Trestles & Supports; do they need to be tested and rated?

[Gareth0123]

In a commercial welding & fabrication shop do the trestles and supports that the work is done on need to be tested, rated and certified?

In most fabrication shops large pieces of material are often lifted onto the trestles and stands by forklifts and overhead cranes.... which come under the lifting regs, as does the straps chains and shackles and the racking loaded and unloaded by forklifts.

 

[Munkul]

Trestles aren't "lifting equipment" so LOLER regs don't apply

PUWER applies and my loose definition from that is that they have to be fit for purpose. I.e. if they fail and you have an accident, they weren't fit for purpose and you're open to HSE prosecution.

Common sense would say that any overbuilt trestles will be fine if you're making them for yourself.
If you're making them for someone else, they'll have to be CE marked as structural steelwork... in theory, I think?

Is it worth worrying about? You've certainly got me thinking.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

As far as I know they have to have a SWL noted for them.
Inspection periods and of course suitable for the task in hand.

 

[owas]

Ooo interesting question,

Everywhere I've worked just throw them together with watevers lying about, usualy way overbuilt.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I'm sure @Parm will be along to give the benefit of his knowledge soon

 

[Parm]

Trestles are work equipment so come under PUWER

They need to be marked with SWL, and must be maintained. Also need to be inspected by a competent person in accordance with a schedule.

Schedule will come from a risk assessment that determines how frequently they are used, how they are loaded and with what equipment. ie, how easy is it to damage them when loading and unloading etc.

There have been accidents where such kit has collapsed as its been over loaded for size and spec. The clever scientists and engineers calculate loadings and ratings etc to demonstrate how bad they were

 

[Brad93]

Always just been knocked up from scrap.

 

[Parm]

Always just been knocked up from scrap.

Yep that’s what normally happens, but they should really be designed and inspected. This will get explored in detail if there is an accident

 

[dannyp]

what qualifactaion do you need to desing them and or even inspect them.

ive allways just put by sellected offcuts and made them overkill on just a judgment basis, a tresstel made of 70x70x3 box thats diagnally braces every witch way and a bar tieing the legs together isn't going to move for much.

 

[Munkul]

ive allways just put by sellected offcuts and made them overkill on just a judgment basis, a tresstel made of 70x70x3 box thats diagnally braces every witch way and a bar tieing the legs together isn't going to move for much.

This approach, along with good welding and some common sense when using them, means that you should never have an accident It's not a question that's ever came up at work for us, and we have plenty H&S type busybodies poking their noses around and finding fault.
As a coverall, one the eng manager walks around every friday afternoon and does an "inspection" of the fitting shops and fab shops. I think this sort of thing is well enough.

 

[Brad93]

Never made any from 3mm box. Usually it’s a big bit off 200x100x6 box or decent sized 38kg/m + I beams.

 

[owas]

Sometimes you end up with crap like this though

 

[toddy]

Sometimes you end up with crap like this though

that just need to have plastic end plugs to be all ok

 

[Matchless]

I am still using the alloy step ladder that HSE made me put in the skip three times, retired now, still have all my fingers, deaf and fat though, a problem I had when working was changing the 8 foot tubes, could not ask a member of staff to do it up a tall step ladder, would have needed a tower platform or scaffolding, ended up doing it myself when we were closed on a Sunday...……..much safer....not, glad I retired.

 

[outofthefire]

The last place I worked they had a bloke come round a couple of times a year checking all the lifting slings, chains, cranes, jacks and compressors, but he never checked the tressles. Not saying they don't need checking, but ive never known them to be checked and ours were always knocked up from scrap.