The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) has announced the 2026 Global Lifting Awareness Day (GLAD) for 2026 will be held on Thursday, July 2.

The theme of this year’s event is “Not all lifting equipment is created equal”.

GLAD is a widely celebrated day where manufacturers, suppliers and end-users are among those who share material which promotes safe and high quality load lifting with social media posts, videos, articles, and in-person activity bound together by the hashtag, #GLAD2026.

This is the seventh annual GLAD event and will culminate in publication of a guidance document procurement professionals can use to source lifting equipment.

GLAD is designed to deliver meaningful content aligned with LEEA’s vision of lifting and height safety industries, which have eliminated accidents, injuries and fatalities; and its mission to educate, influence and enable so that best practice is everyday action.

“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,” says Matt Barber, director of membership with LEEA.

“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. 

“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.”