Load restraint isn't a particularly complicated science: all you have to do is make sure that your goods don't fall off the vehicle that's transporting them from A to B. Not exactly brain surgery, is it?

And yet we still see far too many instances of half-hearted load restraint, which all too often results in a scene like this:

Improper load restraint can be very costly if your goods get damaged, but more importantly, an accident like the one pictured above can be life-threatening. What if your unsecured load crashes into another vehicle, or hits a passing pedestrian?

The need for adequate load restraint is very pressing indeed, though if you're reading this, you've probably recognised that already. Here, then, are a few tips that will help you to keep everything secure and protect the people around you:

• Use the right ratchet straps. We sell a variety of ratchet straps here at SLG, and each one has a different lashing capacity and minimum breaking strength. The lashing capacity is the maximum tension that the strap in question is capable of sustaining; the minimum breaking strength is the maximum force that the strap will withstand when properly secured. Check this information when purchasing ratchet lashings, and ensure that the products you use are suitable for the task at hand.
  
  
• Ensure that lashings are properly secured. Ratchet lashings are available with a variety of different fittings (including claw hooks, delta links, and rave hooks); obviously, you'll need to select the right fitting for your requirements, but on an even more basic level, you MUST ensure that all straps are properly attached and secured before setting off. Even the very best load restraint products are useless if not properly used!
  
  
• Consider additional/alternative load restraint measures. Ratchet lashings are the preferred method of load restraint, but you may benefit from using other products such as bungee cords, loadbinders, and cargo bars to make absolutely sure that nothing is going anywhere.

In a nutshell, our advice is this: assess your loads properly, choose an appropriate load restraint method (or methods) for the job, and ensure that everything has been properly secured before beginning your journey.

SafetyLiftinGear's full collection of load restraint equipment can be found here - feel free to email sales@safetyliftingear.com if you have any further questions.

Whatever you're hoisting, we can help!

We at SafetyLiftinGear consider ourselves to be the lifting experts, and as such, we always endeavour to provide a suitable solution for every heavy lifting job imaginable.

To this end, we offer a wide variety of high-quality hoisting equipment that's perfectly suited to all sorts of circumstances. For example...

• If you're on a tight budget, our budget wire rope hoists will get the job done for less.
  
  
• Our electric hoists are all available in both a 240 volt and a 110-volt option to suit all environments.
  
  
• Need something a little more heavy-duty? Our three-phase electric hoists are capable of lifting 1 tonne or more!
  
  
• Those who work in live performance venues such as theatres and concert areas may appreciate our stage rigging hoists. They have all the same properties as our other high-quality hoisting products, but their all-black design will ensure that they blend into the background during the show.
  
  
• Finally, we recently added several Elephant Hoists to our range of hoisting equipment. These heavy-duty hoists are made in Japan, and they have an outstanding reputation for quality and reliability.

If you need something more specific, please get in touch - our team of specialist often provide made-to-order solutions for clients with special requirements. So no matter your needs, we are able to offer the hoisting equipment that you need.

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Every year we celebrate UK Health and Safety Week, an annual observance that aims to celebrate and promote the importance of health and safety, while highlighting improvements that could still be made. The main even of UK Health and Safety Week is the Safety & Health Expo.

Of course, health and safety regulations are essential to the safety of practically everyone in the country, and yet the H&S industry tends to get rather a bad rap from the British press. For example, how often do you see headlines like these?

Yet, in spite of all the lives it saves, it seems that health and safety will forever be blamed for all sorts of silly little things. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) even has a wide range of blogs dedicated to refuting such silly safety myths as "shop assistants can't use scissors" and "balloons are unsuitable for children's parties". 

Here at SafetyLiftinGear we're passionate about safety and would like to take a moment to remind everyone that health and safety isn't here to ruin your fun - it's here to save your life. Real health and safety (as opposed to the phoney kind that's almost always at the heart of silly stories like those mentioned above) is about wearing safety harnesses to prevent deadly falls and following the correct procedure when lifting dangerously heavy objects.

So next time you think of speaking ill of health and safety, just think about where we'd all be without it!

