Speaking to Hoist, Ross Moloney, CEO, LEEA, explains how lifting is a key role in the supply chains of many industries and by highlighting the importance of high standards, safe practices and technological innovation the event is a showcase to end users on how important safe lifting is in their own sectors.
“Last year we launched #GLAD through a global pandemic, which wasn’t ideal timing. It is important to make clear what it is and is not about… It is not a day of online exhibitions, this is about the industry, not a single company or organisation and we are running a 12-hour online zoom event, putting on training, technical advice, a live Q&A, and inviting people to send in their content to us, or to share it yourself online, using the hashtag” he said.
“If you choose to send your content to us at LEEA, we will put it in our loop shown globally two or three times at least online. The goal is to highlight the ubiquitous nature of our industry. So often we are hidden away in a dark and dingy corner, like a tunnel underground, inspecting machinery, but without it, our way of life would be hugely different. Just think of the hospitals, most of them wouldn’t have been built overnight. We are the grease in the industry for the industries that contribute towards the global economy.”
The event is also a way to attract the next generation of recruits into the sector and ‘to highlight to policymakers the need for them to recognise and support the role lifting plays in improving health and safety across numerous key industries’.
The inaugural annual Global Lifting Awareness Day took place on July 9, 2020 where people took to social media to post messages proclaiming what makes them glad to be in the industry. Across the platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram there were almost 1,000 individual and original mentions of #GLAD2020.
There are even greater expectations for this year’s event, where companies and individuals will again be able to highlight what they do and the importance of skills, competence and innovation.
“We encourage everyone with an interest in the lifting industry to support GLAD2021,” added Moloney. “We hope that on July 8, social media channels such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook will be filled with content from across the sector. There are many pieces of content that can be used or amended, such as the ‘LEEA Think Lifting’ films, which can be downloaded at leeaint.com. But we hope to see new and original posts too, which might include written pieces, films, podcasts or interviews –anything that spreads the message.
“Posting messages using the GLAD logo – which is also available to download at leeaint.com – together with hash-tagging GLAD2021 will help to raise our collective voices and drive greater awareness of our vital sector.”
