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GRANT LAIDLAW
Grant Laidlaw is currently the owner of the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Academy ( ACRA ) in Edenvale . He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and an associate degree in educational administration . He has a National Technical Diploma and completed an apprenticeship with Transnet . He has dualtrades status : refrigeration and electrical . He has been involved with SAIRAC for 17 years and has been a Johannesburg committee member for the past eight ( chairman in 2011 and 2012 ). Currently he is the treasurer ( Johannesburg council ) as well as president ( national council ).
USING HAND-OPERATED CHAIN BLOCKS
By Grant Laidlaw
Always make sure all your equipment is in working order , inspections have been done as required and that the lifting equipment can safely lift the load . Do not forget to inspect the gantry that you are using and that it in turn complies .
Mpho asks : Mr Grant , we have to do some lifting with a chain block . There is some risk . How can we do this properly ?
Hello Mpho , when working with hand operated chain blocks the first step will always be to conduct a risk assessment . Identify and document all possible hazards and then take steps to deal with the hazards , and document the steps taken . Cordon off the work area . Always wear the appropriate Personal Protection Equipment ( PPE ), obviously in this case , safety boots are a must .
LIFTING WITH HAND-OPERATED CHAIN BLOCKS Hand-operated chain blocks come in a variety of types , shapes ,
sizes , lifting capacities , and diverse features / controls . These manually operated lifting devices enable a single person to lift heavy loads by using a series of reduction gears to provide a mechanical advantage , and thereby reduce the amount of effort needed to lift a load .
If improperly used or abused , hand-operated chain blocks can cause major production loss , and serious injury . Safe and sound rigging practices must be used in conjunction with lifting operations .
LIFTING GUIDANCE Operation of a hand-operated chain block involves more than pulling the hand chain . The use of these tools is subject to
Supplied
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A typical chain block .
www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I August 2021 41