A 'confined space' is defined by the law as "any place, including any chamber, tank, vat, silo, pit, trench, pipe, sewer, flue, well or other similar space in which, by virtue of its enclosed nature, there arises a reasonably foreseeable specified risk". Those who work in confined spaces face a number of potential risks, including:

• Lack of oxygen
• Exposure to poisonous gases
• Fires and explosions
• Getting trapped
• High temperatures
• Drowning

These hazards make it necessary to use certain pieces of confined space safety equipment when entering, leaving, and working in enclosed areas. Here are some of the items that SafetyLiftinGear offer to keep you safe in confined spaces:

Emergency Escape Breathing Apparatus

Allows 15 minutes of normal breathing in areas with poisonous gases and/or a lack of oxygen.

Gas Detector

Measures levels of oxygen gas, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulfide. Also measures LEL (Lower Explosion Limit).

Confined Space Safety Harness

Prevents falls when descending and leaving confined spaces.

Confined Space Entry Tripods

These adjustable tripods allow easy entry and rescue when working in confined spaces.

If you need more information about our confined space equipment, give SafetyLiftinGear a call on 0808 123 69 69. Alternatively, click here to see our full product range.

The key piece of legislation for people who work at potentially dangerous heights in Great Britain is The Work at Height Regulations 2005. As stated on the HSE website, this legislation was put in place "to prevent death and injury caused by a fall from height". The regulations state that work at height must be:

• Properly planned
• Appropriately supervised
• Carried out in a safe manner by competent personnel only

Interestingly, the 2005 regulations do not specify any particular equipment that must be used when working at height - they simply state the need for "sufficent work equipment" and remind employers that, when selecting appropriate height safety equipment for any given task, they must take account of working conditions, fall distance, the duration of the job, and several other factors.

In a nutshell: the law doesn't state that you HAVE to use a safety harness or a fall arrest block, but you are required to have some kind of fall prevention system in place, and the aforementioned items are among the most commonly-used solutions. In the end, it is up to you to decide what kind of equipment is most appropriate for the task at hand.

What will happen if I don't use any height safety equipment?

If one of your employees suffers an accident whilst working at height, you may investigated by the Health and Safety Executive. If they decide that you neglected to provide the right safety equipment or otherwise failed to fulfil your duties as an employer (as prescribed by the 2005 regulations and several other pieces of legislation), you will likely be prosecuted, which can lead to hefty fines and even jail time.

So don't leave anything to chance! Plan your work properly, carry out a full risk assessment before starting, and always use the appropriate height safety equipment to minimise the risk of a fall.

Further Reading: Height Safety Checklist

We get a lot of enquiries from people looking to rent - rather than buy - our products, usually because they've got a one-off job that requires a special piece of equipment that they're unlikely to use again afterwards. Over time, equipment hire has become just as big a part of the SafetyLiftinGear service as the items we sell outright, and almost all of our products are now available to rent as well as to purchase.

If you are interested in hiring our lifting gear, our height safety equipment, or anything else you've seen on our website, give us a call on 0808 123 69 69 or email sales@safetyliftingear.com to discuss your requirements with a member of the SLG sales team. Alternatively, you're welcome to visit any of our five depots throughout the UK - click here to find your nearest.

Praise for SafetyLiftinGear's Equipment Hire Service:

If you work on scaffolding, a scaffold hoist can be extremely helpful and when it comes to lifting your tools and other materials. Using a hoist to raise and lower the items in question can save a lot of time and energy, and SafetyLiftinGear's remote controlled scaffold hoist is particularly effective in this respect.

This 110 volt hoist has a reach of 25 metres and a maximum capacity of 200kg, making it ideal for moving toolboxes, mortar, and other common items. Since it's remote-controlled, you can activate the hoist from anywhere within a 100 metre range, saving you the hassle of going back and forth every time you need to hoist something.

Here are some more useful facts and figures:

• Front-loading drum
• Lift speed: 23 metres per minute
• Frequency range: 418MHz, 433MHz, 868MHz
• Rope diameter: 5mm
• Capacitors: 220-240 microF
• 12 month warranty as standard

The remote-controlled hoist comes with a lifting arm and two scaffold brackets for easy attachment. The radio control is extremely sturdy, and it has an emergency stop button that allows you to quickly halt the hoist's movement if necessary.

This deluxe scaffold hoist is perfect for a wide array of purposes in world of construction. It is currently available at the discounted price of £1,169.82* (including VAT) - click here to order yours!

*Price correct at time of writing.