There are many terms, abbreviations, and phrases that are used within the lifting gear and lifting equipment industry. Some are vital to know for safety reasons, others are words that you may find listed throughout our website, and some are just handy to know! Below is a glossary of some of the terms that you will commonly find within the lifting gear and lifting equipment industry.
Abnormal Operating Conditions – these are conditions which are unfavourable to your lifting gear and lifting equipment, and may cause damage to them. These conditions include things like extremely hot or cold temperatures or environments with corrosive elements.
Boom – the boom is the arm that is attached to a crane to extend the reach that the crane has horizontally.
Cable – this is another term for wire ropes or wire strands.
Wire rope can also be referred to as a cable
CBS – this means ‘calculated breaking strength’ and refers to the point at which your piece of lifting equipment will break.
Core – the core is the central part of a wire rope, around which the wire rope strands are twisted. A core can be made of several materials, including fibre rope.
Crane – lifting equipment designed for the lifting and lowering of loads. There are many types of cranes available, such as floor cranes, tower cranes, and jib cranes.
Drum – a cylindrical object commonly found in warehouses. We stock drum handling equipment to safely move drums around a worksite.
Fall Factor – this is the possible fall distance that can occur from the top of a piece of lifting equipment to the ground below. This is an important factor that must be considered; please refer to our height safety guide for advice on this.
Gantry Crane – Gantry cranes are quite similar to overhead cranes, with the difference being the bridge which holds the trolley which will conduct the lifting and lowering tasks are completed through the two metal legs on either side, sometimes referred to as ‘a frames’ .
Hydraulic – in the lifting gear and lifting equipment industry specifically, the term hydraulic refers to a lift that is operated through fluid pressure.
Kgs – this refers to Kilograms, a standard unit of measurement used within the lifting gear and lifting equipment industry.
Lifting gear accessories – lifting gear accessories, such as air hoists, chain slings, and eyebolts, are secondary parts that are combined with lifting equipment such as jib cranes to conduct the actual lifting and lowering tasks.
Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) – the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 form guidelines that you should adhere to when undertaking any lifting operations. They involve rules for planning, management, supervision and operation. They are supported by the Safe use of lifting equipment: Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) guidelines.
Safe Working Load (SWL)– the safe working load is the maximum weight of a load that a piece of lifting gear or lifting equipment can safely lift, lower, and suspend. This is usually the same as the working load limit (WLL), but the safe working load can sometimes be less.
Slew / slewing – this is the horizontal movement of a crane’s boom or jib arm. For example, many of our jib cranes have a slewing rotation of 270 degrees.
Working Load Limit (WLL) – the working load limit is the absolute maximum load limit that a piece of lifting equipment or lifting gear can handle, and you should never exceed this limit.
Above are just some of the terms that you may come across within the lifting gear and lifting equipment industry. Should you have any questions on any other terms, or another lifting gear related matter, get in contact with us.
