WH scott
Lifting Equipment & Crane Systems for the Water Industry
Cranes, hoists and engineered lifting systems for wet wells, treatment halls and pumping stations — specified for corrosion, confined access and hazardous zones, and kept in certification.
Lifting Equipment for Water and Wastewater Sites
Every water treatment works, pumping station, service reservoir and storm overflow site depends on lifting equipment to remove and reinstate submersible pumps, mixers, penstocks, stop logs, inlet screens and valves. When an appliance is out of certification or out of service, planned maintenance stops with it — and process compliance can be at risk within hours.
Scale varies enormously. A regional wastewater works may need a double-girder overhead travelling crane spanning a covered process hall; an unmanned rural pumping station may need a single lifting point one engineer can rig alone. Both need equipment that survives permanent humidity, hydrogen sulphide and dosing chemicals and still lifts accurately over open water years later.
Investment is at record levels in both jurisdictions: Ofwat’s PR24 determinations allow around £104 billion in England and Wales to 2030, and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities has approved €13.6 billion for Uisce Éireann to 2029. That means new plant to install, ageing lifting assets to replace and considerably more thorough examination to evidence. WH Scott has engineered safety-critical lifting since 1897 and works with water utilities, MEICA contractors and Tier 1 partners across the UK and Ireland.
What Makes Lifting Hard on a Treatment Site
Corrosion is the constant. Equipment here sits in permanent damp and untreated carbon steel degrades quickly — a corroded appliance is a failed thorough examination before it is anything else. Hot-dip galvanising, stainless steel, marine-grade coatings and sealed hoist units decide whether an asset lasts five years or twenty-five.
Access is the second problem. Wet wells, valve chambers and inlet works are confined spaces: loads travel vertically through small openings and must be positioned precisely over open water, and some systems must also provide man-riding capability for entry and rescue. Where sewer or digester gas can form an explosive atmosphere the area is classified, and standard industrial equipment is not suitable — EX-rated cranes, hoists and controls are.
Loads themselves are awkward. Submersible pumps and mixers hang from guide rails and have to be lifted true to avoid damaging the rail or the seal. Inlet screens are unbalanced; penstocks and stop logs need controlled vertical travel under load. These are multi-point problems a hook and sling often cannot solve safely, but a purpose-designed lifting beam or frame can.
How WH Scott Group Helps
Equipment engineered for the environment. Overhead gantry cranes, single and double girder, from 100 kg to 250 t, stress-analysed and fabricated in-house with EN 1090 certified structural steelwork. Jib cranes up to 63 t SWL and 20 m radius, wall or pillar mounted, for pump bays and workshop areas. Mobile and A-frame gantries where permanent steelwork is not practical or the site is temporary. Bespoke beams, frames and davit arrangements for lifting submersible pumps and mixers clear of wet wells and chambers.
Specified against the conditions, not a catalogue. Corrosion protection is selected for the actual atmosphere — galvanised, stainless or marine-grade coating. In classified areas, EX-rated equipment is supplied for Zones 1/21 and 2/22 with full certification. AUTEC radio remote control, including EX variants, lets an operator run a lift from outside a hazardous or confined area, and process cranes are designed around the real duty class.
Inspection and maintenance that keeps the asset legal. LOLER thorough examination and PUWER inspection by LEEA-qualified engineers, proof load testing, planned maintenance, breakdown attendance and refurbishment where replacement is not justified. Certification is issued through the CoreRFID asset portal, so compliance teams hold the full inspection history for every appliance on site. Delivered from depots across the UK and Ireland, alongside our wider utilities lifting work.
Get in Touch
Tell Us About Your Project
Whether you need a single piece of equipment or a fully engineered lifting system, our specialists can help. Tell us your load, environment and compliance requirements — we’ll do the rest.
Compliance in the UK and Ireland
In the UK, lifting on water and wastewater sites is governed principally by LOLER 1998 and PUWER 1998. Lifting equipment must be thoroughly examined at statutory intervals — at least every six months for lifting accessories and equipment used to lift people, at least every twelve months for other lifting equipment, or in line with a written scheme of examination. Every lift must be planned and supervised by competent people, with BS 7121 the recognised code of practice. The Confined Spaces Regulations 1997, Work at Height Regulations 2005, COSHH 2002 and DSEAR 2002 apply routinely alongside. New equipment carries a Declaration of Conformity and UKCA or CE marking under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008.
In the Republic of Ireland the duty is comparable but the framework is not. Lifting equipment is examined under Regulation 52 of S.I. No. 299 of 2007, where the interval is set per equipment class in Schedule 1 rather than by a flat period, and a competent person may specify a shorter one in writing. Confined space work falls under S.I. No. 218 of 2001, work at height and explosive atmospheres under Parts 4 and 8 of S.I. 299/2007, and new machinery is CE marked under S.I. No. 407 of 2008. See lifting equipment inspection in Ireland for the detail.
What We Deliver in Lifting Solutions for the Water Industry
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Overhead Gantry Crane
Overhead gantry cranes designed for safe, efficient lifting, with bespoke configurations, installation, maintenance, and lifecycle support.
Vacuum Lifting Beams
Custom vacuum lifting beam solutions for safe, efficient handling of non-porous materials across demanding industrial applications.
Mobile & A-Frame Lifting Gantries
Portable aluminium and steel gantries for temporary lifting applications where a permanent gantry is not practical.
Get in Touch
Tell Us About Your Project
Whether you need a single piece of equipment or a fully engineered lifting system, our specialists can help. Tell us your load, environment and compliance requirements — we’ll do the rest.