pewag Joins Global Lifting Awareness Day 2026: Why Safe Lifting Starts With the Right Equipment

On Thursday 2 July 2026, the lifting industry comes together for the seventh Global Lifting Awareness Day (GLAD), the worldwide campaign powered by the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA). pewag is proud to take part because safe lifting is at the heart of everything we do.

This year’s theme, “Not all lifting equipment is created equal,” speaks directly to a problem we see across the industry: when products look similar on paper but perform very differently under load, safety and compliance are put at risk.

What is Global Lifting Awareness Day?

GLAD is an annual, industry-wide initiative that brings manufacturers, suppliers and end users together to share knowledge that promotes safe, high-quality load lifting. Throughout the day, businesses publish articles, videos and social content under the hashtag #GLAD2026, while LEEA leads campaigns that drive lasting improvements in safety standards.

The 2026 campaign focuses on a critical issue for anyone who specifies, buys or operates lifting equipment: the difference between gear engineered for demanding, repeated operational use and products designed only for occasional, light-duty application. That distinction can be the difference between a safe lift and a serious accident.

Why “not all lifting equipment is created equal”

A lifting chain, hook or component may carry a familiar-looking rating, but the engineering behind it determines how it behaves in the real world under shock loads, repeated cycles, abrasion, extreme temperatures and corrosive environments.

Inferior products can meet a headline specification on paper while falling short on the metallurgy, manufacturing tolerances, traceability and testing that genuine safety depends on. For procurement professionals, that ambiguity makes it hard to compare like for like. The consequences of getting it wrong are measured in equipment failure, downtime, injury and, in the worst cases, fatalities.

Safety and compliance: what to look for

When sourcing lifting equipment, the following are non-negotiable for safe, compliant operation:

Certification and standards

Lifting chains and components should be manufactured and tested to recognised standards (such as EN 818 for chains and the relevant EN standards for components), with CE marking and a Declaration of Conformity. Grade markings (for example Grade 80, 100 or 120) indicate the chain’s strength class and must match the application.

Traceability and documentation

Every load-bearing item should carry clear identification and come with test certificates linking it back to its manufacturing batch. Without traceable documentation, you cannot verify what you are actually lifting with.

Correct rating for the application

Working Load Limit (WLL) must be specified for the real conditions including dynamic loads, angles of use in multi-leg slings, and environmental factors. A product rated for occasional use is not the same as one engineered for continuous, heavy-duty cycles.

Thorough examination and inspection

Lifting equipment must be subject to periodic thorough examination by a competent person, with records kept. In the UK this is a legal requirement under LOLER; equivalent inspection regimes apply across other jurisdictions.

Proper storage, handling and discard criteria. Even certified equipment degrades. Operators should be trained to recognise wear, deformation, cracks and elongation, and to remove damaged items from service immediately.

pewag’s commitment to safe lifting

For over 540 years, pewag has engineered chains and lifting components built for the most demanding industrial environments. Our lifting systems including high-grade chain slings and components, are designed, manufactured and tested to deliver consistent, certified performance, backed by full traceability and documentation.

Supporting GLAD 2026 reinforces a principle we already live by: quality lifting equipment is an investment in safety, not a cost to be minimised. When you choose certified, correctly rated and fully documented equipment, you protect your people, your operations and your reputation.

This 2 July, we encourage everyone in our industry to make the same pledge: to source, inspect and operate lifting equipment to the highest standard. Because not all lifting equipment is created equal, and the right choice saves lives.

Follow the conversation using #GLAD2026 or speak to one of our Lifting Experts to ensure every lift is a safe lift.