New Legal Framework for Lifting Equipment Audit

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Following the Information Event organized by CCCI and the Department of Labor Inspection last week on the above topic, we would like to draw your attention to the following:

On 1.9.2022, the new legislation “The Safety and Health at Work (Operation, Maintenance, and Audit of Lifting Equipment) Regulations of 2021” was put into force aiming to protect workers from accidents and to provide access to employers and owners to a modernized audit and maintenance system.

The new legislation specifies, inter alia, the obligations of owners and authorized persons who are involved in the maintenance and audit of lifting equipment, the frequency of lifting equipment and lifting gear’s audit, the main points for audit of lifting equipment, and the criteria for approval of any persons as authorized auditors of lifting equipment.

Each owner of Lifting Equipment must:
• ensure that the lifting equipment is audited in the presence of the maintenance person and with a trained operator
• attach “LIFT AUDIT: SUCCESSFUL”
• keep Audit Report
• ensure that repairs are made
• assign maintenance to Lifting Equipment Maintenance Persons
• keep a Special Maintenance Book
• not operate very high-risk lifting equipment that does not have an Audit Report in force.
• maintain a Register of Lifting Gear
• have a manual for the use of the lifting equipment
• make sure there are protection and warning systems for the operator and a proper rapid connection system.

The audits of the Lifting Equipment will now be carried out by private Authorized Auditors from the Department of Labor Inspection.

Lifts are divided into four categories based on their risk:

A. Very High-Risk Lifting Equipment:

  • cranes near the sea
  • cranes in premises with dangerous substances with a lifting capacity of more than 2,000 kg,
  • gantry cranes with a lifting capacity of more than 5,000 kg,
  • tower cranes,
  • mobile cranes,
  • wall-mounted cranes of more than 2,000 kg,
  • lifting equipment for handling containers and/or vessels.

B. High-Risk Lifting Equipment:

  • lifts for lifting persons,
  • lifting equipment for projects,
  • cranes on premises with dangerous substances with a lifting capacity of less than 2,000 kg,
  • gantry cranes of less than 5,000 kg,
  • wall-mounted cranes or mast-mounted cranes of less than 2,000 kg,
  • mobile cranes (parrots) over 5,000 kg.

C. Medium-Risk Lifting Equipment:

  • mobile cranes (parrots) of less than 5,000 kg,
  • lifts (for materials, for people with disabilities, etc.),
  • concrete pumps,
  • forklifts,
  • vehicle lifting platforms,
  • specialized lifts.

D. Low-Risk Lifting Equipment:

  • vehicle towing cranes,
  • manual machines with a lifting capacity of 100 kg,
  • self-propelled elevators and hydraulic mechanisms with scissor platforms with a lifting capacity of more than 200 kg.

You can find the Authorized Lift Equipment Auditors in the Registry maintained by the Department of Labor Inspection at the following webpage:
https://www.mlsi.gov.cy/mlsi/dli/dliup.nsf/All/F3B1ECD10FD081F9C225889C003C850C?OpenDocument