Thursday, July 17, 2025
On the golf course, there are good shots and bad — as was the case at last week’s Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) Summer Event, which took place at Oulton Hall Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort near Leeds.
When Mark Barnard, operations manager, found another fairway, everyone who saw it agreed it was a decent effort.
When James Daniel, area sales manager, finally avoided the trees, the verdict again was nicely played, J.D.
When Paul Glover, national director of operations, mistimed yet another swing and reached into his bag for a new ball, the adjudication was unanimous once more, that it was a bad shot.
Throughout the day, I too hit a multitude of balls off tees, fairways, and greens, all of which I could describe as being good or bad shots.
There isn’t a lot of in between in golf. And nor should there be in lifting. One can’t have a nearly safe lift or describe rigging as quite good. It’s safe or it’s not. The same goes for compliance, risk mitigation, and corporate responsibility. This is the realm of definitely yes, or definitely no. The difference between golf and lifting, is that if your colleague is in the trees or the water in terms of safety, it’s not Gloves’ scorecard that’s at stake, it’s someone’s life.
This was emphasised in no uncertain terms the day before we took to the Oulton Hall golf course, when LEEA invited DAC Beachcroft, a law firm, to lead an interactive session that put attendees at the heart of a realistic industrial trial. The mock trial experience placed us in the courtroom.
In the dock
Luckily, the vast majority of professionals will never experience a real-life health and safety trial, but that means there is a widespread lack of understanding of how prosecutions unfold, the pressures of giving evidence, and how the consequences of compliance failures can drive lasting behavioural change.
This unique experience gave us first-hand insight into the criminal court process, as we served as a jury and deliberated on a realistic industry trial. Unlike a typical training session, this immersive and eye-opening experience provided a different perspective than what is possible by listening to a trainer in a classroom environment.
As we deliberated, it was clear to us that the employee had not followed company procedures, thus, we quickly returned a guilty verdict. While adherence to the most stringent safety standards is a priority to everyone in the room — LEEA has a vision of achieving zero accidents, injuries, and fatalities in the industry — it was impossible for us not to consider our own companies and how none of us would want to be on trial in real life.
This naturally prompted a lot of post-trial discussions. As I said, to use the analogy of a flowchart, every step should be covered by the question, does this action or lack of one make the situation safer? If the answer is no, why not? The answer should never be, maybe, let’s move on anyway; or we’ve done everything we think we can, let’s signal to the operator to begin the lift. Total removal of grey areas in the middle is fundamental to safety.
Overall, the wider Summer Event format was a success. LEEA has gravitated away from a purely golf format and the mock trial was a good example of the greater benefit on offer. Learning, networking, and relaxation was all available, with a mix of specialist training, golf competitions, spa experiences, and social events. Even at a welcome BBQ, guests could unwind, connect, and practice their swing at the driving range. (Perhaps Paul Glover will take this opportunity next year.) After golf, LEEA offered an elegant evening of fine dining, entertainment, and awards in the company of industry peers.
I’m already looking forward to the 2026 event.
Trial and error
In business more generally, not everything is black and white. There is scope for experimentation and even trial and error. This is certainly the case when it comes to a company’s core competencies and diversification or expanding a product range.
As we’ve been covering on social media, we continue to add equipment and services to our portfolio, whether it be forklift trucks, ToughLift push-around material lifts, or Holmatro hydraulic cylinders. As we’ll outline to trade media soon, we were recently appointed the UK premier service centre and a distributor for Holmatro. And it serves as a good case study of how to successfully onboard a new line or equipment, without creating a distraction for staff and / or customers. While it sounds straightforward — add more products, make more money — it’s rarely as simple as that.
We’re renowned for offering a comprehensive portfolio of lifting and rigging products, in addition to live365 digitalisation and compliance technology. We supply blocks, shackles, hooks, slings, harnesses, and other rigging gear — all covered by periodic Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) inspections — to some of the UK’s most notable joint ventures, consortiums, large-scale infrastructure projects, and blue chip businesses. That’s enough to keep everyone busy from dawn until dusk, so what happens when an opportunity presents itself to expand the range?
In terms of Holmatro high-pressure hydraulic lifting tools, it would have been impossible without specialist knowledge and expertise. One can’t merely add a page to the catalogue and expect a new revenue stream to take care of itself. In Paul Smith, depot manager; and Alana Filby, product support specialist, we have effectively created a department that professionals in heavy lifting, transportation, shipbuilding, civil engineering, construction, mining, and energy can deal with to advance hydraulic enquiries. In combination with Tom Fictels, sales manager, hydraulic solutions at Holmatro, customers can move buildings and place trains back on track — literally. Without Paul, Alana, and Tom, adding this specialist equipment to our already extensive range would have been impossible.
It also helps if add-ons are complementary to an existing range. Our hydraulic lifting tools will be utilised in many industries where our other wares are already utilised. I know that Tom is encouraged by the fact that we have depots throughout the UK and are well known to large civil engineering companies. It means we’re not starting from scratch.
Think about your own diversification strategies.
Would the markets you already serve be interested in a product that you don’t currently offer?
Would customers appreciate being offered it by a supplier they already know and trust?
Do you have access to the right personnel to make it happen?
Sizing up
I was encouraged to see that the Sizewell C project is gathering pace, with news recently breaking about the formation of an alliance with three leading construction companies who will deliver the main civil works at the new power station in Suffolk — Balfour Beatty, Laing O’Rourke, and Bouygues Travaux Publics.
This Civil Works Alliance brings the companies together with Sizewell C into a single delivery organisation that will be responsible for enabling works and earthworks; marine and tunnelling works; main civil works; and ancillary works.
Notably, the three companies are all currently working at Hinkley Point C and have played a key role in relaunching nuclear construction in the UK.
Our company intends to be present as this long-term project continues.
Steve Hutin
Managing Director
Rope and Sling Specialists Ltd
