Crane Essentials: In the realm of our work environment, a crane refers to any apparatus crafted to elevate or descend a load while facilitating horizontal movement. This encompasses not only the crane's supportive framework but also its foundations. Various crane types include tower cranes, self-erecting tower cranes, derrick cranes, portable boom cranes, bridge and gantry cranes, vehicle loading cranes, non-slewing mobile cranes, slewing mobile cranes, material hoists, and personnel hoists.
What Doesn't Qualify as a Crane: It's crucial to note that certain plant items don't fall within the crane category according to the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. These items, exempt from the ensuing requirements, comprise industrial lift trucks, earthmoving machinery, amusement devices, tractors, industrial robots, conveyors, building maintenance equipment, suspended scaffolding, and lifts.
Identifying Risks: Working with cranes and lifting equipment poses inherent risks, including:
- Falling Objects: Materials or components may fall due to equipment failure or operator error.
- Operator Safety: Risks involve operators falling during access or maintenance tasks.
- Structural Failures: Plant rollovers or collapse can occur in the event of structural failures.
Legislation
The following Queensland codes of practice provide guidance on managing the risks associated with specific types of cranes:
- Mobile Crane Code of Practice 2006 (PDF, 1.34 MB)
- Tower Crane Code of Practice 2017 (PDF, 1.56 MB)
- Rural Plant Code of Practice 2004 (PDF, 0.63 MB)
The specific legislative requirements that apply generally to all plant and mobile plant are listed here. The table below lists only the legislative requirements that apply specifically to cranes.
Specific legislative requirements for cranes | ||
---|---|---|
Plant that lifts and suspends loads | The person with management or control of the plant at a workplace must ensure that the plant used is specifically designed to lift or suspend the load or, if that is not reasonably practicable, that the plant does not cause a greater risk to health and safety than if specifically designed plant were used. Additional requirements apply for plant not specifically designed to lift or suspend a person | Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 |
Plant not specifically designed to lift or suspend a person | The person with management or control of plant at a workplace must ensure that:
| WHS Regulation 2011, s219 |
Safe work method statements | Safe work method statements are required for all high risk construction work, including any construction work that:
| WHS Regulation 2011, s291 and s299 |
High risk work licence | The use of the following types of crane and lifting equipment is defined as high risk work and requires users to be appropriately licensed:
View more information about obtaining a high risk work licence for the use of concrete placement booms | WHS Regulation 2011, s81 and schedule 3 – High risk work licences and classes of high risk work |
Notifiable incidents | The collapse or failure of an excavation or of any shoring supporting an excavation is a dangerous incident and must be notified to Workplace Health and Safety Queensland. View additional information about the notification of dangerous incidents, including the notification form | Work Health and Safety Act 2011, s35, s36, s37, s38 and s39 |
Registration of plant designs | Certain types of crane and lifting equipment require registration of their design with Workplace Health and Safety Queensland:
Exceptions to the requirement to register the plant design include cranes or hoists that are manually powered and tow trucks. View information about registering plant designs | WHS Regulation 2011, s243 and schedule 5 – Registration of plant and plant designs |
Registration of plant | Certain types of crane and lifting equipment require registration with Workplace Health and Safety Queensland:
Note, plant registration requirements are in addition to plant design registration requirements. View information about registering plant | WHS Regulation 2011, s246 and schedule 5 – Registration of plant and plant designs |