RSS, Sheffield Forgemasters to Stage Post-GLAD Event

Rope and Sling Specialists Ltd. (RSS) will join Sheffield Forgemasters to host a special event on 8 July that will bring together invited lifting professionals to explore the latest developments in compliance and asset management.

22/06/2026

RSS provides a comprehensive range of lifting and rigging equipment and services to joint ventures, consortiums, major infrastructure projects, and blue-chip organisations. Sheffield Forgemasters, meanwhile, is a leading steel production and engineering business that designs, manufactures, and supplies world-class steel forgings and castings.

The companies already enjoy a strong working relationship; RSS is a supplier to Sheffield Forgemasters. Another participating stakeholder, Professional Lifting Services Limited (PLS), carries out periodic inspections of lifting equipment at Sheffield Forgemasters in accordance with the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER).

The co-organised event — it will take place at RSS’s Rotherham depot and include a Sheffield Forgemasters site visit — has been strategically scheduled the week after Global Lifting Awareness Day (GLAD), which will be underscored by the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association’s (LEEA) 2026 tagline: ‘Not all lifting equipment is created equal.’ LEEA is building a white paper presenting the findings of a worldwide consultation, establishing, for the first time, an industry consensus on best practice for the sourcing and procurement of lifting equipment. It will be published on 2 July.

Digitalisation pioneer

Sheffield Forgemasters is a pioneer in adoption of the RSS live365 digitalisation and compliance platform, which combines digitalised inspection services with comprehensive data analysis software to analyse safety trends. live365 centres on the importance of maintaining essential safety documentation (current and historical) along with any-time access.

Leanne Whitehurst-Maiden, national digitalisation manager at RSS, said: “LEEA’s GLAD tagline certainly strikes a chord. I spend a great deal of my time educating customers about the importance of using high-quality lifting equipment and carrying out pre-use checks. We frequently discuss design processes and quality control procedures, but if equipment is not used, inspected, and maintained correctly, those safeguards can quickly be undermined.

“Our event with Sheffield Forgemasters will build on the momentum created by GLAD by gathering customers and industry stakeholders to explore how digitalisation is helping improve compliance, traceability, and the safe management of lifting equipment across the industry.”

Daniel Jennett, health, safety and environmental manager at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “Digitalisation is transforming the way lifting equipment is managed. We continue to integrate live365 across our supply chain to create end-to-end traceability, giving users greater confidence in the status, inspection history, and compliance of their assets.

“As one of the first companies in the UK to adopt RFID [radio-frequency identification]-embedded lifting equipment, we are demonstrating how technology can strengthen compliance, improve asset visibility, and support safer lifting operations. Guests will gain first-hand insight into how technology is strengthening traceability, improving compliance, and supporting safer lifting operations.”

Industry milestones

Coinciding with Sheffield Forgemasters’ 250th anniversary and RSS's 20th year in business, the event will celebrate a combined legacy of expertise, while showcasing the technologies and ideas that are helping to shape the future of lifting.

RSS’s Whitehurst-Maiden said: “It has been a pleasure to work with Sheffield Forgemasters, a company that shares our commitment to improving lifting safety; it has embraced the opportunities presented by digitalised lifting equipment. We hope the event will help raise awareness of the important role digitalisation can play in enhancing safety. Additional digital tools and features currently under development will further support those planning and carrying out lifting operations.”

Presenters on the day will include Ross Moloney, CEO of LEEA, together with Whitehurst-Maiden and Sheffield Forgemasters’ Jennett. Attendees will also be invited to tour a new machine shop which is under construction at Sheffield Forgemasters.

GLAD is a widely celebrated day where manufacturers, suppliers and end users are among those that share material that promotes safe and high quality load lifting. Social media posts, videos, articles, and in-person activity will again be bound together on 2 July by the hashtag, #GLAD2026.