Lifting

Greater representation is needed for the whole sector.

Over recent years it has been brought to the Associations attention that our members in the lifting sector and indeed the sector as a whole in Scotland are not being represented as strongly as elsewhere on the British Isles. In late 2021 the Association President, Callum Mackintosh, proposed to the Executive Committee that we address this matter and with the support of colleagues an initial meeting was held in 2022 at Dunblane to gauge interest in forming a dedicated Scottish Plant Owners Association Lifting subgroup. 

Mark Syme, General Manager at Forsyth of Denny, was just one supporter of establishing a dedicated working group for the lifting sector:

“If we can galvanise the many shared frustrations into action that can lead to tangible outputs for the sector, I’m all for it.”

The SPOA Lifting Sub-Group

Following the success of our first meetings the SPOA has now formed a working group led by those in the Scottish lifting sector including hirers, manufacturers, trainers etc who are dedicated to addressing the key issues at play.

Group Objective:

The SPOA acknowledges that the lifting sector is a very specialist sector within the plant industry. The Association is committed to improving industry and delivering value to members.

The Lifting Group/Committee will seek to communicate and engage with industry to develop stronger terms of business and clear guidance on matters relating to training, thorough examination, Health and Safety etc. The group will liaise with other relevant bodies across the UK and Europe as well as acting as a link between industry and manufacturers to communicate safety and technical innovations.

Group Members include:

• Group Chair - TBC
• Mark Syme - Forsyth of Denny
• Ian Campbell - AB2K 
• Mark Rafferty - Bernard Hunter
• David Mowat - Peterson 
• Darran Mellish - Mellex 
• Mike Roberts - OM Heavy
• Callum Mackintosh - The SPOA
• Lyle Sibbald - Liebherr
• Andrew Snow - Tadano
• CITB

Working group membership is open to Scottish Plant Owners Association members with relevant subject matter expertise, and the time and interest to participate fully. It is expected that group members will often be drawn from members with invites extended to external specialists when required. Since these groups are expected to provide a deliverable within a set amount of time, group size is limited to facilitate collaboration and decision-making. If more people express interest than can be accommodated, the group Chair will ensure that the group is representative of the topic matter and has members with the necessary skills and talents to achieve group goals.

Group Target:

• Generate awareness in industry of the cost of doing business.
• Work with other stakeholders to provide solid guidance to the lifting sector especially where best practice or guidance does not exist, or current guidance is ineffective.
• Generate interest in lifting apprenticeships and funnel interested candidates into employment opportunities
• Improve the image and standards of the sector by promoting professionalism, quality and safety.

Ask us a question

Would you like to raise a question with our Lifting Sub Group? Just fill out the form below with your query and we will get straight back to you.