Steeped in history
25 March 2009Last month marked the 65th birthday of the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA). By comparison, Hoist's 11-year history is pretty modest. But the LEEA-Hoist relationship is one worth championing nonetheless.
On February 8th 1944, a constitution for a new organisation known as ‘The London Chain Testers and Manufacturers Association’ was agreed. Two years later, the name was changed to ‘The Chain Testers Association of Great Britain’ to reflect a broader membership.
By the early 1950s, the first ‘Chain Testers Handbook’ had been published, paving the way to the development of formal qualifications.
The final change of name, to the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association, took place in 1988, and the organisation became a company limited by guarantee in 2000.
Since Hoist was launched in 1998, LEEA's contribution to the title, which has now published 79 issues, has been immense.
The most obvious example of this is former chief executive Derrick Bailes' regular columns.
Geoff Holden has taken up the post of chief executive but Bailes who, after 30 years service, will continue to work for the association as a part-time technical consultant, is still writing his columns.
Since 2001, Bailes has advised the industry on the best way to choose, inspect, use and maintain hoists, cranes and rigging equipment. His monthly columns are brought together in one place on the website; link below.
Richard Howes, Editor
