The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) has annouced that the next Global Lifting Awareness Day (GLAD) will take place on 2 July 2026. This year’s theme is ‘not all lifting equipment is created equal’.
The seventh staging of the event will culminate in the publication of a guidance document that procurement professionals can use to source lifting equipment.
GLAD is where manufacturers, suppliers and end users are among those who share material that promotes safe and high quality load lifting. Social media posts, videos, articles and in-person activity will again be bound together by the hashtag #GLAD2026.
Matt Barber, director of membership at LEEA, said: “GLAD is a globally recognised concept that stands on firm footings in its purpose to raise awareness about the challenges facing lifting industries across the world. LEEA has always sought to use the day to intensify our focus on a campaign message, whether that be addressing skills shortages and shaping tomorrow’s workforce, or reminding industry that not all lifting equipment is created equal. If we can leave industry with a meaningful takeaway, it only serves to give greater meaning and purpose to members’ and end users’ ongoing efforts to celebrate their roles in our sector.”
He added: “The most consequential decision in a lifting operation is often made weeks before the lift takes place, at the point of purchase. The sling, the hoist, the shackle, the lifting accessory; what was specified, what documentation came with it, and whether the person who bought it had the information to make the right call. When that decision is made in an information vacuum, the risk doesn’t disappear. It gets transferred to the people doing the work.”