Glossary

A directive is a legal document established by the Council of the European Union. Each member state must then transpose it into its national law. The Directive is published in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
The employment inspection services and the DREAL (regional French government offices) are responsible for making sure businesses are monitored. When a product does not meet the essential requirements of the directive, penalties may be imposed (withdrawal from the market, etc.).

In the lifting sector, the Directive concerned is the Machinery Directive 2006/12/EC. This requires the presence on electric winches of an emergency stop and, in lifting, a limiter switch, as well as a load limiter above 1000 kg.

The European Federation of Materials Handling and Storage Equipment is an association of constructors and experts setting common rules for the design and use of handling equipment, including lifting equipment.

To determine the group for your lifting device, winch or block and tackle, three essential parameters are to be taken into account:

. Maximum load to be lifted:
It includes the weight of the cable and any lifting accessories (hook, etc.) except where these are of a total weight of 5 % or less of the load to be lifted.

. Load condition: it determines in what proportions the lifting device is used at maximum load or reduced load.
For an exact classification, it is preferably to calculate the average cubic value (k) using the formula below:

where :

Thus a distinction is made between four characterised load conditions:

. Operating class:

This is the average operating time per day, on the basis of 250 working days a year.
The lifting device is considered to be in operation when it is moving; conversely, it is not during stoppage times, between raising and lowering for example.

These three parameters thus provide the means for classifying the devices into groups of mechanisms in accordance with this table you can use to determine the group for the lifting device you need :

Our technical sales staff is at your disposal to help you determine the characterised load condition corresponding to your case.

The degrees of protection gotten by the envelopes of electric materials low and Medium Average (until 1000V and 1500V) are defined by French standards NF INTO 60529 (IP) and NF EN 50102 (IK).

To symbolize the degrees of protection, it is made use of followed letters IP of 2 characteristic digits.

IP = code indicating the degree of protection gotten by the envelope against the access to the dangerous parts, the penetration of foreign solid bodies and the penetration of the liquids.

The first figure indicates the protection against the solid bodies.

• 0 : no protection.
• 1 : protected against the solid bodies higher than 50mm (e.g.: involuntary contact of the hand).
• 2 : protected against the solid bodies higher than 12,5mm (e.g.: fingers).        
• 3 : protected against the solid bodies higher than 2,5mm (e.g.: tools, screws).
• 4 : protected against the solid bodies higher than 1mm (e.g.: thick tools, wires).
• 5 : protected against dusts (not harmful deposit).
• 6 : completely protected against dusts.

The second figure indicates the protection against the liquid bodies .

• 0 : no protection.
• 1 : Protected against the vertical falls from water drops (condensation).
• 2 : Protected against the falls from water drops until 15° of vertical.
• 3 : Protected against rainwater until 60° from vertical.
• 4 : Protected against water projections of all directions.
• 5 : Protected against the jets from water of all directions to lance.
• 6 : Protected against water projections assimilable to the big waves.
• 7 : protected against the effects of immersion.
• 8 : protected against the effects of immersion prolonged under specified conditions.

A standard is a technical specification approved by a recognized body.
 Unlike a directive, its application is not compulsory.
We speak of a harmonized standard when it is drawn up by a European standardization body under a mandate from the European Commission. The Commission then publishes it in the Official Journal of the European Union and it follows the directive based on which it has been drawn up.
In lifting, HUCHEZ electric winches are designed and manufactured in accordance with the NF 14492-1 standard and HUCHEZ manual winches to the NF 13157 standard.