Concord Lifting Equipment Ltd is open for business at all depots

We have refrained from sending out marketing type emails to customers about being open for business as some of the first ones we received (not from people in the industry) were in poor taste and felt like companies were trying to use the situation as an opportunity to create interest or plug products or services.

This page has been put together as a courtesy to our customers , below are some key points / changes CLE are carrying out at this time:

Reduced staff at depots:

Until further notice all non essential staff are working from home and we have reduced warehouse operatives to ensure safe social distancing at our depots

Human interaction-less Drop offs & Collections from our depots:

Until further notice to reduce risks even though we are open for business only CLE staff are allowed in our buildings, so when customers are dropping off or collecting we will be loading and unloading when the customer or driver is safely in their vehicle and waving some of the usual requirements of signing paperwork to avoid human interaction

Human interaction-less Deliveries and collections:

Until further notice we will be carrying out interaction-less drop off and collections, our driver will explain in more detail with the site contact prior to arriving, the main thing to remember is our driver will only exit his delivery vehicle to safely unload/load equipment when it is safe to do so (social distancing requirements)

On site Testing and Inspection work – only work that can be safely carried out by 1 CLE employee

Inspection/testing (i.e Report Of Thorough Examination) Repair or installation work: A lot of the work we carry out for our customers require 2 CLE staff members to do the job, until further notice we will only be sending staff to site to carry out work where it can be safely carried out by 1 CLE staff member and have instructed all CLE staff only to work when they can safely adhere to social distancing guidelines – if our staff are not confident when they get to site or at any time feel they cannot carry out the work whilst adhering to social distancing guidelines they have been instructed contact the site manager to see if it can be made safe and failing that to leave site.

Prioritising of work for key industries

We will be prioritising deliveries, inspection, repairs etc. to industries key to helping the fight against the current pandemic –

These are:

healthcare

food production/ delivery/stores

public transport

Police/Millitary

If for what ever reason something that has been scheduled for you is disrupted because we prioritise a job for the above industries above yours, our staff will let you know straight away; and if you providing a service that is the chain to one of these industries please let us know at the point of ordering.

No change on time scale for Reports of Thorough Examination –

We have received guidance from Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) that there will be no grace / extension to Reports of Thorough Examinations in this time. Below in italics is the text from the guidance.

If you would like equipment inspected/given Reports of Thorough Examination we have staff available to do so at your site (as long as safe social distancing can be followed) or at any of our 3 depots. We will continue to send reminders for equipment we have recently sold to customers or equipment we have tested recently. If now or in the near future is not convenient for us to collect the equipment and test at our depots, you drop equipment off or us come and test on your site please let us know when is we and will send you a reminder closer to the time you say.

COVID -19 – Equipment legally subject to Written Schemes, Statutory Inspections or Thorough Examinations

Following the Government’s recent announcement of measures designed to contain the outbreak of COVID-19, HSE is aware of concerns relating to the examination of equipment that is subject to statutory inspection time limits. The Health and Safety Executive enforces several pieces of legislation that contain requirements for time-bound statutory inspections, including the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 and the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998.
Duty-holders have a legal responsibility to maintain work equipment and carry out thorough examinations, written schemes and Statutory Inspections. These legal duties exist to help manage the significant hazard that the failure of such equipment can pose, not complying with these duties can significantly increase the risk of harm to workers and members of the public. Under certain circumstances with the agreement of a suitable competent person, some legislation does allow thorough examinations/statutory inspections to be postponed to a later date. Even if such options are taken, it remains the duty-holders responsibility to ensure that the equipment is safe to use.
If engineering companies are suffering shortages in their own resources, they should consider focusing this resource/expertise on equipment in premises where the most vulnerable are located such as hospitals, care homes and infrastructure which is essential to the running of the country.
Engineers who are working on sites where there are restrictions arising from the risk of COVID-19 infection should comply with site rules and take into account the wider Public Health England advice regarding good hygiene practices and separation distances. Consideration needs to be given to protecting the engineers but also, where relevant, any vulnerable persons who may be affected by their work.
At the current time, HSE is not considering issuing exemptions or relaxation of these requirements, but we recognise this is a fluid situation and this position is constantly under review.