Following growing industry discussion around the use of board lifters in drylining, the FIS Health and Safety Working Group has launched new guidance to help businesses understand the safety procedures involving the handling and positioning of large, heavy boards and lifting aids to manage risk, improve positioning accuracy and reduce injury. 

The guidance provides contractors, clients, principal contractors and duty holders with a practical, risk-based approach to the use of board lifters. It responds to growing client requirements and industry discussion around the mandatory use of lifting aids and clarifies how legal duties under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 should be applied in practice. 

Members can support safer methods of working by setting out the benefits, limitations and risk assessment considerations when installing heavy drylining boards. Logistical issues such as restricted spaces, stairwells and cluttered sites can create difficulties and render the use of lifters impractical or prevent them from being used to their full potential. Equipment setup, storage, productivity and site logistics should always be considered in the planning stage of a project.

Commenting on the launch of the new guidance, David Cant, Chair of the FIS Health and Safety Working Group said:

“Whilst board lifters can support safer methods of work, their use is not universally practicable. Construction projects vary considerably in layout, access, programme constraints and working environment. In some situations, introducing board lifters may create additional logistical challenges, affect productivity, or even introduce new health and safety risks if not properly assessed and managed. For this reason, the use of board lifters should never be treated as a blanket requirement or a one-size-fits-all solution – the decision must be determined through a suitable and sufficient risk assessment.”

Members can support safer methods of working by setting out the benefits, limitations and risk assessment considerations when installing heavy drylining boards. Logistical issues such as restricted spaces, stairwells and cluttered sites can create difficulties and render the use of lifters impractical or prevent them from being used to their full potential. Equipment setup, storage, productivity and site logistics should always be considered in the planning stage of a project.

This new guidance from FIS reinforces that board lifter use should be determined through task-specific risk assessment. The guide includes: 

• Legal frameworks 
• Where board lifters can help 
• The practical limitations on the use of board lifters 
• The safe deployment of board lifters 
• Maintenance and inspection of board lifters 
• The industry position on mandated use 
• Toolbox talks for use on site 
• Example RAMS document 
• Board lifter checklist 
• Dynamic risk assessment approach
  

To download the Board Lifters in Drylining Guidance, click here.