Interesting response from Screwfix

[Amateur]

As for screw fix losing stuff...
I put a pencil down then can't find it....
Then I find it and can't seem to locate my square....
Wife comes in with a brew and says what's up?
I can't find my ear protectors!
Are they the black things hung round your kneck?
And....I've more than once put my boxer shorts on back to front on these dark mornings. Then when I went for a Jimmy riddle thought I'd lost my John Thompson when I couldn't find the opening...LOL
Screw fix have minor problems.

 

[Dave Moore]

I don’t think 25kg is law but it’s an advisory maximum load for 1 person. Can’t say I would want to be lifting more than that though.

 

[J-G]

So much depends upon the age and general 'fitness' of the person doing the lifting. A blanket 25kg is a 'lowest common denominator' figure determined by an agenda which minimizes the potential for liability.
I'm not saying that that is wrong, just that it doesn't take account of all the potential variables.

When I was in my early 30's (1970's) I bought a run down DIY & Garden Supplies shop which included supplying some building materials -- specifically Cwt bags of cement -- I man-handled these regularly and I even remember one occasion when my 7 month pregnant wife decided to 'help out' with a delivery and carried a bag from the van simply hugging it to her!!! The customer suggested that she put down as soon a he saw her (I was in front with a bag on my shoulder and didn't know what she'd done), the customer then tried to lift it from the ground - - - not a chance

 

[TheTiddles]

Really, just go read Jelly’s post on it and save yourself.

If you think 25kg is there as the minimum for legal reasons, go ask your 95 year old granny to pick up a 25kg bowling ball off the floor with no finger holes and raise it above her head. I recon most will struggle with 1/10th of that. Sometimes it’s almost like people are all different...

Aidan

 

[doctor Bob]

.

If you think 25kg is there as the minimum for legal reasons, go ask your 95 year old granny to pick up a 25kg bowling ball off the floor with no finger holes and raise it above her head. I recon most will struggle with 1/10th of that. Sometimes it’s almost like people are all different...

Aidan

Absolutely, so seems a bit daft setting one figure. My two young chaps look at me like a right plonker sometimes.

 

[TheTiddles]

Absolutely, so seems a bit daft setting one figure. My two young chaps look at me like a right plonker sometimes.

I think you’re missing the point, there isn’t one number.

 

[doctor Bob]

I think you’re missing the point, there isn’t one number.

well I never ........... thank you.

 

[Doug71]

I hung some fire doors a couple of weeks ago, think they were 45-50kg each.

I'm a bit out of touch with stuff so serious question, these days would you generally see this being done by 2 people?

 

[TheTiddles]

I hung some fire doors a couple of weeks ago, think they were 45-50kg each.

I'm a bit out of touch with stuff so serious question, these days would you generally see this being done by 2 people?

Depends on your risk assessment of the task (literally yours, not the governments, or the councils, which is what 3 pages of this thread can be summarised as) for equipment I design I’d struggle to justify the risk to a client for any operation with one person handling that load unassisted, except in extremis. Would they do it, of course, routinely, I’ve seen them do it, but then I’ve not knowingly exposed them to a risk to their health that could have been avoided.

Last time I saw people installing fire doors they were doing it in pairs, but then again there had been a bit of a H&S incident the week before with an RSJ and a tele-handler

Aidan

 

[doctor Bob]

I hung some fire doors a couple of weeks ago, think they were 45-50kg each.

eggy thump, all done in wellies, tweed jacket and bobble hat ........................ those gym bunnies in their lycra Phhaaa.........

 

[Jelly]

well I never ........... thank you.

I made an imperfect attempt at highlighting the nuance of the situation here.

You could reasonably write a generic risk assessment to the effect:

"Big Bob and Massive Mike have demonstrated the physical capability to safely lift [X] kg from the floor, and [y] kg from a standing position without undue difficulty, consequently lifting activities upto those weights, not involving bending or twisting are low-risk for those staff and do not need additional controls".​

In doing that you demonstrate:

a) you have considered it seriously,​

​

b) you have made it specific and linked to a task based capability assessment (written/documentary evidence of this would be important to justify this if the HSE ever came knocking).​

​

c) have limited the scope to simple activities where there are not other contributory risks.​

​

Which would put you streets ahead of many large corporate employers who have dismal risk assessments written in such an overly generic way that they make out it would be totally safe for 7-stone weakling who can barely lift their coffee cup to their lips to carry a 25kg weight at above head height...

 

[artie]

My first job as a 14 yo was with a land drainage company.
Main drains were made with 6" concrete pipes each weighed <> 1 cwt.
They came in hundreds on a large lorry and had to be lifted off and stacked by hand, then at a later date loaded on a smaller trailer to be taken out to the field.
When loading the trailer we used to lift each one above our head before putting it on the trailer and see who would give in first.
Or lift one above our heads and see who could keep it there longest.
I don't even want to talk about the 9 and 12, or even 18 inch.