Recurring inspection

“UVV-Prüfung” is the established German name for the inspection of work equipment under the accident prevention regulations (UVV) of the statutory accident insurers. Legally, the Industrial Safety Regulation (BetrSichV) now comes first: it obliges the employer to have work equipment inspected whose safety depends on installation or which is exposed to damaging influences.

DGUV Regulation 52 for cranes and DGUV Regulation 54 for winches, hoisting and traction equipment supplement this for lifting equipment. The name has stayed; the basis has broadened. Readers in the United Kingdom will recognise the parallel with the thorough examination under LOLER.

The annual inspection is only one of several occasions.

The periodic inspection is essentially a visual and functional inspection. The competent person assesses the condition of the components for damage, wear and corrosion, checks that the safety devices are complete and effective, and reviews the documents.

On a hoist this means: measuring and assessing the chain or rope, hook and safety latch, brake and load holding, limit switches, controls and emergency stop, structure, connections and anchoring, and the marking of the rated capacity. On serial hoists the portion of the theoretical service life used up is also determined.

The outcome is a finding: no defects, defects to be rectified by a date, or defects that rule out further operation. In the last case the equipment stays out of service until it has been repaired and re-inspected.

The result is recorded – with type and scope of the inspection, finding and inspector. Without this record the inspection cannot be proven. The inspection sticker is a reminder, not a record.

The inspection is not servicing: it establishes, it does not remedy. Nor is it a guarantee until the next date – the operator remains obliged to check the equipment for obvious defects before starting work. And it does not automatically cover everything hanging from the hook: grippers, spreader beams and slings are work equipment in their own right with their own inspection.