Location: Earlsgate Energy Centre, Grangemouth and Westfield Energy Recovery Facility
Industry Sector: Energy From Waste
Scope of Work: Six-monthly LEEA-compliant inspection of all onsite lifting beams and associated equipment.
Team Deployment: IRATA-qualified rope access technicians, supported by the site’s appointed lifting specialist.
Overview:
Think Access was appointed to carry out a six-monthly LEEA lifting equipment inspection programme across two energy recovery facilities in Scotland, covering the full inventory of onsite lifting beams and associated equipment. The work spanned multiple days across both sites and involved IRATA rope access technicians working alongside the site’s appointed lifting specialist to gain access to beams, hoists and accessories that couldn’t be reached by conventional means. The scope included visual inspection, close examination of hoists that had previously been subject to lockouts, inspection of davit sockets in the flue gas treatment area and the application of new SWL stickers and identification labels across all applicable beams on site.
The Challenge:
Lifting equipment in operational energy recovery facilities sits in some of the most difficult-to-reach areas on any industrial site. Overhead beams in boiler halls, flue gas treatment areas, turbine halls and air-cooled condenser structures are not easily accessed from ground level. The configuration of plant and services means MEWPs can’t always position safely at every required location. For a LEEA inspection programme to be thorough and compliant, every piece of lifting equipment needs to be physically reached, examined and documented. Anything short of that isn’t an inspection.
On top of the access challenge, the programme needed to be carried out under the site’s full permit-to-work system. Each day started with a new permit, a team briefing against the RAMS and a completed pre-start task sheet before any work could begin. Hoists that had previously had lockouts applied required specific checks. The davit sockets at the flue gas treatment area needed close physical inspection. And every beam that passed inspection required a new SWL sticker applied in place, not just a note on a report.
The programme also ran across two separate sites: the majority of the inspection work took place at Earlsgate EFW in Grangemouth, covering areas including the rigging loft, workshop, turbine hall, ACC and BuB; with a further visit to Westfield ERF in Fife to complete the FGT inspections and sticker changes there.
The Solution:
Think Access deployed a two-person IRATA-qualified rope access team to carry out the inspection programme across both sites. Working under full permit control throughout, the team covered the following scope:
Earlsgate EFW:
- Site induction, permit setup and scope discussion with the site’s appointed lifting specialist before any work began
- Full assessment of lifting accessories in the rigging loft
- Methodical inspection through the workshop, turbine hall, ACC and BuB areas
- Rope access deployed where conventional access couldn’t reach the work point, with the team rigging specifically for each area
- Hoists previously subject to lockouts inspected as a specific element of the programme
- New SWL stickers and identification labels applied to all applicable beams as inspection was completed
- FGT davit socket inspection and sticker changes completed in the flue gas treatment zone
Westfield ERF:
- Permit taken out, team briefed and task sheet completed before works commenced
- Davit sockets inspected at the flue treatment area
- Sticker changes completed in the FGT
All activity was recorded through the GetKonnected platform, giving the client real-time visibility of the team on site, the areas covered and the status of the inspection across both facilities. The client’s site representative signed off each timesheet on completion, with the Think Access manager closing out each record promptly thereafter.
Results:
Think Access completed the full six-monthly LEEA lifting equipment inspection programme across Earlsgate EFW and Westfield ERF. All applicable lifting beams, hoists and associated equipment were physically inspected and documented. New SWL stickers and identification labels were applied to all applicable beams across both sites. Davit sockets in the flue gas treatment areas were inspected and sticker changes completed. All activity was signed off by the client’s site representative on completion and verified by the Think Access manager, with a full digital record retained through the GetKonnected platform providing the client with a complete and auditable inspection trail across the full programme.
LEEA Lifting Equipment Inspections by IRATA Rope Access
If you need LEEA-compliant lifting equipment inspections carried out in locations where traditional platforms won’t reach, Think Access provides IRATA-qualified rope access teams ready to work safely under permit control in live industrial environments, to the highest professional standard.
