EBME Forums Forums Management Medical Equipment Management Patient lifter test scripts/procedures

Hi all,

Anyone have an existing test procedure/script for patient lifters they would care to share? Our "standards boffin" is looking into this from a local prospective but as I would like the information this century I thought I might ask here instead.

PM or email if you like.

Thanks all, Dave

Dave,
In the UK all equipment lifting people is covered by rather strict regulations called LOLER (Lift Operations and Lift Equipment Regulations). It means that only approved people can test such equipment, so very little is done "in-house" in UK hospitals.
Hence you might not get be able to get a lot of help from "down under".
Robert

Regardless of who actually carries out the work, typical procedures do exist for LOLER-type tasks ... if only in the hands of Contracts Managers (for SLA's etc.).

Indeed I have seen such as these in one of my previous lives.

The trouble is, Robert, that not everyone is into sharing, or "spreading the word", it would seem.

But - who knows - perhaps by now Dave has been inundated with Private Messages!

Sadly not, but if anyone has such a thing (a test procedure from such a group/company) I would like to have a look (or indeed the "results report" as we could work backwards from that)

Do you have something like LOLER in place out there, Dave?

If so, surely that would be a good place for your "boffin" to make a start ... that and standing in front of a lifter, and using a bit of nous that is!

We went down the road of doing mobile hoists in-house. We have a few guys certified (not like that!!) to carry out load tests as per LOLER regs. I think they were certified by Trading Standards, I'll check. A useful sideline to this is that they can also certify weighing scales, saving the Trust a few bob.
Perhaps you should talk to your local Trading Standards people in Oz to see what regs are in force.

We seem to be blissfully lacking in regulation down this way (no LOLER equivalent or trading standards stuff that I can find)although there is of course a standard. This is currently being dissected.
I think we have it fairly well nailed but would still appreciate some other test scripts or results sheets so we can compare. Bill,(or others) if you can lay your hands on anything you could email me at dcunningham@chemtronics.com.au
My particular areas of concern at present are around the "testing" of slings (how do you test/define stitching strength without damaging it in the process)and over the definition of pass/fail in maximal load tests (ie how much flex in the lift system is acceptable etc).
One thing that has become clear to me is that, from the risk aspect, these devices can be classified as low frequency but high consequence. We need to get this right!

Yes, Non-Destructive Testing is generally preferred (with all hospital equipment)!

I believe that slings (and indeed ropes, and all the rest) are simply checked by examination. But (if I were doing the job) I think a system of changing them by date (or date code) similar to current practise with high-pressure anaesthetic hoses might be prudent. But even if slings (chains, etc.) are "in date", that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be carefully examined, of course.

All a bit time-consuming if done properly. And there's the rub:- most "contractors" that I have seen doing this stuff have come in, bunged the stickers on, and disappeared before you knew it. With the bill to follow later, of course.

In the UK, just like PAT testing, CORGI gas inspections, annual vehicle inspections (so-called "MOT's") and all the rest ... Regulations like this usually end up as a "licence to mint money"!

Lots of stuff about LOLER on the web, of course.