinery or hit by objects are risks that workers face daily. These risks often materialise, with more than 20,000 work accidents reported every year in Norway over the past decade (Statistics Norway 2022). Some of these accidents result in devastating outcomes including serious injuries and fatalities. In 2023, 36 people in Norway and 138 in the UK sadly lost their lives in workplace accidents (Statistics Norway and HSE).
So how can accidents be prevented to ensure people come home safely from work? The first step is to identify who is responsible for accident prevention in the workplace so that these actors can work proactively to understand and mitigate risks.
Why an accident has happened is a key question investigators from the police or government bodies will explore if they attend in the aftermath of an incident. They will also consider questions like:
The aim of these investigations is to get closure for those affected and to prevent similar incidents in the future. In many cases the immediate causes are obvious, but there are often a series of errors that can lead to accidents.
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Why an accident has happened is a key question investigators will explore if they attend a workplace in the aftermath of an incident.
In Norway, the most common causes of accidents, when known, are falls and being struck by objects. Such accidents often occur in the construction, manufacture, transport, agriculture and utilities industries. Similar trends can be see in the UK where accidents are most common in the construction, agriculture and manufacturing industries. These are industries that involve high risk tasks and the use of potentially dangerous equipment.
In situations where accidents occur, it is commonly a result of human error. While supposedly ‘freak’ accidents can occur, they are often underpinned by a background of mistakes such as:
There are many actors that play a role in workplace safety and share responsibility should accidents occur. To establish a working environment that has a strong safety culture means ensuring safety is a priority for everyone. It is ultimately the responsibility of the employer to make sure this happens, with accountability going all the way to the top of organisations.
Safety should be a priority for everyone in the workplace.
Anyone working on a job site or involved in planning of workplace activities plays a role in safety. Everyone is responsible for adhering to procedures and trainings set out by their employer. Workers must follow procedures that protect themselves and those around them.
Managers are responsible for ensuring that these procedures are adhered to. They must also give feedback, provide reports and suggest changes to safety procedures for continuous improvements. This is particularly the case if a near miss has occurred.
If compliance is lacking, senior leaders can be held accountable under both criminal and civil law.
While senior leaders might not be involved in everyday work onsite, they can be held personally liable should harm come to their staff. This is because senior leaders have a duty of responsibility to ensure laws and regulations are adhered that ensure a safe working environment.
If compliance is found to be lacking, senior leaders can be held accountable under both criminal and civil law. A recent example occurred under Norwegian law in 2024 when the CEO of a construction company was convicted for violating the workplace environment act after the death of an employee. These cases highlight the importance of prioritising workplace safety at the top of the agenda.
Businesses can be held liable should accidents occur because of poor procedures.
As well as individuals, businesses themselves can be held liable should accidents occur because of poor procedures.
This has been seen in Norway across a range of industries in recent years. A recent example occurred in 2024 when a business in the fish farming industry was found legally responsible and made to pay a fine of 4 million NOK for an explosion that cost the life of an employee.
The aim of these legal repercussions is to ensure accountability for accidents while setting a precedent that encourages businesses to prioritise worker safety. Should they not, the consequences for both people and businesses can be severe.
Governments, public bodies and professional groups develop rules and guidelines to help prevent accidents and encourage safer work practices. These vary across countries and industries.
In Norway there are a range of workplace laws, regulations and standards that guide businesses on their safety responsibilities.
At the top there are overarching laws such as the Working Environment Act which sets out the obligation that employers have for employee safety and wellbeing in the workplace.
Beneath this are regulations set by public bodies which are legally binding. They often refer to safety requirements for specific industry practices. Examples of these public bodies include arbeidstilsynet which is responsible for overall workplace safety, sokkeldirektoratet which is responsible for overseeing the oil and gas industry and sjøfartsdirektorat which is responsible for maritime safety. Each set and update relevant regulations.
Finally, there are standards which help guide organisations to improve operations and quality. Examples of standards include ISO, EN, ASTM, MM, NS-ES and NORSOK. These standards aren’t legally binding but can offer an extra level of security and peace of mind for businesses that adhere to them.
As in Norway, the UK has overarching laws such as the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) that outline key safety requirements that all employers must adhere to.
In addition, there are industry and activity specific regulations that provide a further level of detail. These include regulations such as the Lifting Operation and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) and the Provisions and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) that are designed to help employers manage and control specific risks within the use of work equipment. Similar regulations exist across industries.
As in Norway, there are also standards that businesses can voluntarily adhere to such as ISO standards that help to further strengthen safety culture within businesses.
To prevent accidents in the workplace, safety must be forefront in employers’ minds. That means that managers must consistently ask themselves if the safety procedures they have in place are good enough. Making sure everything is updated and available is essential.
That includes:
With regular audits of these procedures, along with feedback from employees, it is possible to constantly improve workplace safety and avoid accidents. It is this proactive approach that makes the difference on an everyday basis.
When it comes to compliance, businesses must also keep themselves updated on the latest rules, regulations and advice that relates to their operations. This can feel like a mammoth task, particularly when operating across industries with a range of equipment. To manage this, it can be helpful to sign up to industry events or news to hear the latest updates.
Many businesses still use physical documents and checklists.
A significant part of compliance is documentation. This is often documentation of equipment or records of actions that demonstrate use of best practice. Many businesses still approach documentation as a manual task that is completed with pen and paper. This can make important information difficult to find and update which increases the risk of noncompliance and accidents.
An example of this could be a worker driving a forklift that is faulty because the fault hasn’t been documented correctly. Exploring digital solutions for document management, equipment management and compliance can help businesses take back control over workplace safety and prevent accidents.
Onix Tags let you tag and track equipment, making all documents available for workers.
Onix provides a software solution for equipment management. Effective equipment management is a critical part of workplace safety, accident prevention and compliance.
With Onix, all equipment information is managed, tracked and shared in one digital system. Workers always have the information and peace of mind to complete their tasks safely, while managers have complete equipment overview. All pre-use checks, observations, maintenance and inspection can take place and be updated in one place. No lost documentation, no question marks over compliance.
You can tag equipment with QR, NFC or RFIDs for instant identification and access to information. Inspectors can upload certificates to your Onix Work, and equipment managers can set schedules for inspection. Onix software can even be used to prevent the checkout of non-approved equipment from the tool crib, or track who used it last.
These tools give employers an extra level of security that they are meeting safety and compliance requirements, while workers can feel that protections are in place that help them come home safely from work.
Some of the world's most safest conscious companies trust Onix to do just that. One of the largest global energy companies, Equinor, has rolled out Onix as a common IT solution for equipment management and has experienced 0 unwanted incidents since.
