Two-Person Lift of a 140 kg Pump Up a Ramp
Two maintenance workers must move a 140 kg pump from a workshop bench onto a low trolley and then up a 1:10 ramp to a plant room 20 metres away. The pump has no lifting points and its centre of gravity is offset. One worker is 58 and has a history of hypertension; the other is 22 and started last week. They plan to lift it 'one at each end' and carry it up the ramp. There is a pallet truck in the workshop but its forks are too wide for the pump base. The workshop floor is smooth; the ramp has a 2 cm lip at the bottom. No one has discussed who will call the lift. The pump is worth €8,000 and cannot be dropped. It is 15:50 on a Friday and the plant room is needed by Monday.
1. Critically evaluate the planned two-person lift. What factors make it unsafe, and what would you do before any lift begins?
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The plan is unsafe. A 140 kg pump with an offset centre of gravity is far too heavy for a two-person lift; even if the weight were shared equally, 70 kg per person is above a reasonable manual handling limit for most people, and the offset means the share will not be equal. The ramp adds a slope, a lip and a risk of the load shifting; the pump cannot be dropped, so the consequences of a slip are severe. One worker is older with hypertension and the other is new, so team capability and experience are uncertain. No one has planned commands or roles. Before any lift, use a mechanical aid: a suitable pallet truck, a trolley with a restraining strap, or a hoist. If no aid can be used, the move should be replanned with more people, a clear route, and a formal team lift plan, but the default should be to mechanise.
2. Describe how a team lift should be planned and communicated if a mechanical aid is genuinely unavailable for a short repositioning move.
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If a team lift is genuinely unavoidable for a short reposition, appoint a leader who plans the route, checks the load, sets roles and gives clear commands such as 'ready, steady, lift' and 'walk, stop, lower'. Position the strongest person where the load is heaviest, keep the load close, avoid twisting, and agree a set-down point before starting. Clear the route and check the ramp lip. Use gloves and ensure everyone can see and hear the leader. Stop immediately if the load shifts or anyone loses control. The team should be trained together, and the lift should be reviewed afterwards. This is a fallback, not a substitute for a mechanical aid.
3. What should they do if the pump begins to slip on the ramp?
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If the pump starts to slip, the priority is to avoid injury, not to save the equipment. The leader should call 'stop' clearly, and the team should lower the load in a controlled way to the ground or ramp if possible, keeping feet and hands clear. No one should try to catch a falling 140 kg load. The area should be cleared and the move abandoned until a safe method is planned. The incident should be reported and investigated, and the risk assessment revised. The fact that the pump is valuable does not justify a manual catch; a damaged pump is preferable to a crushed hand or foot.