Periodic
inspection
Having your lifting and hoisting systems inspected (periodically) guarantees the safety of you and your employees. It is therefore legally obligatory to have your hoisting and lifting systems inspected by an accredited body, both at the time of placing in service and at periodic inspections. After the inspection, you receive an inspection certificate.
The types of periodic inspections
The first periodic inspection concerns the inspection at placing in service. This means that lifting and hoisting systems must be inspected before being used. This type of inspection must also be carried out after an incident or major modification that could have affected the safety of the installation.
Subsequently, lifting and hoisting equipment must also be subjected to inspections and checks when in use. The hoisting equipment must be inspected quarterly by an independent inspection body recognised for this purpose by the FPS Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue, such as Vinçotte, Normec, ACEG or BTV. Lifting devices, on the other hand, must only be inspected once a year by an authorised person who checks the proper functioning of the lifting device. Here you can find a list of the approved external services that are allowed to carry out technical inspections in the workplace in Belgium.
The suitability of lifting equipment is also checked by calculating the remaining lifespan (Safe Working Period or S.W.P.), and a general overhaul for systems not subject to a suitability check.
