You might be familiar with the term ‘appointed person’.
It is commonly used to describe two specific roles: an appointed person in lifting operations and a health and safety appointed person.
In this blog, we’re going to concentrate on the lifting operations but, as you will see, there can sometimes be an overlap in terms of roles and responsibilities.
What Is An Appointed Person?
OK, firstly let’s take a look and see what an appointed person is.
In lifting operations, an appointed person is someone who is responsible for the execution and safety of a lifting operation.
As you can imagine, it is a hugely responsible position. We’ll take a look at some of the individual role requirements in more detail below.
In terms of an official definition for an ‘Appointed Person’, Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) state that an employer must ensure that each lifting operation is planned by a ‘competent person’.
BS 7121 states that this competent person is referred to as the ‘appointed person’.
What Are the Responsibilities of an Appointed Person?
There are many different responsibilities that an appointed person needs to undertake.
They include:
– The ability to write risk assessments and method statements
– To effectively communicate instructions to other employees
– The ability to confidently supervise work and consult with relevant bodies about site safety
– Knowledge of crane types, capabilities and limitations
On this last point, while not essential, it would certainly be beneficial to have prior lifting experience.
Some people working as an appointed person also work as crane operators – or at least have done so in the past.
What Qualifications Does An Appointed Person In Lifting Operations Need?
As stated above, an appointed person in lifting operations needs to be a ‘competent person’.
While someone’s competency can be judged by many different factors (like experience), gaining a qualification would definitely be advantageous and something potential employers could well look for.
Sussex Transport runs regular ‘Appointed Person’ training which will help candidates identify and implement safe systems of work for lifting operations including writing risk assessments and method statements.
Crucially, on completion, they will be issued with an NPORS or a Sussex Transport | Training Division ‘Trained Operator’ Card.
Find out more about the Sussex Transport Appointed Person training course and how it could help you start or progress in the industry.
