NASA’s Lifting Devices and Equipment (LDE) Program filmed a new training course at NASA’s Langley Research Center (LaRC) in July, “Lifting Devices and Equipment (LDE) for Managers and Program Personnel.” The course, recently made available on the SATERN site, will help managers and program personnel understand the hazards, process and requirements associated with use of LDE.  This course is intended both to enhance safety and reliability of lifts, and to make compliance with requirements easier for users of LDE.

Use of LDE has inherent hazards, since it involves lifting items that are usually too heavy and/or too large for lifting by hand. Better understanding of the equipment, processes and requirements can reduce the probability of mishaps and perhaps mitigate the severity of mishaps that do happen.

This new course, be led by LDE Program Manager Owen Greulich and LaRC LDE Manager Larry Snyder, aims to make the safe use of LDE easier for centers.

“Lifting Devices and Equipment (LDE) for Managers and Program Personnel” provides an overview of the types of LDE in use at NASA. It offers information regarding good lifting practices and provides examples of mishaps that have occurred when good practices were not followed. The course is intended to assist managers, program personnel and LDE managers (LDEM) by providing an overview of LDE operator training requirements as well as LDE planning, use, limitations and inspection requirements, a few examples of what not to do with LDE, and information regarding when communication with the LDEM will be particularly helpful in facilitating safe and timely lifts.

This is the second course that the LDE Program has filmed this year; the LDE Manager training course for new managers, “Lifting Devices and Equipment Manager (LDE) Training,” was filmed in June at LaRC. Both courses are available on the SATERN training site.