In-house designs – an exciting topic!

Do you have in-house built lifting devices that have never been inspected or documented?

In everyday industrial operations, special transport situations arise again and again for which no suitable lifting device is available on the market, or where an individual solution makes more economic sense. In such cases, lifting devices are designed and manufactured in-house, or existing devices are adapted to the specific application through modifications or add-ons.

Such individual solutions can be technically sound and safely implemented. However, a prerequisite for safe use is that the design, working load limit, and safety-relevant functions are professionally assessed, and that the required inspections and verifications are carried out.

Custom-built designs can pose particular risks

During periodic inspections, it repeatedly turns out that companies have individual in-house designs for which there is no complete technical documentation or no reliable proof of the working load limit.

Especially with lifting devices that have been manufactured in-house or modified after the fact, important questions arise:

• Is the design adequately dimensioned for the intended load?
• Are the materials and their properties verified?
• Are welded joints and other load-bearing connections professionally executed?
• Is the permissible working load limit clearly stated?
• Are the load attachment points suitable for the intended loads?
• Have possible operating errors and unfavorable load conditions been taken into account?
• Is there a traceable technical documentation available?

Missing evidence makes it difficult to assess the device and can mean that a lifting device cannot readily be approved for its intended use.

Technical assessment instead of replacement with a new device

A custom-built design is not automatically unsafe. What matters is whether it is technically suitable for the intended use and meets the required safety requirements.

In a professional inspection, existing documents, materials, design, and execution can be assessed. If documents are missing, technical calculations and further inspections may be required, depending on the initial situation.

For lifting devices, DIN EN 13155 is particularly relevant. It covers non-fixed load lifting attachments for cranes and contains requirements for their design and safety-related dimensioning. Which requirements apply in a specific case depends on the respective lifting device and its intended use.

What does the new Machinery Regulation mean for self-built equipment?

With Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery, a new European set of rules will apply from 20 January 2027. It replaces the previous Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.

For custom-built designs, an important distinction is necessary: Not every item manufactured in-house is automatically a machine within the meaning of the Machinery Regulation. What matters, among other things, is whether the product falls within the scope of the Regulation and under which conditions it is manufactured and used.

For a self-built item intended for the company’s own operational use, it therefore cannot be decided solely on the basis of the term “self-built” which requirements apply. It must be examined on a case-by-case basis whether and which obligations arise from the Machinery Regulation.

The assessment becomes particularly relevant for machines or products that are put into service for the first time, substantially modified, or made available outside the company’s own premises. In such cases, requirements for technical documentation, conformity assessment, and CE marking may become relevant, among other things.

For a classic lifting device, the consideration of the relevant requirements for lifting devices and their safe use as work equipment remains decisive. A technical inspection and a proof of working load limit do not automatically replace a conformity assessment that may be required.

Calculation, inspection and documentation

For custom-built designs with existing material certificates, the technical information can be included in the assessment. If documents are missing entirely or in part, it must first be examined which information can still be determined or verified in order to carry out a reliable technical assessment.

Depending on the design, the following points, among others, may be considered:

• Static calculation and proof of working load limit
• Material certificates and material properties
• Inspection of the load-bearing structure
• Assessment of welded joints and other connections
• Inspection of the load attachment points
• Checking of safety-relevant components and functions
• Marking of the permissible working load limit
• Documentation of the inspections carried out

For suitable lifting devices, traceable technical documentation can subsequently be prepared. Depending on the specific scope of inspection and acceptance, this may include, for example, inspection reports, technical calculations, material certificates, and clear marking.

Inspections must match the lifting device

The inspection must not consider the calculated working load limit alone. What matters is the combination of design, material, manufacturing quality, intended use, and safety-related execution.

Tests under load must also be defined according to the respective test concept and the applicable technical requirements. A blanket specification of a certain number of load cycles is therefore not equally applicable to every lifting device.

In particular, the frequently cited figure of 20,000 load cycles should therefore not be presented as a general test requirement of DIN EN 13155.

Traceable documentation creates safety

Complete documentation is an important part of a professional technical assessment. It makes it possible to trace the design, working load limit, and inspections carried out at a later point in time.

Depending on the individual case, the scope may include:

• Technical calculations
• Inspection reports and inspection records
• Material certificates
• Information on the permissible working load limit
• Documentation of the inspections carried out
• Marking of the lifting device
• Information on intended use and operating limits

An inspection certificate in accordance with DIN EN 10204 is not automatically equivalent to a safety verification or a conformity assessment. Which documents are required and appropriate depends on the specific lifting device and the respective application.

Safety for individual solutions

Lifting devices manufactured in-house do not generally have to be replaced by standard products. If an individual design is technically suitable, a professional assessment can help to document its safe use in a traceable manner.

What matters are a reliable technical design, the inspection of the actual execution, and complete documentation of the relevant verifications.

In this way, even individual solutions for special transport situations can be professionally assessed and safely integrated into the operational workflow.